Delay in spaying Miranda

[Djakarta]

My foster babies are now 9 weeks old. I was toldthat the Humane Society would be arranging forMiranda's spay"sometime in the next 3 weeks" about 3 1/2 weeks ago. ( It'sstipulated that any vet care for fostersmust be done throughthe Humane Society. The HRS often helps out. )

I'm sure the reason for the delay is financial. There is always ashortage of funds at the Humane Society and I'm afraid the bunniesaren't always given the highest priority.

I'm thinking of offering to pay for Miranda's spay, just to expedite the procedure.

Currently, Miranda is still housed with the babies. Thev've been movedinto a larger cage in the family room. The cage is a 2 by 5C&C which is connected to an xpen configured to 2.5' by 6 '.

They've been having a blast running figure eights around the cageandpen. I have noticed some mounting behavior both withMiranda and Madmartegan.

Must I separate them now?

I'm ashamed to say that I've still been unsuccessful in sexing the babies.

How critical is it to separate the sexes at this age?

 

[Haley]

Im not a breeder, but if I remember correctly, males can reach sexual maturity as early as ten weeks.

Have you checked out our links in the resource center on sexing arabbit? This may help you. If youre unsure, I would take them to a vetto be sexed, then you can know which ones to separate from mom and fromeachother.

Thats too bad about them putting off the spay. Maybe you could offer topay and see if they would reimburse you? Youre so wonderful for takingsuch great care of this foster family.

Im sure one of the breeders will have some more info on sexing and separating...

Good luck!

 

[RogerL]

I always wean bucks when they are no more than eight weeks old.

The does can stay with their mother indefinately as long as they get along.

Roger L

 

[TinysMom]

I would take mama away from the babies today (I had a nine week old buck get his mom pregnant - for lionheads).

Is there a breeder in your area who can come over and check them for you today or tomorrow?

Anyway, I'd definitely get them moved away from mama - since you don't know if you have a buck or doe.

It really isn't too hard to tell by that age though....well...not normally.

Peg

 

[Djakarta]

I'm pretty sure that Madmartegan is a boy andthat Mocha is a girl. I'm just not absolutely sure and withwhat's at stake, "prettysure " isn't good enough.

I've contacted the president of the local HRS and she has graciously offered tp confirm their sexes.

In the meanwhile is it safest just to separate Miranda from the babies? Or to separate Madmartegan from the other two?

If Madmartegan is sufficiently matureand has alreadyimpregnated Miranda, could a vet proceed with the spay if itis done within the next 2 weeks? Can you still spay a rabbit in theearliest stages of the pregnancy?

 

[naturestee]

Yes, a vet can still spay a pregnant rabbit ifshe's in the earlier stages. I'm not sure when the cut-offdate for a spay during pregnancy would be. Not all vets arecomfortable with this either due to the abortion issue but if it's theshelter vet he's probably much more likely to do it.

For now it probably would be safest to separate Miranda from the babies.

 

[Djakarta]

I should have phrased the question differently.If Miranda had been impregnated by Madmartegan would this put her atmore risk during a spay ? Would there be the risk of complications,bleeding, infection etc..?

If a doe has had exposure to a male, is it best to wait or test for pregnancy before spaying ?

The babies just turned 9 weeks old on Saturday (yesterday). How likely is it that Miranda could be pregnant?

I feel so guilty that I've put her at risk. I've shut thebabies in the cage and left Miranda out in the pen to separate them.

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

It is highly unlikely that they are mature. How much does the mother weigh?

Sharon

 

[Djakarta]

I'm sorry, I don't know Miranda's weight. Ought I to have been weighing her all this time?

I'm feeling worse and worse.

 

[Haley]

Oh my gosh. You should not feel bad about anything!!

You have gone out of your way to take care of these bunnies when no oneelse would. You have been such a great foster mom. These bunnies arethe luckiest little family to have found you.

Dont stress, hun. Everything will be okay. Youre doing a great job :hug2:

 

[aurora369]

The reason Sharon wants to know the weight is most likely that smaller rabbits mature faster.

I would say that now is a good age to seperate. I wouldadvise to looking into getting the boy neutered now, and the girls canwait till the little one is ready too.

When I had my whole litter together, I had the boys neutered at 10 weeks, and the girls when the babies where 4 months old.

I think you've been doing a wonderful job! You are learning as you go, and there's nothing wrong with it!

I think the chances of the mom being pregnant are extremly slim.

--Dawn

 

[Djakarta]

Thanks for all the kind words. I've become very attached to this little family (and Miranda in particular).

All along, I've been afraid I'd do them harm through my inexperience.

The scale I use to weigh my guinea pigs isn't suitable for rabbits. (The platform isn't stable with a larger animal and the weightfluctuates wildly)I don't know her exact weight, but Mirandais certainly a small rabbit. She's smaller than most of therabbits at the shelter. I don't know how old she is.

What is the best type of scale to use to weigh rabbits?

Thank you for your advice and concern. I'd never have gotten this far with out your support and advice.

I'll keep you posted.

 

[TinysMom]

I never meant to make you feel bad when I talkedabout separating the rabbits - and I'm sorry if I did so. I wasthinking, "oh no, I hope she doesn't wind up with an accidental litter"like I did when my buck matured at 9 weeks (yikes).

I think you're doing a great job and the odds of her being pregnantagain are very very slim. If the buck hasn't dropped yet (I'm not sureif I can say what he would've dropped on here - but there would be twoof them)....then I don't believe he can get her pregnant - I'm suresomeone else will correct me if I'm wrong.

I think your cage is awesome and I wish every single one of my rabbitscould have a cage like that. I also think the rabbits areVERY blessed to have a foster mom like you!

Peg

 

[Djakarta]

Well, the sexes have been confirmed. As I suspected, Madmartegan is a boy and Mocha is a girl.

And the dynamic duo has not yet dropped, so Miranda shouldn't be pregnant again. Yay!

I had separated Miranda from the babies. But now what do I do?

Madmartegan can't be with Miranda , of course. but who should Mocha bewith ? She's too young to get pregnant (right?).

Should I put her in with Miranda ? Or leave the babies together for now?

If the babies shouldn't be together, then I'm thinking puting a dividerin the cage and pen. Miranda didn't mind just being in the pen, but thebabies always tended to hide and sleep in the cage part.

If I put in a divider, each would have access to the "den" as well as the pen.

What do you think?

 

[Haley]

I think I would leave Mocha with mom. I mean, you would have to separate the two kidseventually when she matures....

Will the shelter pay for his neuter when he's of age? Then you could try to reintroduce him.

Also, Im sure you've thought of this, but make sure that there is morethan just an NIC gridseparating them. Bunnies have been knownto mate through seemingly fool-proof dividers

 

[Djakarta]

Will a bumper across the bottom grid be sufficient? Or would I need to construct a double wall?

I forgot to tell you the best part.

As long as I'm willing to continue to foster, the HRS will be willingto put them on their roster when it comes time for adoption.

That way, whatever happens, they don't have to go back to the shelter!!

If I wasn't volunteering at the shelter, I'd probably just adopt themoutright. But I've begun identifying the bunnies that are very likelyto be adopted and the bunnies that get over looked.

I think that my little family is likely to be adopted quickly. They'resmaller rabbits. They're young and cute. I love them dearly, but in thelong run, they may not need me.

Back at the shelter, there's no shortage of bunnies in need. There'sApril ( a Ruby eyed white New Zealand mix),who's developed sore hocksand desperately needs to get out of a cage. There's Bobby and Sam(Californian/ New Zealandmixes), 2 large boys who arehorribly crowded in their cage. There's Chipper, a silver and whitedarked eyed boy, who's been there over a year.

It'soverwhelming at times. It's hard to follow your heart,when your heart is trying to go in so many differentdirections!!

 

[Haley]

Thats so great that they get to stay with youuntil they are adopted. Hopefully, you will be able to meet anyone whois interested in them so you have some say in where they end up..

Im not sure what would be needed to fortify the divider. I guess Iwould just put something solid in between, like a board or something..

Maybe one of our breeders can help you out there..

 

[naturestee]

You could probably just stick an extra piece ofcoroplast there. Or make a double wall. I havedouble walls between my pens anyway because the little buggers fight.

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

You need to make sure that they are seperated bya double wall at least 6 inches apart. They are capable ofbreeding through wire. Or you could put a board up betweenthem....make sure it is all the way to the ceiling of thecage. As for seperating them, the daughter can stay with themother as long as they get along.

Good luck with them and there is no reason to feel bad... you are here asking questions and taking advice...you are doing GREAT!

Sharon

 

[Djakarta]

Well. I placed the grid divider . The cage isbeginning to look like a patchwork quilt. I have part of the barrier inplace. It was suggested that I leave an area open for the next 2 -3days, so that Madmartegan can still see the others, to ease thetransition. Poor little guy has never been alone.

I didn't want to sacrifice 6 inches of space to create a double wall,so I've used the same plastic material that was used for the babybumper as the barrier over the grids. The main disadvantage is thatthey won't be able to see each other once I take it to ceiling height.

Here is the modified cage

Madmartegan's bachelor pad

The girl's side

The divider in the pen is hinged and can swing to close off the eitherside of the cage. That way I have the option of letting eitherMadmartegan or the girls have access to the whole pen. I can also openand add an extension to the pen on either end to give them more space.

This morning, Madmartegan seemed in good spirits , despite his firstnight alone. He did his usual racing dance around objects inhis cage. Miranda was trying to wash his face and groom his earsthrough the grids.

This afternoon he seemed pretty sorry for himself. He usually snugglesthe others for an afternoon nap. Instead of sprawling out, he sathuddled in the meatloaf position.

I did notice a few cecals in his cage earlier today ( just 2 or3). Should I anticipate tummy problems from the separationand weaning?

Should I provide him with a stuffed toy so he has something to snuggle? If I provide him with a stuffed toy, do you recommend any particularbrand? Any safety issues to consider, materials toavoid ?