Dutchies are clueless - pregnant bunny or not?

[kim&sjoerd]

The Buck om The day we got him

 

[kim&sjoerd]

normal size poop-box (very masculine)
Buck a couple of days after we got him. Hé is potty-trained now but really didn’t understanding where The box was for The first couple of days

 

[animalmom]

He is a cutie!

Please keep us informed on how the doe is doing.

 

[Ridgetop]

Definitely sounds pregnant to me. Pulling more fur and trying again to make a nest. Put a nest box in her cage.

Do you have a nest box? Preferable made of wood or metal due to her chewing up a cardboard box. For that size doe and litter the box should be minimum 18 cm by 24 cm approximately with sides about 8-10 cm tall. No top necessary. If you don't have one, try to construct one and put the bedding materials in it. Even some sort of metal or crockery baking pan with a 5-8 cm rim will work as long as it is heavy enough so it can't tip over. Too large is better than too small. With a short lip you will have to watch to return any kits that fall out back into the nest. If the doe is disturbed at night she can sometimes jump out of the box with a kit still nursing and it will fall on the cage floor. Just put it back if it is still alive.

The reason for a nest box is to mimic what the doe builds in the wild. In the wild the rabbit will dig a hole or depression in the ground and fill it with her fur. When the kits are born they have no fur and are blind. If they are in a nest, they can't crawl away, they keep each other warm, and the mother jumps into the nest to feed them. She doesn't lay down to nurse them but crouches over them. She only feeds them at night. During the day she will not stay in the nest but will sit in the cage and go about her activities. If startled she may jump into the nest. She will not gather up any kit that falls out of the nest and put it back like cats and dogs. In the wild this sort of behavior is a safety factor for the kits. If a predator comes near the nest the mother will run hoping to lead predators away from the nest of babies. In the wild, does breed as soon as they kindle (give birth). They will have another litter 30 days after the current litter. Do not put your buck with your doe anymore unless you want another litter. Rabbits don't play together like cats or dogs do. They are normally solitary animals, only coming together to breed.

Not sure how much 900 grams is in ounces, but f he has large balls he was probably a sexually mature buck. When sexing baby bunnies at 8 weeks they don't usually have testicles yet. We use the donut or tube and paper clip method.

Enjoy your baby bunnies!

 

[kim&sjoerd]

Definitely sounds pregnant to me. Pulling more fur and trying again to make a nest. Put a nest box in her cage.

Do you have a nest box? Preferable made of wood or metal due to her chewing up a cardboard box. For that size doe and litter the box should be minimum 18 cm by 24 cm approximately with sides about 8-10 cm tall. No top necessary. If you don't have one, try to construct one and put the bedding materials in it. Even some sort of metal or crockery baking pan with a 5-8 cm rim will work as long as it is heavy enough so it can't tip over. Too large is better than too small. With a short lip you will have to watch to return any kits that fall out back into the nest. If the doe is disturbed at night she can sometimes jump out of the box with a kit still nursing and it will fall on the cage floor. Just put it back if it is still alive.

The reason for a nest box is to mimic what the doe builds in the wild. In the wild the rabbit will dig a hole or depression in the ground and fill it with her fur. When the kits are born they have no fur and are blind. If they are in a nest, they can't crawl away, they keep each other warm, and the mother jumps into the nest to feed them. She doesn't lay down to nurse them but crouches over them. She only feeds them at night. During the day she will not stay in the nest but will sit in the cage and go about her activities. If startled she may jump into the nest. She will not gather up any kit that falls out of the nest and put it back like cats and dogs. In the wild this sort of behavior is a safety factor for the kits. If a predator comes near the nest the mother will run hoping to lead predators away from the nest of babies. In the wild, does breed as soon as they kindle (give birth). They will have another litter 30 days after the current litter. Do not put your buck with your doe anymore unless you want another litter. Rabbits don't play together like cats or dogs do. They are normally solitary animals, only coming together to breed.

Not sure how much 900 grams is in ounces, but f he has large balls he was probably a sexually mature buck. When sexing baby bunnies at 8 weeks they don't usually have testicles yet. We use the donut or tube and paper clip method.

Enjoy your baby bunnies!

Thanks!
Yes
We’ve put in a bigger one and a smaller one
we use hay as nesting material

900 grams is 32 ounces according to google

Thanks!

 

[Ridgetop]

Since the maximum weight for Holland Lops is 4 lbs. or 1800 grams, the bunny you were sold as being 8 weeks old was much older. Of course, you have realized that by now.

Since sometimes you just see a bundle of fluffy hair in the nest, to check to see if the doe has had her litter, you can just stick a finger into the pile of hair gently. If it is warm, there are baby bunnies there. Once she has had her litter, you should take the nest box out of the cag and check the litter,. Count the number of babies and if any are dead dispose of them. Their little tummies should have a rounded appearance, If their tummies are very wrinkled and empty looking she has not fed them. You don't have to worry about the kits unless they are very cold and squeaking. Then you will need to warm them up. If she has her kits in her nest box, there is very little for you to do since they will cuddle together to keep warm and she will take care of them. Don't worry if you never see her feeding them. does feed their litters at night. Do not worry about taking the nest box out and handling the babies. The doe will accept them back just fine. Stories about does killing their babies if you touch them are false. In about 7-10 days their eyes will open, they will have fur. In 2 weeks they will be climbing in and out of the nest box. They will start eating rabbit pellets and you should remove the nest box.

In case no one has told you, sometimes the dwarf breeds (particularly Holland Lops) can produce an extremely tiny, shriveled, odd looking kit in the litter. Those are called "peanuts". They are not runts which are small but can survive. Peanuts do not survive for more than a week so if you have one in the litter and it dies do not worry. There is nothing you can do to save a "peanut". Most breeders remove them from the nest boxes and dispose of them. They don't always appear but if you have one don't worry.

Your family will enjoy your bunny raising experience!

 

[Bunnylady]

Since the maximum weight for Holland Lops is 4 lbs. or 1800 grams,

Actually, that's the maximum showable weight; pedigreed Hollands can weigh a lot more than that, if they don't happen to have inherited the dwarfing gene. We who breed dwarf breeds refer to rabbits that inherited the dwarfing gene as "true dwarfs," those who missed it as "false dwarfs." During my earliest years with Holland Lops, I often had false dwarfs that matured at nearly 6 pounds (we all had to really work on getting the size down without losing type in those days). Looking at the length of the buck's ears relative to the size of his head, he looks like a false dwarf (possibly a good thing from certain points of view, since a false dwarf cannot throw peanuts, a peanut being a bunny that inherited the dwarfing gene from both parents).

I agree, the doe definitely is acting as if she is pregnant. But, having had does that went through all of the motions including pulling a bunch of fur on day 31 and produced nothing, I won't guarantee that your doe is expecting. "false pregnancy" is a confused hormonal state, and until the hormones get sorted out, a doe can carry on exactly like one that is pregnant. So I still say, prepare for babies, but don't be too disappointed if they don't appear.

 

[kim&sjoerd]

Well at first I was shockend. I did Not anticipate baby’s. But after a while I got used to The idea and Now I would be a little bit disappointed if No Baby’s to be honest. But if Not; I will just be happy that The doe is happy and Healthy

 

[kim&sjoerd]

So My doe was hyperventilating yesterday. Refused her food. Flat in the cage. Took her to The vet despite of Corona. Two vets checked her out. They didn’t know What was wrong. All vitals are fine and poop and urine normal. One vet Thanks she is still hormonal from a false pregnancy
The other palpated her and was in doubt. Hé thinks he felt something, But Not sure

came home and she (ofcourse) started Eating. This morning I noticed that she is moving The fur to The stack of hey. She either is still pregnant or this is a very long false pregnancy

 

[Bunnylady]

My rabbits congratulate your doe - sounds like she's driving everyone crazy!