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My "pregnant" girl, Toffee

B

bunniesbarnbabe

Warren Scout
I have previously asked for info about Toffee but I need some more help please. We think Toffee is pregnant but am not 100% sure. I have never bred bunnies before as always taken in rescue rabbits, we had two lionheads and the owner said they were two girls, it now turns out that one is a boy and the girl is possibly pregnant. Jc has been removed from hutch and is being neutered wednesday. Toffee is showing signs of being pregnant, she has made a nest, she started building it a few days ago, she does have a little belly although not massive but then she is only five months herself. her teats do look quite long. Could this be a phantom pregnancy or the real thing, I dont want to keep picking her up just in case I stress her and I dont want to disturb her nest either.
 
I think I have read on here before that they usually start building the nests right before they give birth, not a few days before so hopefully its a phantom pregnancy :D
 
If you think there are kits down there there's nothing more to do than to check the nest.
If the female gets nervous just take her out of the nest and remove the fur on the nest. (Remember if there are babies there put the fur back afterwards)
I've never heard any solid prof of a domestic rabbit eating her young because humans touch them, even newborns, so they should be fine;)
 
sillyrabbit said:
I think I have read on here not to touch the nest :?
Click to expand...

I've helped rearing plenty of rabbits, and even picked up newborn babies occasionally to count them and check what colours they are.
I'm also in contact wiht several breeders who do the same thing.
It all went fine:) The mother rabbits have never eaten the kits for something as minor as human smell.

Also, nursing mothers aren't with their babies all the time, actually it's completely opposite.
They only visit the babies once or twice a day to feed them, and that's rarely when you're around.
It's an instingt they have to keep a predator's attention away from the nest.
 
Toffee does not seem to be going near the nest much anway, i am presuming that is because there is prob not any babies there.
Click to expand...

I've read on here that nursing does only feed the babies once a day. They stay away from the nest the rest of the time so's not to draw attention to it.
 
We have babies!!

just checked toffees nest and we have babies, could see 4, not sure if anymore. is there anything i should be doing for toffee, how long do i leave it before the babies can be handled by me
 
Rabbits do kill their babies if the nest is disturbed - it's just happened to another member on this forum. If you need to check the nest then wear clean gloves on your hands and rub them in the mother's wee first. They always cover babies with a layer of hay and fur, so you won't see them - they also don't feed them or go to them more than once or twice a day as this would lead predators to the nest - they have very rich milk to make up for it.

If she does have babies give her plenty of food and hay, plus spring greens IF she's used to them as they contain lots of calcium.
 
Surely, they kill their rabbits if they're stressed;) Not just because you touch them.
That happened to our first litter of rabbits at school, the mother escaped the weekend before giving birth, and got caught again.
It was her first litter and she clearly wasn't ready for it.
Yet it is a good idea to check the nest every once in a while and remove dead kits in case anything should happen. ;)
 
hi, thanks. just checked again wearing gloves, and we have 5 babies, have given her more food and hay. they look a good size when i checked and i covered them back up with her fur and straw. i did clean out the rest of the hutch and left the bedroom.
 
ZakuraRabbit said:
Surely, they kill their rabbits if they're stressed;) Not just because you touch them.That happened to our first litter of rabbits at school, the mother escaped the weekend before giving birth, and got caught again.
It was her first litter and she clearly wasn't ready for it.
Yet it is a good idea to check the nest every once in a while and remove dead kits in case anything should happen. ;)
Click to expand...

Yes they kill their kits if they are stressed and touching them is one of the triggers to the stress. Another reason is if the doe's instinct tells her that something is "wrong" with the babies. Nature is a clever system.
 
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