Urgent! Need answers!

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So Lily is due to have her babies any day now! We're pretty sure she's pregnant but she just doesn't look like she is.

But today I read that most does don't unless they're having a large litter. Wow, how large of a litter can MR does have? I'm hoping she doesn't have many kits because we still have to get new cages! We only have exactly 9 holes and one cage isn't here right now! I'm hoping to build some cages this weekend possibly and maybe move some rabbits into another shed. Or possibly have my mom and her boyfriend move some stuff out of their end of our shed so we can add at least two more cages.

But we do have carriers for the babies....although I'm not happy about having to use those. I guess me and my sister will just build two or three cages from NIC cubes for some adult bunnies.

I'm starting to get SO anxious (apart from being saddle sore from doing a major english jumping lesson on my horse this past weekend) but hopefully Lily will do alright. I'm going to give her tums tonite in her food.

The question is: what if she isn't preggo and i give her tums? Will she be ok? I'm only going tobreakup half a one and mix it in with her food.

Emily
 
The largest litter of mini rex that one of my does has has is 11 and she is not

a big doe. 4 of them were peanuts so she ended up raising 7.

I would say the average is 4 per litter and as a doe gets older the litters

usually get smaller.

Roger
 
Emily, stay calm. Most does don't really show if they are pregnant. The largest Mini Rex litter I ever had was 9 (but only 7 made it). My average size litters are between 3 and 6. They can stay with Lily until they are 8-10 weeks old. Then the boys (especially the boys!) need to be seperated. It would be a good time to start placing them in good homes. Then you won't need a lot of extra cage space.

The Tums are only an extra source of Calcium... just in case. It won't harm her whether or not she pregnant. Rabbits excrete any extra calcium in their urine. (the only concern would be sludge in the urine. But one half of a tums won't hurt her.)


 
Alright. Wow that's a lot RAL!

Don't worry, i'm calm. lol.

So I checked on her this morning: no babies. She'll probably have them tomorrow or who knows maybe sometime today? I forgot to give her tums last night, so hopefully if she's having them right now (about 8:00 pacific time, US) then she will deliver them nicely.

I'll crunch up a Tums when i get home from school, it'sa half day....

We're hoping she has them tomorrow so we can watch!

Emily
 
I'm home now.

Going out to check on the rabbits soon, bring Sippi and the others in for some exercise/training.

My mom has no Tums (which i thought she did!) and she's not going anywhere. Grr she makes me angry. On top of that we have absolutely -nothing- (or so I heard) that is raspberry-ish. So I'm off to search the kitchen for anything helpful!

Emily
 
Rechecked this link: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/6421/herbs.html

And asked my mom if she had any of these herbs (for pregnant does) and she said no. She isnt much of a cook :( But her boyfriend is. Anyway is there anything else that i may find in my kitchen that can help? I know i have:

Oatmeal (the flavored kind...)

Bread

Cereals - Mini Wheats

Anything else? lol. i know that's not much of a list but i don't feel like running back and forth between the pantry and the computer a zillion times. lol

Some spices - which reminds me I think I know of something in there! Rosemary! I know we have some!

Ok So i'll let y'all know what I can dig up!

Emily

 
Ok so this is what I found in the spice cabinet:

Oregano leaves

Garlic salt

Whole Cloves

(powdered?) mustard

Allspice

Ground nutmeg

Celery Salt

So can any of these things help a pregnant doe? Whilst she's in labour?

Thanks!

Emily


Edited to add: I FOUND PARSLEY FLAKES! Are these ok too? I now just have to see what this can do......


 
Emily, she really doen't need anything at this point. Just leave her to do what she has to do. The oats will come in handy in a couple weeks if you have babaies. They will love it as their first solid food.

Bring Lily a littel treat, see if she will take it. Don't be upset if she doesn't. Al ot of does won't eat before they kindle. Have patience and stay calm.
 
Alright. I was just thinking that herbs would make her labor and delivery much easier since she's much older.

We took her out of her cage today, felt and looked at her abdoment: def look's like she's preggo. Her belly sags and i think milk is starting to come down? She was grunting and all. I didn't want to disturb her much but she needed a clean cage and clean nestbox.

There's pics of her (last friday) in my bunny blog.

Emily
 
Ok We'll start with last nite:


Time: About 7:45- Went out to check on the rabbits, see if Lily had done anything; no nest was built (besides the hay and little hole I had put in there for her) and no fur. So i got extra fur ready, scented it on her and all, so if she needed it she could have it.

I noticed that her sides were like heaving in, maybe she was starting labour? Not sure. It looked kind of like she was straining; she ate some banana (sp?) and then just kept hopping around her cage. So this was a good sign!

This Morning:

Time: 9:32 - We're getting ready to head out! I'm taking the camera to take pics of the little guys (if there's any!) and we're "hopping" for some blacks, blues, opals, lilacs, and maybe some broken's!?

Be back!

Emily
 
Ok. We just got back.

There were no babies in the nest; :( But, I felt her again and there was this weird sensation on her body, and she wouldn't let me touch her down near her tail, meaning maybe it was time for her to have them and she must be sore.

Also, she was starting to gather some hay and she was schooching it all around. She also drank almost all her water, which is very rare for her. Don't they drink a lot of water when they are about to give birth?

Emily
 
Boofa used to drink a lot of water with labour, Sandy never did, so some buns do.

I think that's a while to be in labour, she may be struggling with a stuck kit, especially given she is older.

I really hope an experienced breeder comes on, I'm scared for your bunny.
 
Well I don't think she was going into labour last nite. BlueGiants said her labour should be fine, because her pelvic bones aren't fused.

She shouldn't have a stuck kit. Nothing seemed wrong.

Emily
 
I thought you shouldn't breed buns after a year old for the first time. Sorry, I must have been confused.
 
I know yours was an accident, i wasn't getting at you, I just thought that after a year the risks got higher and it was dangerous for the doe, that's all.
 
This afternoon when we were cleaning cages, Lily was hibernating in her nestbox. A few times we noticed she had her head turned to her bottom, maybe plucking fur? Nudging her belly? We're thinking (if she is pregnant) that she'll have them sometime tonite or tomorrow morning. I would sleep in the rabbitry but I'm getting a cold and my mom won't let me because of the lowering temperatures.

I wanted to sleep in there last nite, but no. And, my mom won't let us bring her inside; so I hope everything will go ok.

Emily
 
It's tough when you want to be with them... :hugsquish:

Check Lily first thing in the morning. We've already discussed the dangers of breeding an older doe... so you know the outcome may not be what you want or expect.Just be ready for anything. Don't get upset, don't get mad at Lily. I'm sure she'll do the best she can.

If she doesn't deliver by the morning, you may need to get a professional opinion. Can you take her to a vet to be xrayed or checked for a stuck kit? Her pelvic bones may not be fused, but she can still have a giant kit that can't pass. That can happen to any doe, especially the smaller breeds.

Let us know how things go. (I've got my fingers crossed for you and Lily.)


 
I know it is nerve wracking at times, but it really is best to leave her alone. She won't want you around when she has them, she will want her privacy. I don't want to scare you more, but a lot of times a doe's first litter won't survive, even when being bred at the right age.

Is this your first litter? I know the doe is special to you and she is older and all, but you do seem very nervous. No offense. :)
 
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