Does can't seem to have litters.

[GD91]

I'm having serious issues with my rabbits. I have a very young buck (approaching 6 months) whom I've been giving the benefit of the doubt.

The rabbits do seem to be mating successfully, the buck thrusts hard & squeaks / squeals & falls off the does who lift properly & are more than willing. 2 does are a year & 4 months old, the other doe is only 4 months (same age as the buck)& not ready yet really.

Afterwards both main (older) does will reject mating again & then build nests, but produce nothing. Both of the older does seem frustrated, one doe is constantly building nests now (but not lining it with fur). Both does are currently rejecting the buck & may be pregnant. I've tried a number of methods.

Provided supplemental lighting.

Moved all the does & the buck into the same pen for a few days.

Left the does in hutches, separated from each other.

Given all the rabbits the run of a shed with supplemental lighting, enrichment etc.

Nothing has worked. They are now on their 3rd "pregnancy" & I'm not expecting anything. They just build nests around the time of birth & produce nothing. This has been going on for 4 months.

Is it likely the bucks fault? The matings were definitely successful....

Please advise me.

 

[SA Farm]

Sounds like he may be shooting blanks I would get a new buck since it's not just one doe that is having issues, but all of them, which implies to me that it is the bucks fault.
If you can get a proven buck, that would be the best option in my opinion

 

[GD91]

I'ts also a possibility the 2 girls are too fat nut I guess I'd better get another buck. Its impossible to get a "proven" buck where I live because nobody breeds & eats rabbit except me
I'll just have to see if I can offer a good home to a mature buck

 

[GD91]

OK, So I inspected both does today & they both have very heavy with dirty bums, which tells me they are too overweight to clean themselves properly. They are large mutts & look like furry balls on 4 feet.

The does are in hutches currently & we have always been freefeeding scraps & mixer.

Do I put them on a diet of hay with a small bit of mixer?

Will this harm them if they are pregnant?

Sorry, I'm just concerned....

I thought maybe they were a bit fat, but I never realized how heavy they had got we don't have scales to weigh them here so they are weighed by hand. Not good.

How can I judge when they are at the right weight?

Maybe the poor buck is in the clear after all, he's the right weight & so is the other doe we haven't bred.

 

[SA Farm]

Yes, hay and a small bit of mixer. Just free-feed the hay and even if they are preggers, they will be fine. You can usually tell their condition just by feeling them rather than weighing them, if that would be easier for you.
The main areas I check are ribs and haunches. If I can't feel the bones, they're too fat, if there's only a bit of meat on the bone, they're too thin.
If you have a safe area, you could also let the does out for a bit of time each day to exercise

 

[GD91]

Hmmm. Right, well, I've just been out & I can feel the ribs & haunches with a thin layer of fat over them.

Its their stomachs, they both look & feel very heavily bloated, literally like giant furry balls on feet like I wrote. The white doe is rounder than the brown doe & spending a lot of time lying stretched out with a huge belly. Hopefully she's just heavily pregnant They are still acting "off" being more vocal & grumpy since they were last bred. At a guess I'd say that was 3 weeks to a month ago when they were in the shed with lighting in late feb - early march. I bred them both to the buck within 2 days of each other.

They were both given to me, never bred before, by a lady who's daughter couldn't handle them anymore because they grew too big.

I wish I had someone experienced nearby

I moved the hutches 2 days ago to give them both more direct sun in the mornings & evenings. They both have shady bed boxes. One doe has the run of a double hutch & the other doe is in the largest single which is 5 X 3 ft. We have a temperate climate. I'm hoping it may trigger some spring hormones.

 

[SA Farm]

for you! My does wouldn't breed this winter - too harsh, so my first litter of the year wasn't until about a week ago!
Usually rabbits carry weight more evenly dispersed over their bones. Are their big tummies new since their last breeding or have they been butterballs for a while now?

My does definitely tend to stretch out more when they're pregnant and I have had a few that are also more vocal when pregnant, but you've also had issues with these ladies having false pregnancies, so they could be putting the weight on because their hormones tell them they're eating for babies when they haven't been.

 

[GD91]

Congratulations on your new litter!

We are further south in the North West UK. The UK was fairly mild here & the rabbits didn't seem to mind. I see your in Canada.

I've tried palpitating the white doe, I could feel a line of lumps along her abdomen to the right hand side, are they what I'm looking for? They didn't feel that tiny, I expect if she is expecting it won't be long. The lumps were firm & squishy & seemed to be in a row.

Both does are very vocal & grunting & whining a lot. Also, I keep getting on the receiving end of sharp nudges & nips.

 

[GD91]

Also, whilst discussing the does, I'm very concerned about the behavior from one of the large does. Even when she is not pregnant, she is frequently stamping & running away. When cornered she becomes aggressive, growls & lashes out. I can't handle her without protection from a thick coat & gloves. I can pet her, but she's on edge & huddled at the back of the hutch in a corner.

When I picked her up the other day (scruff & bum) She wet herself. It was just a stream of urine that didn't stop. I'm wondering if she was mishandled by the child that owned her.

She is also very destructive of her pens. She has attacked a shed door before now, shoving against it like a dog would & biting it. We were quite shocked. She is always given lots of space. At that time she had a whole shed to herself.

 

[SA Farm]

Yes, when palpating you should feel something that resembles grapes. Sounds like you may be expecting this time around!