Hello every body; I have a 5.5 years unspayed female rabbit. About 3 days ago she jumped into the cage of my other bunny which is a two years old boy! Yesterday I noticed that she pulled out lots of her fur and now she is continuously digging in the corner of her cage. I'm just so worried about her being pregnant as she is too old for it. I'm completely confused and don't know what all these signs mean. Is there a way to say if it's a real or phantom pregnancy now?
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5.5 years old rabbit pregnant?
- Thread starter Elina_bag
- Start date
bunny momma
Wise Old Thumper
Are you sure this is the first time she visited your buck? In my opinion fur pulling on day three seems early, though not impossible.
And no, she is not too old to get pregnant, though she is prone to have more complications.
And no, she is not too old to get pregnant, though she is prone to have more complications.
Hello every body; I have a 5.5 years unspayed female rabbit. About 3 days ago she jumped into the cage of my other bunny which is a two years old boy! Yesterday I noticed that she pulled out lots of her fur and now she is continuously digging in the corner of her cage. I'm just so worried about her being pregnant as she is too old for it. I'm completely confused and don't know what all these signs mean. Is there a way to say if it's a real or phantom pregnancy now?
Hi, as Babsie said, there will be a high possibility that your rabbit is pregnant. There is at this stage though no way of determining whether she is or isn't. The digging and pulling fur out will probably be a response to being mated and will not be an indication of whether the mating will result in a successful pregnancy.
Is there a reason why she is unspayed? I would have a discussion with your vet regarding the situation, as there are several considerations here. Whilst breeders would usually stop breeding from Does well before the age of 5 years, that doesn't mean to say, if she is healthy, that she is too old to produce a litter, although personally I would not want that risk for my rabbit. I don't know whether you are aware, but unspayed Does are at a high risk of developing uterine cancer and so I think I would be discussing with my vet whether they would be prepared to perform an emergency spay asap.
There are clearly lots of issues for you to consider and so maybe a discussion with a trusted vet would be the best way forward.
Is there a reason why she is unspayed? I would have a discussion with your vet regarding the situation, as there are several considerations here. Whilst breeders would usually stop breeding from Does well before the age of 5 years, that doesn't mean to say, if she is healthy, that she is too old to produce a litter, although personally I would not want that risk for my rabbit. I don't know whether you are aware, but unspayed Does are at a high risk of developing uterine cancer and so I think I would be discussing with my vet whether they would be prepared to perform an emergency spay asap.
There are clearly lots of issues for you to consider and so maybe a discussion with a trusted vet would be the best way forward.
mismatchbunnies
Warren Scout
Hi, not too sure how to know if it is a phantom pregnancy or real one other than taking her to the vets to get checked. But I would ask if there’s a reason you haven’t got either of your females spayed? By the age of 5, unspayed female rabbits have an 80% chance of developing uterine cancer which is fatal. If this is due to financial reasons then I would strongly recommend reaching out to your local animal rescue or vet to see if they could contribute financially towards the spay to prevent something like this happening again as well as the obvious risk. But of course you’d have to see if the suspected female is pregnant or not if you choose to look into the spay further and ensure she is not if you decide to go ahead.
Hi I think it would be too early to pull fur even if she was pregnant. She probably is if she has been with the male. Mine is a but younger at almost 4 but she gave birth to 2 babies no problems. If she were too old to cope with pregnancy she might not have got pregnant and if she did nature probably thinks she can handle it.
Thanks for your reply. I've contacted my vet before but as my rabbit used to chew her stitches after surgery and opens them all! (she had 2 minor surgeries before) i'm scared of spaying her since it's an extensive surgery(unless i know she is 'really' pregnant).
Is there any way to know if she is pregnant or not at early stage before the pregnacy progresses?
Unfortunatly I thought female bunnies get sterile and can't have baby after 4 years!
Is there any way to know if she is pregnant or not at early stage before the pregnacy progresses?
Unfortunatly I thought female bunnies get sterile and can't have baby after 4 years!
Thank you so much for your reply. My bunny had 2 minor surgeries before and she used to chew all her stitches after surgery and opens them all, that's why Im really scared of spaying her as the recovery can be sooo stressful.
Unfortunately I thought a doe gets sterile after 4 years and its less likely that my 5.5 years old bunn becomes pregnant. I was not aware that they can have babies at this age.
I am just seeking a way to know if she is 'really' pregnant or not at early stage to plan a surgery for spaying her.
Unfortunately I thought a doe gets sterile after 4 years and its less likely that my 5.5 years old bunn becomes pregnant. I was not aware that they can have babies at this age.
I am just seeking a way to know if she is 'really' pregnant or not at early stage to plan a surgery for spaying her.
Thanks for your reply. They live in one big room. The buck lives in his cage and my doe is cage free so my doe can see the buck in his cage. But untill 3 days ago they never reached each other to mate.
She had behaviours like phantom pregnancy during the last two weeks before she jump into the buck's cage.
She used to chew her stitches after surgery and open them all!(she had two minor surgeries before) thats why I'm scared of spaying her(unless i know she is 'really' pregnant).
Is there a way to know if it's a phantom or real pregnancy?
I thought does can't get pregnant after 4 years and they become sterile!
mismatchbunnies
Warren Scout
Can’t really give much advice about the pregnancy. But like I said, please look into getting your doe spayed! The benefits of spaying far outweigh the risks in this case as ultimately it could be a matter of life or death for her. My female rabbit also chewed her stitches and opened her wound slightly but it was not that serious and she was just give medicine to prevent infection. Rabbit savvy vets are used to does opening wounds and there are lots of options for treatment providing it is caught early (eg using a cone if necessary, giving medication, keeping her confined temporarily). As long as you monitor your doe carefully I’m sure even if she did chew the stitches, measures can be taken to prevent it becoming serious. Think of it like this, the risk and seriousness of her getting cancer from not being spayed is much higher than the risks caused by her potentially chewing stitches.
Liz47
Wise Old Thumper
Are you in the UK? Rabbit spays generally use internal stitches and 'glue' these days so there shouldn't be anything on the outside for her to chew and open 
Worth asking your vet though, can also help determine if the vets is rabbit savvy. Although does can get pregnant past 5, I imagine it's quite a strain on her body. I would consider an emergency spay if I had confidence in my vets and they agreed. Otherwise I'd make sure she is getting extra food to support her body in case of pregnancy.
Worth asking your vet though, can also help determine if the vets is rabbit savvy. Although does can get pregnant past 5, I imagine it's quite a strain on her body. I would consider an emergency spay if I had confidence in my vets and they agreed. Otherwise I'd make sure she is getting extra food to support her body in case of pregnancy.Just to add to all the excellent advice you’ve had, if she hasn’t had a litter before, she will be unlikely to be able to give birth successfully, due to her hips, which will mean she will likely need an emergency spay at that point or could lose her life. If she was only in with the buck fir a short time, this risk in increased as rabbits are induced ovulators, and she will likely only have ovulated a minimal amount. She may only have one in each horn or one overall.
I would suggest a rabbit savvy vet ASAP- as spays in pregnant does can only be done at particular points of the pregnancy or it’s too risky.
What country are you in?
I would suggest a rabbit savvy vet ASAP- as spays in pregnant does can only be done at particular points of the pregnancy or it’s too risky.
What country are you in?
Thanks for the reply. I've set an appointment with her vet for the surgery on wednesday but as I said before I am in stress since the recovery can be very stressful for her and me(according to my experiences with her 2 surgeries before). Thanks again for your reply and concern.
mismatchbunnies
Warren Scout
That’s great news. I think you’ve made the right decision. I completely understand that you’re concerned but I’m hopefully she will recover quickly providing she is closely monitored. But like I said, the benefits far outweigh the risks in this case. Hope it goes well!
Are you in the UK? Rabbit spays generally use internal stitches and 'glue' these days so there shouldn't be anything on the outside for her to chew and open
Thanks for your reply. No I'm not in the UK but I am going to call my vet now and ask about internal stitches and glue. It might be very helpful in my case. Very good suggestion thank you!
It sounds like you’ve made a great choice to get her booked in. It will be really important for her to have a weeks worth of pain relief (Metacam), after. When they chew the stitches, it’s typically because they hurt, so having pain relief will reduce the risk of that. There’s some useful things around on this site about recovery from spats and surgeries, so you might find it helpful to do some forum searches and find some info. I hope it all goes well.
