Do rabbits pull out their hair in winter to keep warm?

[Fuchsia]

an experienced breeder can palapate at 10-14 days. or feel them but it's not easy and at this point when she's nesting I'd not try it. a rabbit's gestation is 31 days so if she was with him a little less than that you're on schedule to having kits

O wow! She might have been with him in that time! This would be her first kits if she has any.

 

[Niele da Kine]

Are they there yet? Usually a doe will make a nest just a few days before she has kits. I give them a nest box four days in advance and they'll usually start building a nest within a day or two.

Holland Lops are a small breed, so they will mature faster than large rabbits and she could have a litter at a younger age. Give her a nest box, a 10" x 12" box or slightly larger would work. I'm just guessing on that, though, since we have larger English angora bunnies. A box that size would be slightly too small for them, but should be big enough for a Holland. Something she can jump into but with enough of a lip on it that the babies will stay inside. Feed her as much as she wants until the babies are weaned and feed them as much as they want until they're about four months old. Six months for larger breeds.

 

[Fuchsia]

Are they there yet? Usually a doe will make a nest just a few days before she has kits. I give them a nest box four days in advance and they'll usually start building a nest within a day or two.

Holland Lops are a small breed, so they will mature faster than large rabbits and she could have a litter at a younger age. Give her a nest box, a 10" x 12" box or slightly larger would work. I'm just guessing on that, though, since we have larger English angora bunnies. A box that size would be slightly too small for them, but should be big enough for a Holland. Something she can jump into but with enough of a lip on it that the babies will stay inside. Feed her as much as she wants until the babies are weaned and feed them as much as they want until they're about four months old. Six months for larger breeds.

Thank you!

Well she hasn't had any babies. We found the nest five days ago, so if she was going to have babies I would think she would have already had them.

 

[Fuchsia]

What age can you breed Holland Lops?

 

[Bunnylady]

It is usually recommended that you wait until the animal is 6 months old before breeding, but they hit puberty at about 12 weeks of age, so people sometimes get surprised by 4 or 5 month old does giving birth to unexpected litters.

 

[Nao57]

I'd heard of people on this form mention that some will build nests as early as day 21 instead of at day 28.

Is that why she doesn't have babies yet but is pulling hair?

I get that pulling hair is nesting behavior, but as its related to the topic, I wanted to ask also if its possible that some of them have 'brain malfunctions' and pull hair for no reason? Does this ever happen?

 

[Bunnylady]

I wanted to ask also if its possible that some of them have 'brain malfunctions' and pull hair for no reason?

Not for no reason; there's always a reason, it's just that you or I might not know what it is. I've had does pull fur when they were at a hormonal peak - some folks will tell you that's a doe saying she wants to be bred. It's a well-known way rabbits drive us crazy . . . I remember a friend saying that she needed to decide which rabbits she was taking to a big competition, so the does would know to start pulling fur. I can't help but wonder how many does' show careers have been cut short because they just kept pulling themselves ragged.

One of my very first rabbits was a mixed-breed buck that ate his own fur. I tried everything I could think of to get him to stop (salt blocks, toys, etc), but what finally did it was feeding him a high-protein feed. People will tell you that pet rabbits don't need all that much in the way of protein, but this one did; if I fed him less than an 18% pellet, he chewed his hair off.

 

[Fuchsia]

So it was almost a week ago she started making the nest, do you think she's be pregnant? Or Crazy?

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

How long has it been now, since she was in proximity to the buck? If it's over 35-40 days, she's probably not pregnant and is hormonal or experiencing false pregnancy. If it's still less than 35-40 days, she could be pregnant.

Or she's just doing this to drive you nuts.

 

[Fuchsia]

How long has it been now, since she was in proximity to the buck? If it's over 35-40 days, she's probably not pregnant and is hormonal or experiencing false pregnancy. If it's still less than 35-40 days, she could be pregnant.

Or she's just doing this to drive you nuts.

I don't know when she was the with the buck, we weren't trying to breed her so I don't remember the date or anything.