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Flopsy and the phantom pregnancy

Rach&Dan

Young Bun
Hi all

our flopsy is going through a phantom pregnancy at the moment, she has been hay and twig carrying, building a nest in the hutch bedroom, lining it with fur, which has caused a bald spot under her jaw and above her dewlap. the skin isnt red raw at all and she seems ok for you to touch it. Shes also very nudgy and nippy at the moment thats a bit out of character, although once you move to where she wants you, we get licks!

how long is this going to last for and anybody got any tips for us?

we also have to pick her up later to clean her bum as she seems to have stopped doing this properly, but with her never liking being picked up and her new agression with the phantom pregnancy, would this be a good idea?
 
sorry, i missed that out! no, we dont think she is properly pregnant

She's not spayed but Womble is neutered. we not had any babies in the last 2 years!
 
My poppy has just had a phantom pregnancy and her nest has been there for a week now, she was pulling at fur again yesterday and has a big massive bald spot at her bum, other than that she is fine, eating great and playing as normal, shes now booked in for a spay on tues.
Id try and pick her up little bits at a time maybe rewarding her with a wee treat the further she lets you get just to see what she would do. Failing a wee trip to the vets may be advised for the safety of buns bum :)
 
How long has she been doing this for? My Bella (also unspayed) gets like this every once in a while but she never gets full blown phantom pregnancies (during which they can even lactate!), she usually goes back to normal within a day or so. Real phantom pregnancies can last for several weeks I believe (although could be wrong, like I said I've never experienced it with my girl)

Is there a reason for her not being spayed?
 
shes been like this over a week now. she's nested before but not this bad.

it started after womble 'tackled' her one warm spring day!

She's not been spayed as she is over 4, we got her as a rescue and thought she might be too old for it
 
Sounds like a proper phantom pregnancy then, if you're 100% sure she isn't pregnant it's just a matter of waiting. Just keep an eye on her, she'll be fine :)

I don't think 4-5 is too old for a spay generally speaking (unless she's a giant breed of course? As they have shorter lifespans), your vet will be able to give her a health check & ultimately determine whether or not spaying her would be safe. My Bella is 3 and I intend on getting her spayed as soon as I find a good rabbit savvy vet (hard to find where I'm at :(), but preferably within a year or so as obviously the risk of developing cancer increases the older they get :(
 
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You might find she gets to the lactating stage if it's an all out one. Could be up to two weeks from start. Just be patient. She will destroy the nest when done.

Rescues get rabbits older than her spayed on a regular basis. If you want to have her done but you're worried you could have pre op blood tests done to check her condition and if all is good she will only have the same risk as any other rabbit. Also the better the vet the lesser the risk so you could ask on here for a good vet in your area too.
 
thanks everyone for the replies, the phantom pregnancy didnt last much longer... however, we have gone through it all again as she started again about a week and a half ago.

this time she has pulled all the fur that had grown back on her neck, plus more, and tonight, when we did our late evening check instead of being excited and running about, shunting womble out the way, all she did is lie in the hutch and ignore us. she refused to take her cabbage leaf (that she goes mad for) and just to check, she wouldnt take her naughty rabbit treat she usually snatches. She then after a stroke went to hide in the bedroom part of the nest where the nest is. we left her there for a bit then went back out and she was just lying there in the old place again. shes not showing an interest in food or us, which is out of behaviour.

we'll be going the vets in the morning but im thinking the fur pulling has caused a blockage in her gut. is there anything we can do to help her until the vets is open?
 
When did she last eat that you know of?

Not eating is very serious as their gut can slow down and stop completely, not like humans or cats and dogs that can go a day or two without food.

Can you tell if she's pooing at all? I know you have two of them but it can be bad to syringe feed if there is a blockage.

First I would try to tempt her with all her favourites and see if you can get her to eat anything at all.

Has she got any other symptoms? Is she dribbling or grinding her teeth? Is she shifting position at lot or pushing her belly into the floor?
 
we've brought them inside and put them in a cage each like we do when one is off. she has perked up a little bit, had a nibble of cabbage and a few poos. shes even just binkyed as i types! total opposite from half an hour ago. just staying up to see if she drinks, but she has never been a big drinker.
 
we've brought them inside and put them in a cage each like we do when one is off. she has perked up a little bit, had a nibble of cabbage and a few poos. shes even just binkyed as i types! total opposite from half an hour ago. just staying up to see if she drinks, but she has never been a big drinker.

That's great news. Input and output. ;)
I would still take her to the vets tomorrow to be sure but it sounds good.
 
Do rabbits not go off their food on the day they feel like giving birth?
Obviously it's a phantom but that could be the reason why she was a bit down and out of sorts.
Glad she's a bit back to normal :)
 
I was wondering that to but was concerned about the fur pulling causing a block as they chew it with grass and hay to line te nest.

update, she's shredding newspaper in the cage!
 
:lol:
Angel and Parsley both do this.
Good thing you're going to the vet tomorrow.
It'd be good if you could get her spayed, then maybe she'd stop nipping you!
Angel's being really nippy with me, one minute she's licking me and snuggling in next she's nippy in a 'move-out-my-way' kinda way.
Glad she's going back to the vet on wednesday!
 
I would seriously discuss the option of getting her spayed. The sudden onset of pseudopregnancies *might* be indicative of changes in her uterus which *might* be cancerous

Also, having lots of pseudopregnancies is very stressful and effects a Doe's quality of life.

My Vet has spayed hundreds of 4-5 year old Does, so 4 is not 'too old'

Good luck
 
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