Is My Bunny Pregnant?

Hi Smiley, my son has 2 bunnies, they were supposed to be both females we
bought them from a breeder at 7 weeks old. They are approx 1 year old
and are N. Dwarf.

One has always been a biter so I have not tried to pick it up in ages
and have not noticed the gender identity. We looked when they were 7
weeks old and they appeared to both be girls. The other one is kinder
and calmer and we pick her up. The calmer one has suddenly started
nesting, has pulled out all her belly fur and put it in a box that they
have always had in their hutch.

It looks like from your website that this is a sign of pregnancy. If
she does have babies , should I remove the other bunny? Will he hurt
the babies?

Yesterday I took everything out of their hutch and sanitized it as we
live in a rain forest and things were moldy. That’s when I noticed the
nesting fur. I put new bedding in and put a handful of the fur back in
thinking it was warm and soft. If she turns out to be pregnant will
this activity have done any harm??

Thank you!

Hi there

Well done for noticing signs that your rabbit could be pregnant. If you see that the stomach is also getting a little bigger and she is continuing to make a nest then you should remove the boy rabbit. Try giving the female more straw as well and she may bite these smaller and carry it in bundles into her nest box. The boy should be removed until the babies are born and old enough to eat for themselves. Then you must re-introduce the rabbits to see if they get along and of course separate girls from boys! The vet will be able to help you with correct sexing of the babies. Do not worry about touching the fur. Give her straw and she will organize and nest accordingly, just be sure not to disturb the bedding again and it should be fine.

Smiley

Smiley: Re: Chew Chew Chew

I believe that the rabbit is nervously chewing at his foot, probably due to discomfort and itching in the leg as a result of the injection. I have seen this case in my (Smiley’s) brother, where he was chewing on the stitches after being neutered.

The cone will definitely need to be kept in place as this is the only way to stop the rabbit from chewing everything – rabbits are notorious nibblers! I would suggest bringing your rabbit inside and caring for him this way, making sure you give him plenty of cuddles and attention to distract from his wearing the cone. Feed him by hand pieces of fruit or veg, or some of his food, as the cone will likely irritate him when he tries to bend to eat
and drink. Offer him a droplet of water on your finger and if he licks at
it, it probably means he is ready for some water. You can give him water using a syringe used for medicine, or you can hold the spout of the water bottle up to him to allow him to drink.

Hopefully, with his distraction from his leg, the wound will heal and not become infected.

Good luck with your bunny and do let us know how you get on

Smiley

I have a pregnant doe…

Smiley, Oracle of Rabbits ™

Hi there Smiley,

I stumbled on your blog. I have  a pregnant doe. She has mated one week ago. We have her now, alone in her cage and she is frantically digging and scratching at the same corner. Why is that?

Pregnant does tend to get very nervous and agitated before birth, this is why they start to dig and some get aggressive.  As long as she has her own corner that you pad with some extra bedding, she will be fine. Even though its sometimes unnerving to watch this behaviour, it is quite normal. If you are able, let the doe out for a run every now and then – protecting any flowers/plants you have as she will likely dig a corner in the garden. She will probably keep digging like this until the last few days before birth You will know when she is about to have her litter when you see a large mass of fur padding in one corner of the hutch. The doe is best left alone at this point as she will likely have her litter early morning or very late evening when no one is around.

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