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false pregnany?

22 11:38:08

Question
hello Dana
i have one male(medium breed) and one female(large) rabbit, that are about 6 monthes old. The male was neutered about 2 monthes ago, the female is not spayed. Lately(within the last 2 days) the female has been pulling out her hair and made a nest. She attacked the male one day, but was fine the next day, so we put them back together. I thought that she might be pregnant because the vet said that the male could still get her pregnant for up to 3 monthes, but she is eating less than she usually does and hasn't been aggresive(besides that one day when she hurt foo-foo(the male). I was wondering if she really is pregnant or if this is just some strange behavior that she'll pull through. Anything suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Answer
Dear Brittany,

It's time for the female bunny to be spayed.  She is probably experiencing a false pregnancy simply due to the *presence* of the male. This will last about 17 days before she pulls fur out of her chest and belly to line a nest.  She may build a nest and excitedly tend it for a day or two, and then become her old, loving self.  But not for long!  Another false pregnancy can quickly happen again, and the cycle will continue until she's spayed.

Not only is this unpleasant for everyone who has to deal with her grumpiness during her false pregnancy, but it's also bad for her health.  The longer she is left unspayed, the higher her risk of uterine cancer and mammary cancer.  Once she's spayed, she can't get uterine cancer, and the risk of mammary cancer will be very low.  In unspayed, unbred females, the incidence of these cancers is *very* high.

Also, she may seriously injure her mate while she's in false pregnancy mode.  It's safer for him, too.

Please see:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/spay.html

and

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/opcare.html

for more information on spaying and what to expect before and after.  If you don't already have a good rabbit vet, please find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

If by some chance she *is* unfortunately pregnant, you can find emergency information here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/surpriselitter.html

I hope this helps.  Please write back if you have any other questions.

Dana