# Extednded pregnancy



## Mtcookie (Apr 4, 2010)

My Rew doe was bred on Feb 28 and still has yet to kindle.  I was questioning breeding again because she had such a hard first litter but being away for a night my boys left the doors loose. My buck figured out how to open the loose door and climb in with the doe. 
She does not pull fur (drives me nuts) so I placed soft fur like things in the nest for babies.  She has made a nice nest with the things in there but still has yet to kindle. Last night I went out at around 1am and watched her. You can see the babies move around in her belly with lots of bubble sounds. Very cute. So I know they are alive in there. 

How long is it ok to let her continue. Could there be something wrong that would require a vet?


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## Bunnylady (Apr 4, 2010)

Almost all of my does run 32 days normal gestation. There are a few that will go 33 days, and all is still fine. Usually, if the doe gets to 34 or 35 days, she is only carrying one or two babies, they will have grown huge, and the doe has a hard time delivering them. Such large babies generally die during the kindling process, I have had only a few babies that were born solo that were also born alive. I have had a few that I have had to assist with the delivery (one just last week), that is never easy or fun, as the babies have always been dead.

Sometimes, if a doe cannot give birth to a kit, the kit's body will mummify inside the doe. Mummified kits usually act like IUD's, preventing future pregnancies on that side. I have had one doe that had a mummy in her (I could feel it) that carried a litter on the other side, and passed the mummy when the other kits were born. 

On the bright side, I did have a doe that kindled 5 babies on day 34, just 4 weeks ago. How or why she went so long with that litter, I cannot say, hopefully that's your doe's game, too!



> How long is it ok to let her continue. Could there be something wrong that would require a vet?


If the doe is actually in labor, and just can't seem to get the job done, a vet might give her a shot of Pitocin. This is a synthetic hormone that really increases the strength of the contractions. It should only be given when the animal is actually in labor, but the vet would know that. I have never heard of anyone inducing labor in a rabbit, though I have heard of some that have done C-sections (and usually spayed the doe at the same time.)


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## Mtcookie (Apr 5, 2010)

So I woke up at 6 this morning and went out to check on her. She was in her nesting box with no babies. This is day 37 for her. Came back out at 8:30 and there were 6 healthy babies under a pile of fur. YAY.

Ruby is a REW and Gunner is a broken. She gave me three whites one dark solid, one broken, and a solid with white underbelly.


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## Bunnylady (Apr 5, 2010)

Now that is good news!

Rabbits are capable of doing a thing called "delayed implantation." They ovulate, the eggs are fertilized as per usual, but the embryos just kinda float around and don't settle in and start growing until a bit later. I forget what the longest delayed pregnancy on record is, but it's amazing, I want to say something like 3 months! I understand that this is one way rabbits deal with environmental stresses, did you have a cold snap or something just after she was bred? 

Congratulations!


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## Mtcookie (Apr 5, 2010)

You know what, I think we did.  A huge storm with hail. Could have been it. 
Amazing thanks for the info.

This pregnancy was not planned. Just boys not locking the cages correctly and mr buck wanting some fun.


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## Mtcookie (Apr 5, 2010)

Now she has been grunting at me. She looks fine but just grunting. She normally is so sweet. Poor thing must be so tired


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