Doe never delivered?

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Venessa

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Location
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I just started breeding holland lops this year, I had previously bred flemish.

I bred my 6 month old holland lop doe on April 1st.
I am fairly inexperienced in palpating, so I couldn't tell at 14 days. I could see that she had gained weight and started nesting on day 28. I've checked in on her frequently and still, no babies. It's 3pm on day 34.
She hasn't been straining and hasn't looked stressed. Should I be worried? My vet is not taking patients currently(the only rabbit vet in my area) , so I have no help there. Should I be worried?
 
Venessa said:
I just started breeding holland lops this year, I had previously bred flemish.

I bred my 6 month old holland lop doe on April 1st.
I am fairly inexperienced in palpating, so I couldn't tell at 14 days. I could see that she had gained weight and started nesting on day 28. I've checked in on her frequently and still, no babies. It's 3pm on day 34.
She hasn't been straining and hasn't looked stressed. Should I be worried? My vet is not taking patients currently(the only rabbit vet in my area) , so I have no help there. Should I be worried?
Click to expand...
I'd keep an eye on her till day 36-40 .
Still no babies , then i'd start to be worried .
My doe didn't deliver till day 36-44 or something , i can't exactly remember .
I'm not too experienced , but i'm sure other people , like @JBun , will be able to help more .
 
After day 35 the chances of a successful litter are slim. We’ve had does fool us before...they acted like they were pregnant but weren’t. It takes practice to learn how to palpate, and even then we had a couple of does that it was hard to tell.
 
I hate to say it, but the most realistic situation is that she never "took", meaning it was a false pregnancy. Do you happen to recall how the breeding went - did the buck "fall off" and how long were they together??
Being a Holland Lop breeder myself, I've personally never had a doe deliver past day 33. Rabbits, especially Holland Lops, are timely and genuinely surprised me every time they give birth at the exact date. Palpating is definitely tough until you get the hang of it, but by now you should be feeling babies kicking around and mom's belly should feel very taut. Don't push around too hard, as you do not want to hurt her or the babies! If she seems lethargic, that's a very good sign!!

Another situation that could have happened, is that she DID deliver babies at the normal time, but cannibalized them. It's super gross, but sometimes moms eat their babies if they feel they are in danger or sick. Do you see any signs of blood, or is she doing well and eating / pooping? Make sure there's not a stuck kit either... you can help the labor process (if you believe she still has babies inside of her) by giving her a appropriate amount of KALE to increase contractions and LAVENDER to help with any delivery issues.

These things can be tough, so keep us posted! I would like to remind you that the likeliness of the first litter going smoothly and all kits surviving is about 50%, so don't feel bad it happens to everyone 🥰
 
Ive seen false pregnancies and they usually end before day 20.
I bred them twice in 3 hours, a total of 3 fall offs. I put them together 10 days later (I did not allow him to mount) and she did a warning grunt.
I checked the entire cage, litter, and wire for any signs of cannibalizing them, I couldn't find a thing.

And yes, ive given her kale, lavender and parsley in appropriate amounts last night and this morning.
 
Venessa said:
Ive seen false pregnancies and they usually end before day 20.
I bred them twice in 3 hours, a total of 3 fall offs. I put them together 10 days later (I did not allow him to mount) and she did a warning grunt.
I checked the entire cage, litter, and wire for any signs of cannibalizing them, I couldn't find a thing.

And yes, ive given her kale, lavender and parsley in appropriate amounts last night and this morning.
Click to expand...

You sound very well prepared, and have done everything you can for your doe. I guess just play the waiting game, and please keep us updated! If there is an open accessible vet near you, I would recommend taking her and to see if they could help giving her medications to induce labor if she is indeed pregnant. But like I stated earlier, the most realistic situation is that she did not "take". Sometimes they want babies so bad they do everything right and have a we call a "phantom litter". You could also massage her and feel to see if her milk is coming in yet. If not, you're probably out of luck unfortunately 😔
 
Venessa said:
Ive seen false pregnancies and they usually end before day 20.
I bred them twice in 3 hours, a total of 3 fall offs. I put them together 10 days later (I did not allow him to mount) and she did a warning grunt.
I checked the entire cage, litter, and wire for any signs of cannibalizing them, I couldn't find a thing.

And yes, ive given her kale, lavender and parsley in appropriate amounts last night and this morning.
Click to expand...
On another note, sometimes they do not leave any signs of cannibalizing. One of my does was once pregnant with a large litter, yet only gave birth to one. Her only option would have been to cannibalize. It was partially my fault because she was due 3 days after New Year so the noises definitely stressed her out ☹️ I witnessed the other cannibalize through my bunny monitor camera, it's quite weird how and why they do it..... but I guess that's nature for you!
 
I also breed Holland Lops. I would guess that she didn’t take, as most of my does that I try breeding at 6 months don’t usually take or don’t have a successful litter. I like to wait until 8-9 months to breed them for the first time, they are usually more ready by then. They still like to trick you by making a nest at the appropriate time though. And I’ve never had a doe go over day 31.
Good Luck !
 
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