Possibly Pregnant?

[lizp08]

Hey everyone,
I'm Liz from Ontario, Canada. I'm new to this forum, and the world of bunnies.
I heard about the Barrie area seizure through someone on youtube and they sent me a link to this forum.
About 3 weeks ago, I read a post on here that said a few of the bunnies from the Barrie seizure will be transported to the SPCA in Montreal.
To make a long story short, 2 weeks ago I went to Montreal and adopted two bunnies from the Montreal SPCA branch.
I was told that they were both "boys" and roughly 3 months old.
Last week I took them in to see my vet because I was worried about a little sneeze Benjamin had (which apparently isn't anything to worry about, he feels that Benji will shake it off after being with me for awhile and without stress).
To make another long story short, Peter (Benji's friend) turned out to be a girl (and I changed her name from Peter to Mopsy).
Benji was neutered that day. Mopsy was checked over and didn't appear to be pregnant at the time.
Since then she has been growing around the middle and looks as if she has swallowed two small oranges.
My mom and I feel that she IS pregnant. I realize that she could just be putting on weight, but she doesn't look "fat" to me.
I've been doing some research about what to expect from a pregnant bunny and how to help her along with the pregnancy.
I talked to the vet assistant today and she said that if she is 3 months old she's too young to be sexually mature (since she's a NZ white).
She told me that around 1 week before she gives birth (the gestation period is 31 days so I can only guess when that will be) I should separate Mopsy and Benji because stress can cause her to kill or injure her babies.
Her and Benji are very close, and considering where they have come from, I can imagine they've been through a lot.
I'm not sure what to do.
Have any of you ever been in a situation like this?
Benjamin is neutered now so he can't impregnate her after she has given birth.
Can he stay with her during the birth or will it cause her to be stressed?

Thanks,
Liz, Benji and Mopsy

 

[trailsend]

I took in 23 buns from the Barrie seizure. It is possible your bun is pregnant, are you positive on her age? Especially with one of them being sexed wrong, I wouldn't trust what you have been told. If she is pregnant and has babies, she or the male will kill them for sure - when under stress a female will kill and or eat her babies, and in most species males always kill newborns.

If she is pregnant rabbit gestation is short - so you'll know soon. You will have to seperate her from her male bunny buddy - there is no way they can be together during or after birth.

My NZ mama has 7 babies, and I *think* she may be pregnant again - although I certainly hope not. These buns have been through so much and were in such a bad situation that it's hard to tell what they have been exposed to.

Keep a close eye on her - it might be weight, but it's very possible she is pregnant.

 

[seniorcats]

If she isn't spayed, I would suggest keeping the male away from her for at least 6 weeks after his neuter. Malescan still impregnant a female some weeks after neutering because of retained sperm. It's best to be on the safe side.

 

[MsBinky]

I will ask about why they said 3months and if they had actual fact to back them up and let you know. They aren't all that great with sexing, my own vet can't sex my rabbits. *Rolls eyes* I admit that I can't either (and be convinced I did it right)until they are a good 2-3 months myself.

 

[BlueGiants]

I'm going to move this over to the Rabbitry section. If she is pregnant, there will be more people to help you out.

If you think she is "showing" already, I'd say you'd better be ready. I'd seperate the buck. Maybe put him in an enclosure right next door, so they can see each other. But he is still fertile for up to 8 weeks after a neuter. And if she does kindle (deliver), she can get preganant again the next day. So there is an overlap where it can happen again, if you are not careful.


And thanks for taking them in! It was great of you to rescue them and give them a secure home.

 

[MsBinky]

Meh, I got no info but I was told to ask you to contact them. So the email is [email protected] or Stéphanie at 514-823-4175

 

[MsBinky]

When I said they aren't all that great, I meant that they are not as good as breeders :bagheadNot saying they are lousy, just that it's not the same experience. That came out so wrong...:?

 

[Haley]

Oh geeze- didnt the vet bother to mention that Benji could impregnate Mopsy even though he was just neutered? Males can impregnate a female up to 6-7 weeks after a neuter. So even if she isnt pregnant, which sounds doubtful, he could still have impregnated her post neuter.

You'll definitely want to separate them if you havent already. Put them someplace where they can see/smell one another to lesson the stress.

It sounds like its probable shes pregnant. Youve gotten some great advice here. We'll all be praying everything goes ok and we're always here to help.

Haley

 

[gentle giants]

Yes, definatly separate them right away. If you want to be able to keep them together again later, put them in cages right next to each other where they can still see and smell each other. Hopefully this will be a false pregnancy. But like seniorcats said, he can still get her pregnant for several weeks after his neuter, so even if she isn't pregnant now, she could still get that way.

Edit to add: Haley and I posted at the same time-and she gave great advice too! :biggrin2: