Starting to think she might *not* be pregnant?

[tinfoilxtouch]

So my bun Spunky was bred sometime around the20th of last month. This past Monday she frantically gathered hay andarranged her nesting box. I waited, but nothing happened that night. ByWednesday, she was using her nesting box as a litter box. I've sincereplaced it with a new one, which she has chewed and even flippedover... forget about her actually nesting in it.

Basically, she's gained a lot of weight, has nipples, and went throughthe nesting behavior... but there are no babies to show for it. I'm notexperienced enough to feel for them, so I'm really at a bit of a lossher. She's almost destroyed her new nesting box... so I go through thetrouble of giving her a THIRD one? :?

 

[jil101ca]

I'm going throught the same thing with my doe aswell, she's due today. i gave her a box, she made a nest, thenflattened it and now she is making it dirty.She's fat, has nipples buti can't tell if there are babies. maybe it is a contagious condition lol

 

[flemishr2cool]

Is your doe overweight to begin with? Many doesthat are overweight have problems ovulating but because they areinduced ovulators they go through the same hormones and have "false"pregnancies. Or have you been using the same buck? It may be your bucktoo.

Julia Crawford

 

[jil101ca]

Well Mama peach is 3 days over her date and sheis now ignoring her box.I am assuming that there are no babies and amgoing to try breeding her again tommorrow. i have another doe "littleSis" that is leaning into my hand and raising herself upwhenI run my hand down her lower back, seems like she might be receptive to"Buck"

 

[NZminilops]

I am having the same problem here! Rabbit haslarge firm stomach, made a nest, and it's now been 5/6 days since shemade that nest. At first I was 100% sure I could feel kits (just over aweek ago) but now, nothing. Is there any way to feel the babies in thelate stage of pregnancy? Can heads or legs be felt? Where in the bellywould they be by now? She is a small rabbit, under 4 punds and probablycloser to 3 pounds. By my (and the vets) estimation she would be 34days by now.

 

[Pipp]

I'm surprised there isn't more info out thereabout rabbits 'reabsorbing' their litters. There's been anumberof rabbits who had moving little masses in just theright spots, they seemeddefinitely pregnant (or had beeninvaded by aliens), and they never gave birth. This seems tobe pretty common. Some breeders go, 'they must havebeen reabsorbed', but that's just so weird. How often doesthis happen? Is it dangerous for the mother?



sas (kitless butcurious)

 

[Haley]

I'll see if I can find any info on reabsorbing litters.

Ive read a lot about it with wild rabbits, how if things are stressfulfor the mother or the warren is overcrowded they will reabsorb.

I'll let you guys know if I find anything..

EDIT: Wow sas, youre right..not much out there on thistopic! From whatI found, this typically happens inthe first three weeks. One site said that"Fetal resorption is nature's way ofcontrolling the rabbit population. Rabbits have the ability to reabsorbthe soft tissue of an unborn fetus during periods of inadequatenutrition or stress. The retained fetus is seldom toxic to the doe butmay leave her unable to conceive again. I have seen does conceive andpass the mummified fetus along with a live litter"http://www.barbibrownsbunnies.com/having_baby_bunnies_questions.htm

 

[naturestee]

Just as a note, I think I've heard of doesgetting infections from a mummified fetus. Although I thoughtthat normally the whole thing was dissolved and reabsorbed to be usedas nutrients. I've read about it happening in wild rabbitswho couldn't get enough food, like in a drought. Sacrificethe babies to save the mom.

 

[NZminilops]

It is quite an interesting subject! I'msurprised about the lack of information on the last week of pregnancyin rabbits all together. Lots of info on the first two weeks thennothing after that till birth. I'm really looking forward to the daywhen rabbits have an equal footing to cats and dogs in regards to theamounts of information to be found.

I've just gotten back from the vet clinic, Clover had an xray and thereare no kits inside what so ever. The vet is baffled! She can'tunderstand what happened, all she can think was that she perhaps hadone or two babies that may have been born deformed or too early andshe's eaten them. I have to go through all her nesting hay and see if Ican find any body parts :?. There's about a 5 inch layer so there maybe something buried down near the bottom.

 

[Haley]

Oh yuck!

Well, at least the good thing is that more unwanted bunnies are notcoming into the world. Especially since the owners sound like theywouldnt take good care of them.

Any chance of you keeping her and bonding her with your boy??

Whoops! Sorry for Hijacking this thread!

 

[Michaela]

Aww poor Clover and babies! And poor you for having to look for body parts!

I hope you keep her, from what I understand she had a bad life before and you could make her life good!