Rabbit 2nd Pregnancy

Question
QUESTION: My rabbit had 1 baby about 2 1/2 months ago. The baby only lived 3 days. About 2 weeks to 1 1/2 months later (I'm not sure the exact time) I let my male bunny and female bunny get together again. Now I believe that she is pregnant again, but I am not sure. Her abdomen is very large (even larger than when she was pregnant before), I put some strips of newspaper in her cage and she has been picking them up and throwing them around, and also she has been laying down a lot more than usual. She has not pulled fur, but she has been digging and putting the newspaper in the box I put in her cage. Since I had such a bad experience with the previous baby, I want to be ready when my bunny is giving birth. Do you think she is pregnant? And also if she is, I think she might be overdue, but I cannot be sure of the exact date. What should I do?
ANSWER: Hi Sarah

It is really really important to keep track of the days you breed your rabbits.  That way you will know for sure when she is due.  Throwing papers around and digging are not usually indicators of definite pregnancy but that doesn't mean she is not pregnant.  Rabbits love to tunnel and dig and love to play with newspaper also.

The best thing to do is put a nest box in her cage.  It should be just a little bit bigger than she is and made out of untreated pine or a commercial metal box.  Place about an inch worth of newspaper on the bottom (to absorb moisture), put a layer of aspen chips next, then a layer of straw if you can get your hands on some.  Then you want to put a whole bunch of hay on the top.  She will eat the hay every day so you need to add more as she eats it.  If she is pregnant she might not pull her fur or make a nest until right before the babies are born.  

You can try to palpate her belly to see if you feel any babies.  Here is a website that will tell you how but please don't get discouraged if you can't feel anything, even long time breeders have a hard time with this

http://www.freewebs.com/hgrabbitry/frequentlyaskeds.htm

If you are really concerned that she is over-due the only thing you can do is take her to a vet so they can do an examine to determine pregnancy and if she is overdue they can induce labor with pitocin like they do with people.

As long as she is eating, drinking, pooping and doesn't seem to have labored breathing then she is probably ok.  The only problem is that if she is overdue without a vet exam she can get sick real fast.  Since you don't know the exact date she was bred it is really hard to know.

One other thing that concerns me is that rabbits abdomen's don't generally get really large when they are pregnant.  Sometimes you don't notice a difference at all.  If she has a really large abdomen it could be a medical problem such as a fur block or bloat.  Make sure she is eating and pooping and give her as much hay as she wants.

If she were my rabbit I would have her examined by a vet but it is really up to you if you want to just keep an eye on her or take her in.

Good luck Sarah and I really hope that if she has babies they do better this time.  If you need anymore help after they are born please let me know.

Thank you

Pam

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for all the information. It really helped. I palpitated her belly yesterday, and I definetly felt something. Then I came home last night and I had 5 new baby bunnys squirming around in the cage. They all look healthy. I have a few more questions for you: 1- is it possible for the babies to get too hot? I did exactly what you said with the shavings and hay... and also I put a heating pad on the side of the cage just in case because I believe that Simba's (the mother rabbit) first baby died because it got too cold. I touched the new babies and they feel very warm. 2- Simba is a very playful rabbit. With the previous baby and now these also, she likes to get in the nest box and dig. I am worried that she will step on the babies or injure them some other way. Is this normal behavior? Should I be concerned? 3- My male bunny has been freaking out since the babies were born. So i let him smell the baby and he "chinned it" Is it alright to let the male bunny near the babies occasionally? He seems more interested in the babies at times than Simba does. haha.4- last question. 4 of the babies are dark in color, gray to be exact. The other baby is very pale, whitish/pink in color. Is this normal?

Thank you so much for helping me, I hope to hear from you soon. I feel like a new mom! haha. I want to give the babies the best care I can.
Sarah  

Answer
Hi Sarah

I am so happy that you have healthy babies.  

1.  Yes they can get to hot.  I wouldn't use a heating pad because it can get to warm.  Instead you can try putting just a regular lamp about 6 inches above the cage (if the cage is plastic)  If the cage is wire you can set it right on the wire.  Use a 40 watt lighbulb and you can just keep it on all the time.  After they get hair then they can keep themselves warm.  As long as they have plenty of bedding they probably don't need any extra heat.  If they get cold they will usually snuggle close together and burrow a bit deeper.

2.  Simba is still displaying that tunneling behavior.  It is very dangerous for her to dig in their cage.  That is why the nest box should only be slightly bigger than she is so that she doesn't think of it as a play box.  She should only be going in there to feed them and then coming right back out.  Try giving her a small box filled with shredded paper on the other end of her cage.  That will give her plenty of stuff to dig.  You can even use old towels as long as they don't have strings that she can pick out and eat.

3.  The buck really shouldn't be around the babies.  Even the friendliest bucks have been known to kill babies for no reason.  I don't see a problem with letting him have a little peak as long as it is very well supervised.  Try to place him in a cage right next to Simba's instead so that he can see her.  Also if he is in there Simba might possible be more interested in him than the babies.  And the absolute worst... she is most fertile right after she delivers and can be pregnant again the same day.  Poor Simba doesn't need that.  She should have a good 6 week break before being bred again.

4.  You might have a Ruby Eyed White.  They are actually albino but very common in rabbits.  You aren't going to know their colors for sure until they get a little longer fur.  I can't remember the breed but you can get almost any color in babies.  If the buck and doe are the same color you should get babies that are all the same color but that isn't always true for agouti rabbits and since it is really hard to explain and I am assuming they are lionheads (SIMBA?)  The color varieties can be really vast.  I hope you have a little REW lionhead.  They are my favorite.

You are a new mom!! lol.  I am sure you are doing just fine.

Good luck

Pam