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pregnant bunny and dont know what to do please help

mandyjt

New Kit
Hello I wonder if you can help us.
We adopted a rabbit from the RSPCA last week and we were told that the rabbit could be pregnant but should not be. To cut a long story short we took her to the vets for a check up and her vaccinations and she is expecting kittens. What I cant belive is that the RSPCA did not check her over before they gave her to us. We still would have had her but would have been better prepared for it.
This is where we need help. The vet has told us to treat her as normally as possible, but a friend has told us not to touch her at all even stroke her, check the nest or anything or she may kill all the babies.
She has built her nest now and seems to be "panting" occasionaly. I do not want to lose her or her babies, but I do not know what to do.
How long is it before she can come outside of her hutch? Can we check the nest? Any ideas on how to clean the toilet area as she is fiercely protective of her nest and goes for you. I feel so sorry for her as she lovbes to go out and eat the grass with our outher two rescue bunnies.
Hope you can help
many thanks
mandy
 
omg you should ring the rspca and tell them!!!

your friend was WRONG, you can touch her no problem, but she is right about the kits DO NOT touch them kits with your bare hands without rubbing you had on the mum and then in her droppings, she is a prey animal and if she can smell something on her kits ie...your sent she could cull them (kill them) or worse abandon them altogether,

you can clean the rest of the hutch just leave the nest until they are three weeks old and start to merge from the nest!
 
forgot to say either attach a run to her hutch or dont let her out she needs to be near her kits at all times allthough she will not lay with her young or feed them regular, she will probably feed them once a day at about 2 am in the morning.

whilst you are cleaning her hutch give her a treat to keep her mind ocupied, but remember to feed her as much as she want when she is pregnant and weaning kits!

they open there eyes around 10 days old and mearge around 3 weeks old, and are fully weane at 8 weeks old!

eve x
 
Sorry to hear about the pregnancy. Your friened was wrong. the doe needs excersise and it would be in your best interest to get some kind of bond with her so she trusts you. I would recomend you let her out of her cage into a run and then clean her hutch. Make sure not to disturb the nest in anyway though. It would be best for the doe to attach a run to her hutch so when she has deliverd them she can still stretch out. The kits are gonna be a blast as they grow older.

Sending our best wishes and good luck!
 
Hi all I would like to thank all of you for replying to me and my bunny dilemma. She is doing ok and likes to have some parsley off me, in fact this morning she was standing leaning out of the hutch waiting for me to bring it to her whilst I sorted our other bunnies out.
The RSPCA called yesterday and said we could take her back....why????? She has a far better place with our lot and thank the stars we had her and not some infatuated child(not that there is anything wrong with kids) who only wants a bunny for the holidays.
Will keep you posted on the developments and now better go and try to clean her toilet lol.
Thanks to you all and what a great site. Can anyone tell me how to post some pics of my "pack"
mandy
 
The RSPCA probably volunteered to take her bac because she is pregnant. Raising a litter is a lot of work and a lot of people wouldn't want to take on the challenge. It would be better for her and her kits if she remained with you. The stress of moving back and forth could have some ill effects on the lot.

Best wishes, keep us updated!
 
Hi all think she will have her babies today/ She is pulling loads of fur out again and panting really badly. Will keep you all informed.
Thanks mandy and "guinness" the mum to be!
 
Good luck - any news yet? When Polly got preggers I didnt know what to do and the guys on here helped me all the way! :D
 
Hi all Great News!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :)
She has had her kits three from what I can see at the moment.
Quite traumatic though as she strated having them at 7pm and there was a lot of mewling and munching going on. Fingers crossed mum and babies are ok. I have been to see her and she was sniffing at the door waiting for her parsley . I gave her some and she quite happily munched it. She is looking very thin towards the front but we are feeding her three times a day.
Will keep you all posted and again thanks to all for your support.
Mandy , guinness and little guins
xx
 
Wow, how exciting. Glad it seems to have gone well. Keep us updated with how they're all getting on. Theres' loads of advice in previous posts about this too.
 
Hi all thought I would let you know that Guiness has had 5 babies 2 black, 1 white, 1 white spotty and a caramel one. They look so adorable and Guiness is being a great mum and likes to lick my nose now in a morning lol!
The RSPCA are coming round tomorrow to see if Guiness is ok. I told them about her having 5 babies and thanks for asking!(sarcastically). Sorry about that I know they do a great job with cruelty but isn't prevention better than extra animals to be found homes for?
We are becoming very attatched to our extended pack and are looking to keep four of them as my friend wants one to keep her bunny company.
So that makes 7 rabbits 1 dog and four guinea pigs!
I must say , people think we eat very healthily when we go shopping for veg judging by the armfuls of carrot tops and parsley!
Keep you posted
luv mandy and ever growng pack
 
aww i'm so pleased! would love to see pics! if you go to somewhere like photobucket.com or imageshack.us then you can upload piccies there and copy the link and add
 
Hi all hope you are all well. Just a note to keep you updated on Guiness and her kits.
All 5 are ok and we have decided to keep all of them, so we are in the process of ordering a new 7ft hutch! Mum is doing really well and tthe kits eyes are all open now.
On a sadder note, Guiness had 6 kits in the end and we found the little black one tow days agao very thin and weak. We kept her warm and tried to hand feed her but she did not make it. So goodbye Blackberry we shall miss you and hope she is leaping over the rainbow bridge now.


Just a query, we have two more bunnies, Dexter and Poppy. When we tried to introduce Guiness ages ago to them , Poppy got quite nasty with her (through the wire as they were separated) then Dexter chased after Poppy and nearly had a fight with her. He ripped a good few chunks out of Poppy's fur then settled down. They are best companions and I wondered if this was normal it was as if he was protecting Guiness or trying to stop the aggro. Does anyone know?

Speak to you all soon and will try to get some pic s on soon
mandy x
 
I am certainly no expert but all I can say is, when I put Kami next to Pip and Polly(Kami is their baby but was sold and then came back after a couple of months - he was entire when he came back and Pip was neutered by then), Pip went mad for a couple of days or more and chased Polly round and round and really gave her what for - I think it was a dominance thing. They have settled down now and I am waiting for Kami to be 'clear' after being neutered and then will put him in with his new intended, Tui! :love: I hope!!
 
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