Uh oh... flemish giant pregnant?

[wannacow]

My flemish, Bridgette is my pet. She has the run of the barn and pretty much does and goes where she wants. She keeps everyone company. Well, last week, she seemed a little "snarky". That attitude is unusal for her, infact I can't say that I've ever seen her that way. I passed it off, as PMSy, because I've read that does can get that way. That attitude passed and my sweet Bridgette was back. Today, I went to the barn and found her frantically pulling hair. Then she ran to a bag of shredded paper and buried herself in that up to her tail. Uh oh... Could she be pregnant? She hasn't been exposed. However, we have a buck mini rex whose hutch is up off the floor. It sits on chairs and I think she is too big to sit on the chair, let alone be bred. The other option is wild rabbit? We tie her out on a lead occassionally when she wants to be outside. I'd read that wild can't breed domestic, but didn't really understand why. Rabbit is rabbit, isn't it? Another thing that is frustrating is I tried to breed her 3 times this spring, to another flemish! Nothing took. What should I do now? Raise for meat or cull?

 

[manybirds]

My flemish, Bridgette is my pet. She has the run of the barn and pretty much does and goes where she wants. She keeps everyone company. Well, last week, she seemed a little "snarky". That attitude is unusal for her, infact I can't say that I've ever seen her that way. I passed it off, as PMSy, because I've read that does can get that way. That attitude passed and my sweet Bridgette was back. Today, I went to the barn and found her frantically pulling hair. Then she ran to a bag of shredded paper and buried herself in that up to her tail. Uh oh... Could she be pregnant? She hasn't been exposed. However, we have a buck mini rex whose hutch is up off the floor. It sits on chairs and I think she is too big to sit on the chair, let alone be bred. The other option is wild rabbit? We tie her out on a lead occassionally when she wants to be outside. I'd read that wild can't breed domestic, but didn't really understand why. Rabbit is rabbit, isn't it? Another thing that is frustrating is I tried to breed her 3 times this spring, to another flemish! Nothing took. What should I do now? Raise for meat or cull?

domestic rabbits can not cross with wild rabbits. We have had rabbits pull hair for no reason. she may behaving a fake pregnancy. with the buck in the barn too she may just have got to thinking. I wouldn't think anything of it if she hasn't been exposed

 

[nogoatsyet]

to my knowledge, wild rabbits can't breed with domestic ones because the domestic ones are descended from a species of European rabbits, not our Cottontail. A whole different species, not just a different breed. That is my understanding at least.

 

[wannacow]

Ok. I'll keep watching her. My rabbit "go to guy" says he's never had it happen, but she could have been bred thru the cage. He said I should know something in the next couple of days. It could be a false pregnancy too. We'll see...

 

[Ms. Research]

I've been hearing about a lot of false pregnancies due to the heat. Let's hope that it's a false alarm.

 

[wannacow]

Well, if it isn't, it's just another way that God is putting meat in our freezer. I already warned our daughter they she might not be able to show Bridgette in the fair. She's kind of bummed about that, but ok eating them. If we go in with the mind set that they are food, it's alot easier not to get attached. We'll do ok. DH will do the dirty work.

 

[wannacow]

Well, I don't know what she was up to, but there are no babies. Whew! Must have been a little PMS?

 

[Ms. Research]

Well, I don't know what she was up to, but there are no babies. Whew! Must have been a little PMS?

Glad to hear. In this case, PMS is a GOOD thing!

 

[20kidsonhill]

false pregnancies are very common.