Hi guys. It's been a while so no one probably remembers me but I have two bunnies (a female mink rex named Natsu and a male Dutch named Fuyu) and they are/were scheduled to be fixed next Saturday. The thing is on the 3rd of this month when Natsu was having her play time (I let them out for at least 3 hours one at a time) I went downstairs to get some water for her and when I came back up Fuyu was out and was mounting her!!! He had never jumped out of his cage before or showed any inclination that he wanted to so I hadn't covered it. Trust me his cage is very secure now. Natsu however is acting different? When I go and pet her sometimes she makes little quite squeaking noises (they don't sound like distress noises though). I've been paranoid that she's pregnant and I think she looks a bit fatter but that might be my imagination... I tried to feel for what might be babies in her stomach (I heard they're supposed to feel like marbles?) but I couldn't feel anything, however that might be because I'm not really sure where or what to look for. If she were pregnant she would be 25 days along. I'm a first time bunny owner so I'm sort of panicking here!! The next time my rabbit savy vet is open in next Saturday (they're on vacation) and by then the babies would already have been due right?? Sorry for the rant I'm just a bit scared at how little I know about this... Any help/advice would be appreciated! Oh and she also hates being picked up a lot more than before. She used to be pretty blasé about it but now she struggles and nips me so I've started carrying her in her carrier out and into her cage.
Pregnant???
- Thread starter maidance
- Start date
Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:
Cloud_the_bunny
Well-Known Member
I wish I could help you but I'm a first time bunny owner as well. Sorry I can't be of much help for you, but good luck with everything and I hope someone with more knowledge can help you.
Gestation is either 30 or 31 days. In case she is pregnant, I would provide her with a nesting box, depending on her size a large shoebox or similar can work, it needs to have room for her to be in without stepping on possible babies and high enough sides to stop the babies crawling out everywhere. Provide her with extra hay for nesting material. If she is pregnant, she will likely start pulling fur and nest building soon. If you do end up with babies, check the nest to count to them and remove any dead ones if necessary.
Hopefully she isn't pregnant though
Hopefully she isn't pregnant though
Thank you for answering. I'm just going to try and keep this at the top of the feed until I'm confident with my knowledge (or at least until the due date passes)
You just have to wait and see. Just assume she is until you know otherwise, which means putting a nestbox out for her on day 28, along with hay to build a nest. A cardboard or plastic box would work since you probably don't have a wooden one. As Azerane said, make sure it's a little bigger than her so she can turn around and not step on any kits she may have.
woahlookitsme
Well-Known Member
Others have already given good advice. This situation has already been addressed pretty often so searching the forums with the word pregnant doe or pregnancy is going to bring up a lot of answers to questions you have too. This situation happens a little too much sadly
Thank you very much for all of the answers! I have been searching this forum high and low to learn as much as I could but I figured it was better to ask as well. Should just hay be in the nest box or should I add bedding too?
woahlookitsme
Well-Known Member
We have a wooden box with cardboard on the bottom so the wood doesn't get as soaked with urine. Then a layer of shavings and a small layer of hay. We put lots of extra hay in the cage with mom instead of directly in the nest box so the doe can keep busy and build. Handfuls of hay twice daily does the trick and they go crazy for it!
Soon After babies are born we pick out the bloody nesting material and then spot clean as needed.
Soon After babies are born we pick out the bloody nesting material and then spot clean as needed.
👍👌 perfect! This is the information I was wondering about. Thanks so much!! Sometimes there is wood in my house so I'll have to look around and see if there is anymore... I have a hutch with an upstairs that is a little dark so I just completely stuff it with hay!!! surprisingly she never confuses it with the litter and she eats a lot of it, but I think I'll transfer some to her main floor for easier access. Natsu is quite small (although she is looking rounder) so she fits comfortably in a shoebox. So I just have to find something slightly larger than that? Like the size of a litter box? Sorry for all of the questions but I really want to be prepared.
A litter box would do, depending on high the sides are.
Leopold_Ruby
Well-Known Member
Spay her? The pregnancy is likely very new so a spay wouldnt be the worst thing in the world.
Haha sorry if I didn't make it clear in my initial rant (I tend to ramble a bit) as if she is pregnant the babies will be due in about 5 days (not exactly early into the pregnancy) and my vet is on vacation. I am planning to get her spayed as soon as the kits are old enough and I will fix my male bun even sooner. Thanks for the advice though!
Leopold_Ruby
Well-Known Member
Oh my bad! That is a bit too late to spay now that kits are nearly full term.
So natsu is definitely pregnant (unless it's a false pregnancy... I've heard that happens sometimes) I went away for the night (but I left her excess hay food and water) and when I got back this morning she had pulled a bit of fur! It's not a lot but it's all in the nest box so she's knows what it's for! (I was worried because when I put it in she didn't acknowledge it) I've heard bunnies can do this pretty far in advance or minutes before. Does this mean she might have them tonight? I'll update if she does
Unfortunately when I went in there moments ago she had given birth to one dead kit. She wasn't in the nest box and I had to practically shove her off of it so I could see the little guy. I didn't see a placenta and she had some blood on her nose so I'm assuming she ate it. I think it may have been still born because it was a little stretched out. Since I took the dead kit out she's been going into mega nest building mode (unfortunately not in her nest box but in the area I put all of her hay so I guess that's ok. It's fairly walled in so if kits are born alive they won't wiggle away) I'm really sad now. I'll update again in there are any more kits
Well I knew it was very possible for the first litter but I really prayed this wouldn't happen. She gave birth to 6 little kits that were all stillborn. She made a wonderful little nest and pulled a bunch of fur but I guess it wasn't meant to be. 😔 I will bury them all in the morning. Thank you for all of your support. In better news I'm grateful that Natsu seems fine and doesn't look uncomfortable or anything so I'm very glad I didn't lose her. RIP little kits 🙏
It sounds like the first kit may have been difficult to deliver and so affected the other kits being born. I'm really sorry I know how sad it is to lose them.
I'm glad momma bun seems to be feeling ok after it all
I know how sad it is to lose them. I'm glad momma bun seems to be feeling ok after it all
It sounds like the first kit may have been difficult to deliver and so affected the other kits being born. I'm really sorry
I'm glad momma bun seems to be feeling ok after it all
Yeah I was thinking that the first kit may have been a bit bigger than the others. As sad as it is though, now I can get them both spayed and neutered and I won't have brought more kits into a world that already has so many bunnies in shelters. I didn't think size would be an issue because Fuyu is a Dutch and isn't much bigger than natsu my mini rex. This is the first time I've seen a dead anything so I'm feeling really badly but I know that things happen for a reason and the circle of life and all that jazz. Oh well. Hopefully soon I can have both of my rabbits bonded and I can leave all of this sadness behind me. Goodnight guys!
