help - kits likely on the way

[lovethebunbun]

Ok this is my first post, so whomeverwants to take this one on, lord help ya. Lord help me thatis....we went to our local pet shelter to pick out a rabbit ortwo. I have had a rabbit before, so I'm not new at theraising. BUT....My kids picked out two - one for each ofthem. A one year old female, floppy ears(not sure what kind),and a six month old male Rex - both sweet as can be to us the FOURtimes we visited to make our decision. Now, the male neededneutering, which was fine with me, we were planning on indoor/outdoorpets, so twowas plenty. Now, the shelter took careof the neutering with a vet that specializes in bun buns - ok - theycalled me the day after and said he was ready to be pickedup.I waited a day. One and a half days after hisprocedure we brought him home and popped him in with thefemale...............oops..........................they took one nightto get used to each other again(you see, they were side by sidecage-mates before),so a little dominance was established,andthey have gotten on well since.

Now I see my flop looking pregnant,(doing the math, almost thirty daysafter we united them)acting docile, pulling fur, and thebiggest clue.....when holding her on my lap with my hands beneath bothsides, i feel lots of movement, i can even see it when she'sstill. So, suspisious now, I look up info on neutering - loand behold it says that males may still be fertile for 5 to 7 daysAFTER thier procedure - anyone heard of this? I'll be lettingthe SHELTER know! I think they should've huh huh? Now, we are happy toaccept the unexpected ones, no problem there.I have separatedthe adultstoday(theday i'm thinkingisjust DAYSbefore birth) My questions arethese;

By the description given, best guess, is she days away from birth?:shock:

How can i tell if the kits are okay at birth?(seen kittens born, not kits):?

Other than "no fresh greens", any other advice for a new mommiediet,"away from the kids" time(out of the cage), when we could possiblyhandle them without disturbing the nursery?

I hope i'm guessing right, and i hope all goes well, she has not hadall her prenatal care.............uhm, cause this was totallyUNEXPECTED............help?!

Denise:?

 

[Loppy Earred Mom]

Hello and what a welcome this is eh?

Welcome to the boards Im not a bunny expert The bun I have now is myfirst but these guys are great and full of info Im sure they will help!

 

[dmmcnair]

I have never seen kits born myself and amexpecting some in November...it sounds as if she is close though if youcan feel them moving around, and if she is pulling fur she isimminent.

She needs a nest box, if she doesn't have one already. Theysay you can pick up a kit and the mother will not refuse it.The kits will have to be checked over to make sure they are being fedenough and to check for still births/dead kits. Probably bebest to have quiet time for her so she doesn't stress. Food Ithink should go on as normal...I think there might be a problem if youchange her food.

I hope she does well!!! Good luck. There are lotsof posts about kindling here...you could probably do a search and ofcourse the most knowledgeable folks will give better information!!!

Dawn

 

[SLRabbits]

Hi lovethebunbun,

I am by no means any expert, as I have not raised any litters yet of myown, but I have done quite a bit of research. I have not heard of themales being fertile 5-7 days after being nuetered, but that does notsuprise me at all. As for when your female will give birth, if she ispulling fur and making a nest I would say anywhere from 2-6 days youshould be expecting babies. The kits you should be able to tell who isok at birth just by looking at them. There could possibly be some deadat birth, you will obviously know which ones those are. You could alsopossibly have what is called a "peanut" and that kit would look muchsmaller than it's siblings. Peanuts do not normally live very longafter birth. With your other questions I am sure someone else will beable to help you there. Good luck with the babies!

~Nichole

 

[m.e.]

With cats they are fertile for severaldays after neutering, and I believe I'd heard the same of rabbits. Toobad you had to learn the hard way :? Good luck with the babies!

 

[bluebird]

I would say shes due any day.give her a nest boxand straw or hay to make a nest out of.after she has them give her herfavorite treat then check to see if any are dead.our stallion was notallowed in with mares for three months after his surgery.They shouldhave told you how long to keep them apart.bluebird

 

[rabbitluvr04]

when my rabbits where pregnantwe always gave them a little bowl of milk every day. ~they lovedit..but only when they where pregnant..but when they wernt they wouldntdrink it! lol

 

[dmmcnair]

You know it is the same with a vasectomy...youhave to wait 6 months...their are still live little buggers in thetubes that have to die or go somewhere. :? So it would besafe to assume the same with all male animals...they should have warnedyou though.

Anything on the kit front???

 

[Spiced77]

male bunnies are fertile for up to 2-3 weeksafter neutering from what i've seen/heard on several boards and bunnyinfo websites..

 

[SunnieBunnie Rabbitry]

Hi there!

A Rabbits gestation is 28-34 days... normally giving birth on day 31.

First and foremost, you want to give her a nesting box to have thebabies in... you could putsome Hay and bedding in there oreven some ripped up cardboard chunks (she'll shred it to make a nicewarm nest for her babies).

Secondly, keep her in a nice, quiet place so she doesn't get stressedor worried about her babies safety... but do check on her regularly,maybe twice or three times a day until the babies are born.

When she kindles (has the babies), you want to give mommy a treat tooccupy her and gently pet her a few times to let her know you're notgoing to hurt anything. Then reach into the nestbox (don't beafraid of picking them up and really examining them), take a count ofhow many babies you've got while making sure they have nice full, roundbellies (mama's been feeding them).Remove any stillborn or dead babies - sometimes you really have to check the box tofind them all, don't rely on all the babies being bunched together.

After that, let mama do her job - just check on the babies in themornings and evenings to make sure they're being fed and that none havedied. Keep mom on her normal food rations (feeding too muchtoo quickly will make her sick), you can slowly increase her pelletfeed when the babies are about a week old then the babies should startto open their eyes, nibbling foodand explore around 12-15days. Make sure there is a constant fresh supply of water.

Good Luck with your litter!

Sunshine S. Patron - SunnieBunnie Rabbitry