34 days pregnant and no babies Help please

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Pixie895

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Hi all,

please can someone help me.

My rabbit Lilo is 34 days pregnant, I’ve felt the babies kick and I’ve got videos of the babies moving so I know she’s definitely pregnant.
729FA373-9C70-48D4-B852-E139B4AD805D.jpeg
She made a nest almost 2 weeks ago and I was expecting her to give birth over the weekend but there’s still no sign of babies. This will be her first litter she is 14 months old.

Is there anyway to induce labor without going to the vets? I’ve tried parsley and rubbing her belly and letting her run around but it doesn’t seem to be working.

I haven’t really felt the babies move since Sunday night but I think I felt them move this morning but that might just be wishful thinking to be honest. She still is visibly pregnant I just don’t know what to do.75B3E931-6E98-4708-958F-8FD535715D5A.jpeg
 

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Calcium deficit can cause problems with labour.
You can give her a Tums (fruit flavoured is said to be accepted well), or put a small fingernail sized heap of powdered eggshells over some damp oatmeal or pellets.

Her belly should be quite obvious now, if not she may have not taken and this has been a false pregnancy. I couldn't tell gut movements from kits, and I suck at palpating, for me it's more obvious when they run and I watch them from the rear, when they are pregnant it lookes like a rather solid ball swings a little to the left and right. Building a nest at about 2 weeks is not uncommon for a false pregnancy.

btw, multiple threads dont bring better answers, it just makes things somewhat confusing.
 
Calcium deficit can cause problems with labour.
You can give her a Tums (fruit flavoured is said to be accepted well), or put a small fingernail sized heap of powdered eggshells over some damp oatmeal or pellets.

Her belly should be quite obvious now, if not she may have not taken and this has been a false pregnancy. I couldn't tell gut movements from kits, and I suck at palpating, for me it's more obvious when they run and I watch them from the rear, when they are pregnant it lookes like a rather solid ball swings a little to the left and right. Building a nest at about 2 weeks is not uncommon for a false pregnancy.

btw, multiple threads dont bring better answers, it just makes things somewhat confusing.

Thank you I’ll try eggshells.

She definitely has a belly as it grew over the weekend. She’s usually a very slim rabbit and I haven’t changed her diet so it’s not like she’s just getting chubby haha.

I genuinely don't really know what else I can do.

Thank you I’m a new to this so I wasn’t to sure.
 
I used a coffee blender to get it real fine.
 
When was that picture of the nest taken? Is it possible she already had the babies? In the wild, rabbits bring the least attention to the nest so that their babies stay safe, could she be doing the same thing?
 
When was that picture of the nest taken? Is it possible she already had the babies? In the wild, rabbits bring the least attention to the nest so that their babies stay safe, could she be doing the same thing?
Thank you for your reply.
That photo was taken Saturday as she rearranged so I took a photo and sent it to my friend.
there’s definitely no kits in there as she has since changed it again.
 
I would try the eggshell or tums then. Make sure to send pictures when they are born because people here love baby bunnies! 😍
 
I’ve read that some Does don’t give birth until 43 days. Is there any truth to that?
 
I wouldn't wait that long because it can be dangerous. The Spruce Pets say: (look at paragraph 3)
"If a pregnant rabbit has gone more than 35 days after breeding and still has not given birth, a veterinarian will need to be contacted as soon as possible to either induce labor or perform surgery to remove the babies." https://www.thesprucepets.com/pregnancy-in-rabbits-4171961
This article says: (look at paragraph 4)
"The length of pregnancy has been reported (Hammond & Marshall, 1.925, 1936 ; Kenneth, 1967; Menjsov, 1935; Ploetz, 1932; IZosahn, Greene & Hu, 193~t, 1935; Templeton, 1939; Vasin, 194:0; Wisha.rt & Hammond, ]933) to vary from 26 to 60 days, and reports from breeders mention instances of prolonged gestation up to 55 days (Pickard, 1930), but no such prolongation was encountered in our records."
(https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/jgen/050/03/0384-0391)
 
I wouldn't wait that long because it can be dangerous. The Spruce Pets say: (look at paragraph 3)
"If a pregnant rabbit has gone more than 35 days after breeding and still has not given birth, a veterinarian will need to be contacted as soon as possible to either induce labor or perform surgery to remove the babies." https://www.thesprucepets.com/pregnancy-in-rabbits-4171961
This article says: (look at paragraph 4)
"The length of pregnancy has been reported (Hammond & Marshall, 1.925, 1936 ; Kenneth, 1967; Menjsov, 1935; Ploetz, 1932; IZosahn, Greene & Hu, 193~t, 1935; Templeton, 1939; Vasin, 194:0; Wisha.rt & Hammond, ]933) to vary from 26 to 60 days, and reports from breeders mention instances of prolonged gestation up to 55 days (Pickard, 1930), but no such prolongation was encountered in our records."
(https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/jgen/050/03/0384-0391)

Thank you I’ll keep that in mind.

Hopefully she gives birth tonight or early tomorrow, if not I’ll take her to the vets.
 
Does she have the option of coming out of her cage and getting some exercise? That’s a pretty small cage and she will need space to get away from her babies should she choose to from time to time.
 
Judging from your photo I would give her plenty of hay so she could eat it and use for building nest, also I would cover part maybe a half of her cage over the nest with a blanket or cardboard so she can have some privacy, they don't like being watched especially when giving birth or nursing. She needs plenty of water as well, when it starts she will drink like a horse.

Just make her feel comfortable, reduce the light, if there;s any loud noise etc, you can put some relaxing music so it would create safe atmosphere around.

Let her be, don't check her every minute, make something like a skid so you can watch her from a distance without disturbing her.

But how do you feel if she is active as usual or maybe looks tired closes her eyes etc, does she have appetite as normal, how's her poo etc?

26 days, 31 day, 35 days, 43 days that's individual, most of them would kindle on 31 though.

It can be also a fake pregnancy or maybe she decided to keep them.

How do you know she's pregnant, was she bred or was it by accident, was the buck same size or bigger than she?

What you feed her I don't see hay around, what she drinks, is there a bottle or she drinks from bowl?
 
Does she have the option of coming out of her cage and getting some exercise? That’s a pretty small cage and she will need space to get away from her babies should she choose to from time to time.

Thank you she really is a pretty bunny ☺️

Yes she has plenty of space to hop around usually she’d have access to my whole room but because she could pop at any moment I’ve put a run around her cage.

Last thing I want is for her to have them under my bed and not realise that they are there!
 
Thank you she really is a pretty bunny ☺

Yes she has plenty of space to hop around usually she’d have access to my whole room but because she could pop at any moment I’ve put a run around her cage.

Last thing I want is for her to have them under my bed and not realise that they are there!
Well it is natural if she'd kindle somewhere in a safe place, in my opinion your cage is very open and doesn't look safe at all, I would really cover it to create some kind of hide for her.
 
Judging from your photo I would give her plenty of hay so she could eat it and use for building nest, also I would cover part maybe a half of her cage over the nest with a blanket or cardboard so she can have some privacy, they don't like being watched especially when giving birth or nursing. She needs plenty of water as well, when it starts she will drink like a horse.

Just make her feel comfortable, reduce the light, if there;s any loud noise etc, you can put some relaxing music so it would create safe atmosphere around.

Let her be, don't check her every minute, make something like a skid so you can watch her from a distance without disturbing her.

But how do you feel if she is active as usual or maybe looks tired closes her eyes etc, does she have appetite as normal, how's her poo etc?

26 days, 31 day, 35 days, 43 days that's individual, most of them would kindle on 31 though.

It can be also a fake pregnancy or maybe she decided to keep them.

How do you know she's pregnant, was she bred or was it by accident, was the buck same size or bigger than she?

What you feed her I don't see hay around, what she drinks, is there a bottle or she drinks from bowl?
Thank you for coming back to me.

I’ve just added a hide away to her cage which she seems to love so thank you ☺️

She definitely seems more tired then usual. She has a semi normal appetite. Her pop is bigger then usually and there seems to be a lot more of it.

Please can you elaborate on what you mean by she’s might of decided to keep them?

It was an happy accident kind of not accident. My buck is still young and I thought that he wouldn’t be able to get her pregnant so I let them play together and things happened. He was 3 almost 4 months at the time. I’ve seen the babies move inside her and I’ve also felt them move and kick.

She eats hay, Veg and fruit I like to rotate what I give them on a weekly basis so they don’t always have the same boring thing. She drinks from a bottle.
 
Right, a towel or blanket over 1/3 of the lenght and the side would do to shield the nest. Also something like a barrier, 3-4" high, to the rest of the cage to prevent that kits get dragged out of the nest on the teat.

My 1yo doe kindled Tuesday late evening, and her 2yo mother in the same hutch is about to pop too, unfortunatly I don't have an exact date, it's much more exiting that way... ;)

Good luck :)
 

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