# Rabbit pregnancy problems



## Kailey Williamson (Feb 24, 2017)

I have a 2 and half year old Dutch doe that was bred on February 1st and was due to have her kits around March 2nd or 3rd but she started pulling fur and making a nest last night? Could this be a false pregnancy? Or could she actually be pregnant and just making her nest early?


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## Hens and Roos (Feb 24, 2017)

Hard to say at this point, is this her 1st time or has she had litters before?  We have had does start ahead of time, it just depends.  I would just watch her and see what the next week brings. Good Luck!


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## Kailey Williamson (Feb 24, 2017)

Hens and Roos said:


> Hard to say at this point, is this her 1st time or has she had litters before?  We have had does start ahead of time, it just depends.  I would just watch her and see what the next week brings. Good Luck!


Yes this is her very first time. I thought maybe it was because she was a bit older?


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## promiseacres (Feb 24, 2017)

I have several does that will start nesting around day 20-25, so far the only false pregnancies we have had were does who were not exposed to a buck.... so I expect kits when they nest otherwise. I am sure they will change next time around though...


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## Bunnylady (Feb 24, 2017)

Most does will start working with hay a week or so before, but the fur pulling usually doesn't happen until just before or after the babies are born. Especially with that much fur, I'm leaning toward a false pregnancy. However, there are always exceptions, and I had a spectacular one, so you can't be sure. 

This next bit is just me throwing stuff out there, OK? Particularly since this doe is so old, I'd be feeling a bit of the ol' clock ticking thing going on - if you don't get a litter from her soon, you may never get one. The ending of a pregnancy, whether real or false, triggers one of the highest hormonal peaks a doe ever experiences. If you breed a doe within a couple of days after, she will most likely conceive the biggest litter she is capable of; this can be particularly useful with older does with decreasing fertility. If you are serious about getting a litter from this girl, waiting to find out whether this was a false pregnancy may mean you miss your best opportunity to get her pregnant for real. If this was my doe, I'd be squeezing her belly to see if I can feel any babies in there (even if you don't know what kits of this gestation would feel like, there would be more fullness and mass in the doe's abdomen; it would feel a bit like squeezing a water balloon. If it seems like the only thing in there is her digestive system, she's probably not pregnant). Or, you could just put her back with the buck in a day or so. A pregnant doe will most likely squeak, run, and hide in a corner; a doe that just ended a false pregnancy will usually be_ very_ willing to breed.


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## DutchBunny03 (Feb 24, 2017)

2 1/2 years is pretty late to begin breeding a doe. The best time to start breeding is before they reach a year old. Complications like this are more common in older does than in younger does. Palpation would most likely not work(best time to palpate is between 12-24 days, kits with feel like large marbles), but you could give it a shot. Premature labor in rabbits is not as common as being overdue, but is still possible. Keep a good eye on your doe, and see what happens.


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## Kailey Williamson (Feb 24, 2017)

promiseacres said:


> I have several does that will start nesting around day 20-25, so far the only false pregnancies we have had were does who were not exposed to a buck.... so I expect kits when they nest otherwise. I am sure they will change next time around though...


I got the buck like 2 days before she was bred, she really wanted to be bred by him.


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## Kailey Williamson (Feb 25, 2017)

Bunnylady said:


> Most does will start working with hay a week or so before, but the fur pulling usually doesn't happen until just before or after the babies are born. Especially with that much fur, I'm leaning toward a false pregnancy. However, there are always exceptions, and I had a spectacular one, so you can't be sure.
> 
> This next bit is just me throwing stuff out there, OK? Particularly since this doe is so old, I'd be feeling a bit of the ol' clock ticking thing going on - if you don't get a litter from her soon, you may never get one. The ending of a pregnancy, whether real or false, triggers one of the highest hormonal peaks a doe ever experiences. If you breed a doe within a couple of days after, she will most likely conceive the biggest litter she is capable of; this can be particularly useful with older does with decreasing fertility. If you are serious about getting a litter from this girl, waiting to find out whether this was a false pregnancy may mean you miss your best opportunity to get her pregnant for real. If this was my doe, I'd be squeezing her belly to see if I can feel any babies in there (even if you don't know what kits of this gestation would feel like, there would be more fullness and mass in the doe's abdomen; it would feel a bit like squeezing a water balloon. If it seems like the only thing in there is her digestive system, she's probably not pregnant). Or, you could just put her back with the buck in a day or so. A pregnant doe will most likely squeak, run, and hide in a corner; a doe that just ended a false pregnancy will usually be_ very_ willing to breed.


I put her with the buck this morning and she was squeaking and running away


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## Kailey Williamson (Feb 26, 2017)

Kailey Williamson said:


> I put her with the buck this morning and she was squeaking and running away


@Bunnylady


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