potential pregnant rabbit

[Marble_Snowy]

My bunny Cleo escaped her cage, we didn't think she was pregnant but on day 28-29 she made a nest.

The nest got destroyed by her house mates unfortunately.

I have moved her inside and separated her from her friends.

She has been inside for a couple of days now but has not made a new nest.

I can feel one lump in her abdomen but it is not very big (I don't know it may be the right size), I have not felt any move ment.

I am worring that she is not pregnant and the lump inside her is cancer or something.

She is on day 33, if the day she got out was day 1.

She is eating, drinking, peeing and pooing fine.

She has a litter tray, a hay box and a cat carrier as a nest box.

Is their any way to induce labour?

Is their a way to incourage her to make a nest?
Thanks

 

[Shimmer]

I suggest you get her seen by a vet today so that you can get a definitive answer on a pregnancy. Are you certain there were no kits in the destroyed nest? There are other possibilities for what you can feel, like a kit that has got stuck or died - in which case she needs veterinary attention to remove it / them. There is no safe way to deal with it at home.

 

[InspectorMorse]

The only advice we can give is to get your Doe to a Vet today to be examined and provided with any treatment needed.

Please neuter your Rabbits to prevent any more ‘accidents’ and to protect the Does from uterine adenocarcinoma .

 

[Marble_Snowy]

I am certain that their were no kits in the nest, she made it out of just hay no fur and I went through it to be sure

Would it be a stuck kit when the lump is not near her pelvis?

Do you think the kit is dead? Because I can't feel it moving, I assumed I wouldn't be able to feel the movment as when I feel her belly she get mad and tenses

We were going to wait till day 40 to see if she was pregnant, but I can see if we can take her in? If you think that is what she needs but I am a teenager and the decision is not always up to me, as much as I would like it to be

 

[Marble_Snowy]

I forgot to say that I brought her house mates inside to see her yesterday and she was super grumpy with them and did not want them there so I took them a way again

She normal doesn't like cuddles and prefers her friends but recently she has wanted cuddles from me

She also has a pudgy belly and her nipples are bigger

Picture of her cage set up, I have her cage covered by a towel and a bed sheet except at the back by the wall

And this is cleo, I tried to get a picture of her pudge but she wouldn't stay in the right position

 

[Shimmer]

The only responsible thing to do as her owner is to get her checked over by a vet today.

I wouldn't even contemplate leaving her until day 40 - it could be an avoidable catastrophe. Even a couple of days overdue is concerning as placentas stop doing their job and the babies die anyway, which then puts mum at a huge risk without emergency care. You really need to know if she's pregnant or not, and at what stage if she is. Anything else is a pure guess. While you are there, discuss getting her (and the others) neutered so that this can't happen again. There are major health risks for entire females.

Neutering – Castration and Spaying

Discover the importance of neutering, castration, and spaying for your rabbit's health and welfare with RWAF's expert guide.

rabbitwelfare.co.uk

 

[Marble_Snowy]

I will see if I can convince my parents to take her to the vet to get her checked
So I can bring facts when asking what are the mager problems with leaving her, we are still not sure if she is pregnant

We are moving house at the moment so money is a bit tight so we cant get them neutered now but will try to in the near future
Thanks

 

[Shimmer]

I would explain what happened and how long ago it was, then ask for her to be examined to see if she is pregnant - and take it from there.

 

[Marble_Snowy]

My parents knew that when she escaped their was a chance of pregnancy but we didn't believe she could have been (silly I know)
My mum is still not believing cleo is pregnant and she said every day cleo does not give birth she gets more hopefull that cleo is not pregnant

What are the problems with not taking her to the vet?? (if I tell my mum the bad things she is more likely to take cleo to the vet)
Thanks

 

[Marble_Snowy]

I asked my mum and she said we should wait till day 40 before worring, as she may still give birth.

In most animals being over due is not a problem, which is why she is not worried

If I could tell her why to worry now she may think differently

I know when rabbits are stressed they can postpone labour and I moved her inside recently so she is most likely still stressed

I heard that you can give rabbits lavender to induce labour, should I give that a try? Raspberry leaves
And I think parsley too

 

[Graciee]

If it's not pregnancy... And she's not eating as much and you feel a lump she could have a blockage or partial obstruction, or just stasis.. All incredibly painful and the rabbit is unlikely to survive without pain management and gut meds.

I wouldn't chance this tbh, risking my animals health is not worth it imo, especially rabbits as they're so fragile health wise. Even with the best vet care I've lost rabbits to stasis, so I wouldn't avoid getting it asap.

 

[Marble_Snowy]

I have had a bunny with stasis and we caught it quickly and saved her, she was acting very differently to what cleo is
Sorry I don't think I clarified, cleo is eating hay/grass/vegetables well, she just is not that interested in pellets, she eats them but not as much as she had before (I have increased her food as well, so she is probably fuller)
I wouldn't have thought it was a blockage (correct me if I am wrong) as she is peeing and pooing like no-one business
I just wanted to add, it is not my decision to take her to the vet it is my parents decision, I asked my mum and she said the vets will want to ultrasound or xray or something else expensive to find out and she said we just can't be spending hundreds of pounds right now, if cleo was showing signs of pain or what have you then we would have taken her in to the vets but she is still full of energy (I will say after she has a play she flops in her bed and sleeps)
If it were my decision I would have taken her to the vets days ago but its not sadly, I can only try to convince my parents and so far I have gotten to we will do something if she has no kits at 40 days

at what stage if she is. Anything else is a pure guess.

The only time she has had access to a potential male was when she escaped 34 days ago, so I do know what stage she would be but yes I don't know anything else really

 

[Graciee]

I have had a bunny with stasis and we caught it quickly and saved her, she was acting very differently to what cleo is
Sorry I don't think I clarified, cleo is eating hay/grass/vegetables well, she just is not that interested in pellets, she eats them but not as much as she had before (I have increased her food as well, so she is probably fuller)
I wouldn't have thought it was a blockage (correct me if I am wrong) as she is peeing and pooing like no-one business
I just wanted to add, it is not my decision to take her to the vet it is my parents decision, I asked my mum and she said the vets will want to ultrasound or xray or something else expensive to find out and she said we just can't be spending hundreds of pounds right now, if cleo was showing signs of pain or what have you then we would have taken her in to the vets but she is still full of energy (I will say after she has a play she flops in her bed and sleeps)
If it were my decision I would have taken her to the vets days ago but its not sadly, I can only try to convince my parents and so far I have gotten to we will do something if she has no kits at 40 days

The only time she has had access to a potential male was when she escaped 34 days ago, so I do know what stage she would be but yes I don't know anything else really

Yea I understand, it's hard when it's not down to you.

I've no idea what it could be and it's good she's pooping loads, it's just with rabbits they're so delicate, sometimes they're fine then then next it's too late ime. So I'm much more cautious when it comes to them over like a cat or dog. Tricky though if your parents aren't willing to take her in.

I really hope she'll be okay!

 

[InspectorMorse]

It is extremely unusual for a Rabbit to go to 40 days gestation. It’s only normal in Tapetis (Brazilian Cottontail) who have a gestation period of 42-45 days. Personally I would not let her go longer than 33-34 days without consulting a Vet. Especially if I was able to feel a ‘lump’ in the abdomen. Dystocia can be fatal if not treated promptly.

 

[Marble_Snowy]

What would the vet do?

My vet will see rabbits but they are not specialist half the time we treat our rabbits our self's (we have a lot of different meds)
I know it is unusual but she did get stressed from the move inside and her first nest being destroyed

 

[Marble_Snowy]

I tried to get pictures of her pudge (don't know if you can see it)
It was probably my imagination but I thought I saw movement from her stomach (probably just her breathing tho)

What are the signs of labour?
Do you think I could hear the babies heart beats? I have a stethoscope I might try it

 

[Marble_Snowy]

It is only letting me post a couple pictures per reply

 

[Marble_Snowy]

.

 

[Marble_Snowy]

Omg Cleo was laying down after having a run and I saw her tummy move!!!!!! a baby (I think)
It was like well it looked like nothing really but the best way to describe it is if you make a c with your finger and then move your rist down that is kind of what it looked like

 

[Marble_Snowy]

I felt her stomach (she kind of growled at me) and the lump (if it turns out to be a kit it may have to be called lump ) is closer to her pelvis than it was.

I picked cleo up to take her out her cage and she grunted when I picked her up, I quickly put her down but does this mean anything?

I let her out to have a run in my bedroom and she keeps digging in one corner and on my bed (she does like being on my bed)