• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Is my rabbit pregnant?

Katy

Young Bun
Hi there -

My male rabbit (Otter Netherland Dwarf) mated with my white Mini Lop (Completely white with grey ears and nose - red eyes) rabbit a week ago on Friday (he escaped, wasn't planned so I do not want to hear that I am irresponsible etc, I checked her area to see anything and there was. I'm just trying to be prepared for the event - and to look after my doe until she has the babies, if she is pregnant)

I know it is a waiting game to find out if your rabbit is pregnant or not but is there any methods or signs that are a give-away?

Also, would there be any chance of peanuts? (I know about peanuts and am prepared for them, but I thought since they are cross breeds would there be a more or less chance? And are they just in Netherlands?)

And does anybody know what they would look like? (as in ears up or lopped? White or black? I'd love them all the same but I'm just being curious :D)


Thank You!

Katy :)
 
I think that your best bet might be an emergency spay. How old is mum?

Yes, peanuts are a risk. Roughly 25% of the litte might be peanuts.

Both parents will carry the dwarf gene which is what creates the peanuts.

The colours will vary, and the ears will likely be aeroplane ears. Potentially there is an increased risk of genetic dental issues due to skull shape.
 
I think that your best bet might be an emergency spay. How old is mum?

Yes, peanuts are a risk. Roughly 25% of the litte might be peanuts.

Both parents will carry the dwarf gene which is what creates the peanuts.

The colours will vary, and the ears will likely be aeroplane ears. Potentially there is an increased risk of genetic dental issues due to skull shape.

..........................................................................................................................................................

Hi thanks for the reply!

My doe is 8 nearly 9 months old so she's not a baby. I just hope she'll be okay.

I'm not sure about termination but I'll consider it.

Thanks :)

Katy
 
It's important to look at what is best for the bunny- both herself and the kits. She may well have a difficult birth, she may lose her life. Also, she may be more inclined to have foetal giants because the 'breeding' wasn't done in the best way for the doe. If you're facing kits with potential genetic issues then you have to question if it's fair to do that to them.

There are two threads in the health forum one about breeding and one about accidental litters and babies and both would be worth reading :)
 
It's important to look at what is best for the bunny- both herself and the kits. She may well have a difficult birth, she may lose her life. Also, she may be more inclined to have foetal giants because the 'breeding' wasn't done in the best way for the doe. If you're facing kits with potential genetic issues then you have to question if it's fair to do that to them.

There are two threads in the health forum one about breeding and one about accidental litters and babies and both would be worth reading :)



Hi -

I have just had a look and its very informative, thank you.

I will consider all options and what is best for my bunny :)

Thanks

Katy
 
I agree with Sky-O, it may be a good idea to discuss an emergency spay with your vet. Even if you carry on with the pregnancy, at her age she should be spayed after anyway to stop her getting uterine cancer, so it wont be a wasted trip to talk about spaying even if you decide not to go ahead right now.

Both nethies and mini lops have squashed, unnatural shaped faces which means that they are higher risk for developing dental problems anyway, and then their skulls are also differently shaped to each other, so all in all the chance you will have dental bunnies in the litter is higher than usual. If they are pet shop bunnies or from a breeder selling for money then the chance for genetic problems is greater still, as you dont know their genetic history, so they may be carriers of certain bad genes even though they themselves are healthy. It might be worth looking at a member on here, GrahamL 's threads on Ginger, she is a prime example of genetic faults, all of her many many problems boil down to bad breeding.

I'm not saying that an emergency spay is the only way to go, or that the babies will definately have problems, but its important you know what you are getting yourself in to. It is good you are taking the time to research so you are prepared. I'm sorry you've been put in this position, you must be worried sick.

I have been in a similar situation when the male got out and let the female out of her hutch, I didnt know if they had humped and it was unlikely she was pregnant as he was young, but I felt terrible. I weighed up the pros and cons and she had the spay which she was due to have anyway.

Also, have a think about what you would do with the babies, whether you could keep them or whether you would find them new homes and how you would go about making sure they went to a good home instead of ending up forgotten at the end of the garden. I know we're talking about 3 months in the future now, but homechecking in person is a good idea. You will have to get some new accommodation as well because the boys will need separating from their mum around 8-12 weeks. Then you can get them neutered at 12 weeks so the males are less likely fight, but theres a risk they still may fight and need splitting into separate accommodation from each other as well. I know it seems like its far away but its important to be prepared, and any rescue will tell you that rehoming is slow at the moment, so you may have the babies for a while.

As for colour/looks you could get anything depending on their genes, again if the parents are pet shop buns/were bred for money you are more likely to get random colours etc in the mix.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top