Weird Quirks in your does....

[CorkysMom]

Just wondering if anyone has any of their does that have strange quirks so you know they have taken before even palping them...

I have one that eats some hay, but not much...until about day 5-8 afterhaving beenbred..she goes NUTS on hay and I can't keep it in her cage no matter how often I fill her hay rack! She also wants her nestbox a good week, sometimes a few days more before her due date.

Another one, she tears apart her litterbox and throws it all over the place, uses it and doesn't bother it other than that...but when she's pregnant, I can't keep the wire grate in it...its all over the place.

I used to have one that would almost prefer to tearyour arm off as to look at you when she got pregnant, only for a few days...and thankfully it wasn't her normal temperment...didn't seem to pass on to her kids either..(her daughter is the one mentioned above w/ the litterbox thing). This one also wanted her nestbox almost 2 weeks before she was due...she'd do her thing and then leave it be until it was time.

I think thats it for now on weird ones..lol

 

[polly]

I have one that is definately Bruce's rabbit and for the first week of prgnancy she hates me then the second week she is better then for the last 2 weeks she hates Bruce lol she also usually builds her nest early and wont rebuild if you clean it out so her nest usually sits for 2 weeks before she pulls and has the kits!!

Most of my does make hills out of their bedding when they are pregnant pile it all in one corner that usually lets me know they are pregnant

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Polly - I just have to say: I LOVE UR AVATAR! It's gorgeous. lol

Anyway, as for my does "temperments" they usually just growl, and lunge at me when I feed them, or clean their cage or go to pet them. Sometimes, they don't want ANYTHING in their cage touched. If they see you reach in they automatically rush over and growl and try to nip. Of course, this is natural and all, since it's hormones, but it's quite funny to watch them go balistic over something so silly. For instance, if I move a toy in my doe's cage, they pick it up and put it back where it was, or they toss it across the cage.

My buck, Bruce (mini rex) is kind of tempermental as well. He's a very shy guy, which is one good quality for him to pass along, but he likes to "give his toys baths". I usually find he has put his toys in his water dish. If he sees me take them out, he rushes over and puts them back in! This just absolutely cracks me up, lol. Then of course I must change his water after each time he puts the toy in there, unless it's clean. Otherwise, he gets his water changed A LOT! Lol. more than he normally does.

Emily

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

Hey Corkysmom,

You are not the only one...I have does that will go after you when they are NOT pregnant. They just want to have babies. They are big mushes when they have babies. Most of the time, though, their eating habits change. They will either eat more or at a different time of day. I don't like to give my does a nestbox too early as they do tend to mess it up. With the Woolies, for some reason they don't want the shavings in there. I am constantly putting more back in. My dutch are too laid back and don't even do anything till they go into labor.

Sharon

 

[Hayley411]

My doe rips the wire off of her litterbox too and then digs in it flipping litter and the poops everywhere plus she will pile all of her toys into a corner and if you move them she puts them right back in the same placeeven if she has to carrythem across the cage. Pregnant does are so weird.

~Hayley~

 

[BlueGiants]

I have a couple of Flemish does that get hormonal before they are bred, but about a week after breeding, they get all mushy and lovey dovey... gotta be petted and stroked, made a fuss over. (And they love to show off their babies, can't wait for me to see them. One has gone so far as to roll one out of the nestbox at me!) As soon as they "get nice", I know they are bred! More accurate than palpating!

I do have a blue girl that refuses to let me clean her cage, at ALL, once she gets pregnant! She makes a fussfrom the time she gets pregnant until the babies leave! (I couldn't let her get away with that, and she keeps the nestbox spotless. But I take her out, against her wishes, and get everything cleaned up. She isn't happy about it, but that's just too bad!)

One of my Mini Rex gets frantic if she doesn't have a nestboxtwo weeks ahead of time. Running around and squeeking, digging in her food dish, pulling fur and putting it in her food dish, wide-eyed frantic. Give her a nest box and all is right with the world. She calms right down and actually looks happy. (She's probably thinking... "Stupid humans! Don't they know I'm going to have babies????")

 

[CorkysMom]

Hah, glad to know mine aren't the only freaks! I've heard not to give them the nestbox that early, but when they are going into meltdown like that, what can you do? As long as they don't use it as a litterbox, I see no harm and its always worked well if I let them have it when they 'ask'.

It's so cute when they are proud of their babies and get excited to show you...then there are the 'fussers' that have to make sure you've covered them up 'just so' once you've had your look at them.

They are such neat creatures, the whole process just amazes me how they know what to do and are so good at it. I've heard of horrible experiences, but I've been very lucky so far, once we get over that first litter, my moms are generally great.

 

[GoinBackToCali]

Well, I have decided.. that any Cali female that is doing this...

is surely pregnant... as the only ones that are doing this, are the ones we bred.

Either that, or they are all in disguise...

Zin

 

[BlueGiants]

Hey Zin! I'd say she's in a "motherly way".... Yup! (I'd only worry if I saw my boys acting like that!)

 

[TinysMom]

BlueGiants wrote:

Hey Zin! I'd say she's in a "motherly way".... Yup! (I'd only worry if I saw my boys acting like that!)

I have seen (and heard of) boys doing that too if you have a bunch of does close to delivery.....

I forget which one of my bucks did that - and one of Lisa's bucks does that too...

Peg

 

[BlueGiants]

I've had a couple of "gender challenged" boys... both Mini Rex... and they would imitate nesting behavior. Neither one knew what to do with a girl.... but they would carry straw and pile it up in the corner! (Both went to excellent pet homes.)

 

[GoinBackToCali]

Oh Holy Heck, the one who was questionable.. we just opened up the barn to a HUGE pile of fur everywhere.. we gave her a nest box to shut her up.. shes fine.

Reveille, in the house, is now growling at people, all spread out with her hind legs behind her, and breathing like shes doing the Lamaze..I take that back.. now she is breathing fine and eyeballing the kid as he eats his Trix..silly rabbit... Trix are for kids..

She is evil...

Evil.....

The other one's we bred have Hay mustaches...

 

[BlueGiants]

This doesn't happen before I palpate, but have you ever had a doe try to get rid of her toys before she kindles? I have a Black Flemish that trys to push all her toys and playthings out of the cage the day before she kindles! She starts getting mad if I don't take them out fast enough!

Now I know, and I remove them... but it took me a little bit to figure out what the issue was. (Stupid human!) And her kids are not allowed to play with her toys. I can't out thetoys back until the kids are weaned and gone.

Talk about weird does.

 

[Starlight Rabbitry]

LOL I had a doe that was just the opposite. She kept putting her toy in the nestbox even before they were born. I kept removingit and telling her that they don't want your toy. She didn't listen.

Sharon

 

[CorkysMom]

Several of my does 'share' their toys....I always tell them babies can't even see yet, let alone play with the toys...but they insist on havnig them in there pretty much from day one!