Possibly expecting whoops litter

[Kaycejones]

I had my boy neutered and recieved a rescue female at the same time. Unfortunately he broke down her pen and after a night of shenanigans he became painful ending up in GI stasis which we treated aggressively and very unfortunately unsuccessfully ending in him being euthanized today a week later. I'm devastated by his loss but this is about the possibility he bred my new girl that night. Tumble was special, he had ataxia caused by e. Cuniculi. He was still rather good at getting around but there's a possibility he missed his mark.

I'm reading I should palpate around 14 days, I've also read I can take rads(I'm a vet tech) around 21 days or so. Anyone know when I may be able to ee via ultrasound?

I never intended to breed them but now am kinda hoping just because of how upset I am over losing my boy.

Any resources for raising a possible litter? Momma is a pet indoor rabbit.

Also any ideas on colors that may be expected from a fawn broken/spotted and a blackself partial lionhead?

 

[Preitler]

Imho, forget palpating. It wont tell you anything conclusive if you're not quite experienced anyway. Not "should", 2 weeks is the earliest time palpating might work, not for me though. Only reason I see to do it is when you want to breed that doe desperatly and find out if you should stuff her in with the buck again.

Just do pretty much nothing for 25 days. Feed her normally, with free feeding hay, maybe somewhat more pellets or whatever you feed.
At day 25-27 or so you can give her a nest box, and lots of hay. Don't stress her out with vet visits if there isn't anything wrong. What they need is rest, quite and privacy then. Your rabbit is not sick, being pregnant is something pretty normal for rabbits.

You can notice some changes of behaviour when she's about due, like nesting (mine start just hours before kindling), lounging around and losing a little appetite 1-2 days before, and by then it quite often is obvious that they are pregnant.
Nesting can happen at other times too, if it's around day 15-20 it might be an indication for a false pregnancy - or not. No way to tell for sure but to wait and prepare.

It's a waiting game, things that maybe make you feel better or less anxious aren't necessarily good for the rabbit.

You can prepare, like saving fur you brush off her, giving her a Tums or food with more calcium when she's due, and when the time comes check every few hours, some sleep deprivation ahaed

 

[Kaycejones]

Alrighty lol I fight excitement and curiosity with not stressing her out. I'm experienced at palpating abdomens on other species, feeling for masses, kidney size and texture, bladder, stool, etc. So might just give her a feel in a week or two for my curiosity but I'll not take her in for the other stuff. Thank you for the advice! Let her do her thang. Lol.

Anyone have resources on color crossing and genetics? I'm understanding it's a bit of a crap shoot because of how different they are but I really enjoy genetics. What about lionhead genes? Mom is likely a mix breed and is a less dramatic than usual lionhead. Do the heterozygous ones tend to be less floofy? Or is that just a crap shoot too?

 

[SableSteel]

Also any ideas on colors that may be expected from a fawn broken/spotted and a blackself partial lionhead?

Chestnut and broken chestnut is the most likely color. If the fawn carries self you might get black and broken black as well. If the black carries non-extension you might get fawn and broken fawn too. if they carry both, you might get tort and broken tort too. You can't make a good guess without pedigree information, which we don't have here.

Alrighty lol I fight excitement and curiosity with not stressing her out. I'm experienced at palpating abdomens on other species, feeling for masses, kidney size and texture, bladder, stool, etc. So might just give her a feel in a week or two for my curiosity but I'll not take her in for the other stuff. Thank you for the advice! Let her do her thang. Lol.

I breed rabbits and come from a veterinarian family and have had vets palpate rabbits just for the curiosity of it, and honestly they're been correct maybe 50% of the time Quite less often than experienced rabbit breeders. They're pretty different from other species that are commonly palpated. After like 14 days the kits move up in the abdomen a bit so they're harder to feel, so there's a small window for palpation in which the kits are less mature than babies you'd be palpating for in dogs or cats.

Anyone have resources on color crossing and genetics? I'm understanding it's a bit of a crap shoot because of how different they are but I really enjoy genetics. What about lionhead genes? Mom is likely a mix breed and is a less dramatic than usual lionhead. Do the heterozygous ones tend to be less floofy? Or is that just a crap shoot too?

Lionhead genes are incomplete dominant. If the dam is a mix breed and not as floofy, then she is likely heterozygous (aka "single mane") Given that, each kit probably has a 50% chance of having a small mane. Interesting, the only way to confirm that a rabbit is homozygous for mane (aka "double mane") is at birth; double mane kits will be born with the areas that will later grow in a mane as bald until maybe like a week old, giving them just a V shape of fur down their back.