# When Do I know?



## FarmerBoy24 (Aug 11, 2011)

About how long will it be for me to tell if my rabbit is pregnant.


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## ~Wind~ (Aug 11, 2011)

You can palpate at 10 - 14 days. If you know anyone who breeds they can show you how to do this. Or you can wait 4 weeks and see if any baby buns show up in your nest box lol.


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## hoodat (Aug 12, 2011)

Watch her behavior in a week or ten days. If you see a change it means the hormones are starting to work. She may get cranky or ignore you where before she was friendly.


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## Ms. Research (Aug 13, 2011)

hoodat said:
			
		

> Watch her behavior in a week or ten days. If you see a change it means the hormones are starting to work. She may get cranky or ignore you where before she was friendly.


X2


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## FarmerBoy24 (Aug 14, 2011)

Would I be able to know by feeling her stomach?


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## CYGChickies (Aug 14, 2011)

Another trick you can try is giving her a bit of straw--not hay. If she carries it around or starts nest-building then you'll know. I have no experience palpating a pregnant doe so I'm not sure if I felt a kidney or a baby but a breeder told me last night to give her straw so that's my plan for today. Apparently you can also put her with a buck and if she fights him she's pregnant--but for our buck's sake we're going to try the hay approach.

CYG


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## woodleighcreek (Aug 14, 2011)

CYGChickies said:
			
		

> Another trick you can try is giving her a bit of straw--not hay. If she carries it around or starts nest-building then you'll know. I have no experience palpating a pregnant doe so I'm not sure if I felt a kidney or a baby but a breeder told me last night to give her straw so that's my plan for today. Apparently you can also put her with a buck and if she fights him she's pregnant--but for our buck's sake we're going to try the hay approach.
> 
> CYG


Often times, the doe will not even touch the straw until right before she is due. I have a doe who-if she is in the mood- will build a nest 1 hour before she is due. Sometimes she dosnt even build a nest at all! But she is a great mother!

Putting a doe in with a buck can be very dangerous! For both the buck and the doe! The doe may fight the buck...or she may let him mount her. Since rabbits have two uterine horns, she can become pregnant with two different litters at once. Then all the babies- and maybe even the mother- will die.

The best way to tell is by palpating at 14 days. the doe until her face is towards you and lift her up a bit with one hand in the front. Take your other hand and feel for something that feels like a smushy grape down towards her pelvic bone. You may feel bits of poop, so don't get confused.

Another way to know is when you put the nest box in, take the doe out and but both hands on her belly and feel around. You will be able to feel movement.

The only way to be 110% sure is to wait and see if she has any babies.


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## CYGChickies (Aug 14, 2011)

Yes I had no plans of putting her with a buck. I palpated yesterday--13 days--but I'll try again today doing what you said. The doe is young and wasn't bred on purpose--we bought her brother and her and were told she was not quite 8 weeks so we left them together and on day two his testicles were dropped. We didn't see them before that but it's possible they were there and obviously they were much older than 8 weeks. I will check her again and hope to get a sign of pregnancy before we put in a nestbox just so I can be more mentally prepared.

CYG


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## Ms. Research (Aug 14, 2011)

CYGChickies said:
			
		

> Yes I had no plans of putting her with a buck. I palpated yesterday--13 days--but I'll try again today doing what you said. The doe is young and wasn't bred on purpose--we bought her brother and her and were told she was not quite 8 weeks so we left them together and on day two his testicles were dropped. We didn't see them before that but it's possible they were there and obviously they were much older than 8 weeks. I will check her again and hope to get a sign of pregnancy before we put in a nestbox just so I can be more mentally prepared.
> 
> CYG


I heard it's hard to palpate a doe and that if you don't do it right could you hurt the kits and the doe?  I figured if this should happen in by rabbitry, the cycle is 31 days.  There is no medicine, like with goats, to stop a pregnancy so you are just on the clock watching.  Putting in a nestbox doesn't hurt so if doe is pregnant than you are ready.  I would be really nervous regarding the age so the 31 days would be agony.  

Isn't it 12 weeks when they could be fertile?  But then again stranger things can happen.


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## poormans_99 (Aug 24, 2011)

try this web site very informative  http://www.arba.net/PDFs/palpation.pdf


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## poormans_99 (Aug 24, 2011)

and now I have 10 post so can ask for help myself


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## Ms. Research (Aug 24, 2011)

poormans_99 said:
			
		

> try this web site very informative  http://www.arba.net/PDFs/palpation.pdf


Very interesting article.  Thanks for posting.


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