Possibly adopted a pregnant rabbit

[Katie189]

Hi, as the title says, I’ve possibly adopted a pregnant rabbit.

I currently have a neutered male and was planning on adopting a female from a rescue to live with him. However, I came across a female rabbit that was being given away for free on Facebook. Probably not the best idea but I was concerned about where she might end up so decided to pick her up. She seemed like she was well cared for, a bit timid but not unfriendly and the people said that they were giving her away as they had tried to bond her with their male bunny and it didn’t work so they didn’t want to keep her. I asked if she had been neutered and they said no because she’s too young (they said she’s around 5 months) so I asked if their male had and they said yes.

So anyway, I’ve had her for around a week, she’s still quite shy but will come to me for treats. I’ve gone out to feed her this morning and found big clumps of her fur. Most is in the doorway of her sleeping box which is stuffed with straw but some dotted around the rest of the shed. I’m now concerned that she’s pregnant and I’m not sure what to do. I’ve never had a female bunny before so don’t know if they can just do this anyway if they are hormonal? The previous owners said their male was neutered but I only have their word, no actual proof so it is possible.

Does anyone have any advice please? She’s currently living outside in a shed type setup but the weather is quite cold where I am at the moment. Should I bring her inside just in case she’s pregnant or am I better leaving her out as she’s new and still quite nervous? I don’t want to stress her out.

Any advice would be really good please.

 

[Shimmer]

I would get her examined by a vet. It may be a false pregnancy, or it could be real. If there’s no sign of a real pregnancy, you could discuss neutering.

Did the previous owners say when their boy was neutered? They can still be fertile for several weeks after neutering.

If you are not sure if her history anyway, she could be a little older and be pregnant from before they had her.

She will also need vaccinating as a priority.

I wish you all the best. She is in a better place because you ‘rescued’ her, even if it’s more than you bargained for.

 

[Katie189]

I would get her examined by a vet. It may be a false pregnancy, or it could be real. If there’s no sign of a real pregnancy, you could discuss neutering.

Did the previous owners say when their boy was neutered? They can still be fertile for several weeks after neutering.

If you are not sure if her history anyway, she could be a little older and be pregnant from before they had her.

She will also need vaccinating as a priority.

I wish you all the best. She is in a better place because you ‘rescued’ her, even if it’s more than you bargained for.

Thank you for your reply. The previous owners didn’t say when their male was neutered but when I asked if he was, they said ‘yes, we’ve had him for a few years’ so gave the impression he was neutered a while ago. I should have asked more questions really but didn’t think to at the time.

They said they got her at 8 weeks and had her vaccinated soon after and had been trying to bond with their male since they got her but it never worked and they didn’t have space for 2 seperate rabbits long term which is why they were looking to rehome her. Obviously I don’t know whether any of this was the truth but they seemed to care about the rabbits and they looked well cared for so I took their word for it.

She’s booked in to be neutered at the end of this month with my vet so they were going to health check on the day before they did the op. I’ll speak to the vet and ask for advice today though, thank you again.

 

[Omi]

I'm sorry you are in this istuation. In view of what's happened, I would contact the previous owner asap. I would say that you are concerned for her welfare and want to care for her in an appropriate way. I would explain that she has been making a nest and so could they confirm when exactly their boy was neutered and if there was any possibility she could be pregnant.

They might not of course give a truthful answer, but I would nevertheless give it a try.

I hope it all works out.

 

[Shimmer]

You could ask your vet to look at her earlier and bring forward the op if she's possibly in very early pregnancy - or just wait it out. The stress of the move (plus being newly adolescent and possible 'spring fever') may have triggered the behaviour. It may also mean that the potential pregnancy may not continue anyway - rabbits don't do well under stress and they tend to abort / reabsorb the litter (depending on how far gone it is), particularly for a young and inexperienced female.

I'm assuming she's currently on her own and has pulled the fur out herself, rather than it being the result of a fight with your boy.
As for housing, I would leave her with what she's used to so she's less stressed. Was she outdoors before? If so, she will have a full winter coat.

If you contact the previous owners, you need proof of vaccination - either the certificate or permission to get the details from their vet. It sounds like they are genuine, but I am always dubious about what people say when giving up a pet.

 

[Zoobec]

I don’t have any experience of this so I can’t advise, however there is a thread that might help https://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/index.php?threads/accidental-litters-and-taking-on-babies.327923/

 

[Katie189]

Thank you everyone. So I messaged the previous owner this morning as soon as I found the fur but haven’t heard back from them. I have also spoken to the vets (well, a receptionist at the vets) who advised I just ‘keep an eye out’ as the fur pulling likely indicates that birth will be very soon if she is pregnant. They said if I find babies then to call back for advice, otherwise just stick with the date I currently have booked for her to be neutered.

She’s on her own, I was waiting until she recovered from her op to try to bond with my boy so she’s definitely pulled the fur herself and yes, she was kept outside before. I thought bringing her in would probably stress her out but was worried about any potential babies getting cold. I’ve added more straw to her sleeping area where I found the pulled fur but also found a cardboard box which is a bit more enclosed which I’ve filled with straw in case she wants to make a nest in there. I thought that would be safer for the babies, keep them more enclosed and warmer and would be easier to check on them, I hope that was ok to do that.

I’ll read over the link that was posted here too, looks like lots of helpful info! But keeping my fingers very tightly crossed that I don’t find any babies!

 

[Katie189]

Just wanted to come back and update that there have been no babies overnight! I will obviously keep checking for signs over the next few days though. The previous owners also never replied to me which seems a bit suspicious!

 

[Omi]

No babies is good news! I agree that the non-response from the previous owners does seem suspicious. Fingers crossed for continuing no babies.