# could my bunny be pregnant?



## bummietime (Apr 12, 2007)

we adopted2 bunnies (from the same litter) about 2 weeks ago...we were told they were both boys! they're both 2 months old dwarfs. I saw them humping last week so have 'doubled checked' and found out one is a female! I have no separated them completely. The female started picking up hay yesterday and building a nest. Is there any way to tell if she's really pregnant? how long is the term normally? 

I'm taking them to the vet this weekend to see if they can be neutered/spayed this early


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## binkies (Apr 12, 2007)

I'm sorry you had a gender fairy visit! Odds are yes, she is pregnant. Especially with the nest thing going on. Rabbit pregnancies can last up to 35 days at the very longest. 

I'm going to move this to the rabbity where it will get more views from experienced breeders.


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## Shawn (Apr 12, 2007)

When my Sandy was younger she used to makea nest quite regularly, but she was never pregnant. But if ones is a boy and ones a girl then i'm thinking she probably is pregnant.

[line]


Shawn


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## bummietime (Apr 12, 2007)

awwww i wish i had known that she could be pregnant this early! they started humping about a week and a half ago...could she be making nests this early into her pregnancy?


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## Shawn (Apr 12, 2007)

Its quite possible, they can make nests at anytime during there pregnancy. Someone on here was saying that her rabbit made its nest the night before it had the babies.

[line]


Shawn


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## TinysMom (Apr 12, 2007)

Well, I'm not familiar with dwarfs - but 2months old seems a bit young to get pregnant to me. I know lionhead scan get pregnant around 3 or 4 months of age but it is recommended to wait until they're 5 months old.

It could be that she has a false pregnancy and is nest building. For a false pregnancy - I forget the exact time frame but they build a nest around 14-18 days I think?

Keep an eye on her and maybe take her to a vet but I sort of lean towards thinking it could be a false pregnancy if she is only 2 months old now.

Peg


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## aurora369 (Apr 12, 2007)

The pet store could have gotten the age wrong though.

I would seperate them completely immediatly. 

And definitly go to the vets this week end and see if a spay/neuter is available at this time.

--Dawn


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## Pipp (Apr 12, 2007)

Assuming they're both dwarves, they look old enough in this pic.  

I'd strongly recommend a very fast vet visit and see if you can get it confirmed and if so,get an emergency spay.Having babies at that age (with her brother, yet) can't bea safe option, either, having her spayed now may well bethe better bet for all concerned.Dr. Upjohn in Coquitlam is open all weekend, or maybe see Jack Brondwin at the Arbutus Clinic on the West side, he does all theSARS bunny spays. (I have an appointment for Sekura there at 6PM today, but I'm thinking she doens't really need it, if you want to take it, let me know). 

sas


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## bummietime (Apr 12, 2007)

aww thanks for the suggestions! they're completely separated right now and have been for the last few days. Would Dr. Upjohn be able to tell if she's pregnant? and sorry im not too sure about this, but would an emergency spay be sorta like an abortion? or is that just to prevent more in the future? I'll give them a call to book....thanks again!


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## aurora369 (Apr 12, 2007)

An experienced vet should be able to palpatate her to feel for babies. But she has to be about two weeks pregnant to feel properly.

If she's pregnant, than a spay-abort is possible. It would probably be best if that could be arranged, especially since you don't know how old she is. She may be too young to give birth without hurting her self. Not to mention there are hundreds of rabbits in the local rescues and shelters right now needing homes.

If she's not pregnant, then getting the boy neutered may be more cost efficient. Although your girl should be spayed as well.

--Dawn


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## bummietime (Apr 13, 2007)

aww thanks everyone for the advice!!! I hav ebooked an appt w/Dr. Brondwin tomorrow to get them both checked out She started pulling her fur today to make a nest..i almost cried!!!!! poor lil thing


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## Pipp (Apr 14, 2007)

Great, Dr. Brondwin and also Dr. Martinez are good rabbit vets. 

Tell 'em Pipp sent ya. (Maybe that will help makeup for the appointment Iended up cancellingThursday).:embarrassed:

Let us know what happens! Here's hoping its just a false pregnancy! :goodluck

(And if you need hay or pellets,I've got an overloadhere in the West End, you canPM me). 



sas


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## bummietime (Apr 14, 2007)

yea i'll def let you know!! ok, this might be a stupid question, buttttt!! whats the best way to transport your bunnies? My cages are too big to fit in the car (if i have to separate them) ... any suggestions? :?


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## Pipp (Apr 14, 2007)

I have small pet carriers -a plastic cat kennel, and a couple of cardboard ones I think the SPCA or the vet's office gave me (for about $10), both work well. I also just bought a couple of'tote bags' I have yet to tryout. 

For the time being, you can just put them in very secure,closedcardboard boxes with a towel on the bottom for short trips. The weather's cold enough that they won't overheat,and there shuold be adequate ventilation. And as long asthe cardboard is heavy enough, it will take them longer than a car ride to chew through it. 

Good luck again! 



sas


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## Pipp (Apr 15, 2007)

How's Tofu? 



sas :?


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## aurora369 (Apr 15, 2007)

I'll give a quick update with what information I have. I'm sure bummie time is busy tending to her little girl.

The little girl was indeed pregnant. The vet said probably about halfway, my opinion was ready to pop as her teats where full of milk. 

She was originally going to be spayed on Tuesday, but she ended up having to go back to the vet's for an emergency spay because she was hemorrhaging. Bummie time stopped by my place after the initial vet visit to pick up some hay, and I had to have a little visit with her cute little babies! I was showing her how to clip nails when we noticed that her girl was bleeding!

So back to the vets! I came with her for support.

The vet said she should go into surgery immediately otherwise she might bleed to death. So she went under, and she came out the other end just fine!

She had one fully formed fetus and a very small deformed fetus. So something was obviously wrong with them.

bummietime also just told me that when she cleaned up the cage, she found a dead baby in the nest her girl built. So, my best guess is that she gave birth to a dead baby and then the next one got stuck and that's why she was bleeding.

I'm sure bummietime will be along soon with more details!

--Dawn


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## naturestee (Apr 15, 2007)

oh:shock: my:shock: god!:shock: Thank goodness there was a good vet available! I'm so glad she's ok now.


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## missyscove (Apr 15, 2007)

Did the vet also confirm that they were only two months old? Just curious. It's definately good to hear that there was a good vet avaliable to do the spay.


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## bummietime (Apr 15, 2007)

thanks for helping me to update Dawn!! I spent the last few hours w/tofu just to make sure she's doing ok... she seems to be doing just fine  I honestly wouldn't have made it through the day w/o Dawn's help!!! She stayed with me the WHOLE time...explained everything to me ..and assured me that tofu was going to be just fine. While we were waiting I got to meet her 7 rabbits...and we also met sas and her 7 rabbits! :bunnydance:They're all sooooo cute:bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance: 

I'm so touched that Dawn and Sas would go out of their way to help me. They are truly rabbit lovers  I'm soooooo lucky to have met them!! 

Thanks everyone for caring! I'll post a picture of her in a few days after she recovers 

oh... and the vet wasn't too sure how old they were...dawn said they are probably 3-4 months.


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## aurora369 (Apr 15, 2007)

The vet said that sometimes the buns can get pregnant as early as 6 weeks! 

I'm more inclined to believe that they are closer to 3-4 months old.

They are so tiny and cute! But they just don't quite look like little babies to me.

I'm so glad that Tofu is doing well! Is she nibbling on anyfood yet? She seemed pretty perky to me. And is sheliking the rice socks still?

--Dawn


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## bummietime (Apr 15, 2007)

no nibbling yet  she's hanging out on your towel with your rice socks  she has moved around the cage a bit though! that's good right? how often should i try to feed her?


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## TinysMom (Apr 15, 2007)

They can get pregnant at SIX weeks?

WOW....I had no idea.

Peg


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## Pipp (Apr 15, 2007)

She may be looking okay because the pain meds are still working, don't be surprised that when they wear off, the poor little girl looks miserable.Although she may take it better seeing as giving birth was probably no picnic,either. It's just a guess, but the bunnies who werefeeling perfectly normal before having some of their inisides removed may beshocked because they'retotally unprepared for it. Tofu may have an advantage. 

If she goes24hours without eating, she'll need vet care again. (Pipp,who's quite thewimp at the best of times, looked awful and didn't eat for 23 hours). 

Give her a kiss for me. (And sorry, I forgot to give you more hay and a carrier or two!

sas :clover:


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## bummietime (Apr 15, 2007)

thanks for the advice! i'll definitely continue to keep an eye on her and give her her meds tmr morning. 

don't worry about the hay and the carrier! dawn gave me lots before we went over... and i have a little plastic box i used as carrier today 

it was nice meeting you again and sorry if i seemed a bit out of it today! Just was worrying about the little one


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## aurora369 (Apr 15, 2007)

I would giver her the night to relax and recover a bit and then give her about a half to a full syring of pellet mush from your big syringe. Then give her the pain meds.

She seemed perkier than most of the girls I've had after spaying, so I expect she'll handle it well.

I'm glad she likes the to well and rice socks! Poor little naked tummy makes it hard to stay warm.

--Dawn


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## Pipp (Apr 15, 2007)

Hopefully she'll be nibbling on hay and pellets and she won't need to be syringe-fed, or at least picked up and syringe-fed. I hate doing that after surgery, it's really not advisable tohold them if it can be avoided a tall. 

She just has to eat (and drink) enough to help the pain meds -- they need to be given with food to a well-hydrated bunny --and then the pain meds should make her feel well enough to eat on her own. (Chicken or the egg syndrome).Unless she's one of those bunnies who loses her appetite on Metacam, there are a few like that. 

Has she had canned pumpkin before? It may be an idea to give her a bit with the meds.And/or seeing as she's going tobe introduced to veggies soon anyways,trywaving asprig of parsley under her nose. Most bunnies, if you wave the stemin front of their mouths for long enough, will get mad and grab it out of your hand, then decide it tastes good and eat it! 

And/or maybe a little juice in her water, if she's used to having a bit of fruit as a treat. 

Enticements are the best ticket. Just not too much of anything strange.

sas


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## aurora369 (Apr 15, 2007)

I showed her how to syringe fed with out having to hold the bun. Just put her on a towel on the floor or sit her on your lap. I did it with Wildfire after her spay, and it worked well.

Hopefully she'll be eating by the morning and you won't have to syringe her any pellet slurry.

Tofu also got a dose of sub-q when she went under to help counter act the hemorrhaging, so that should help keep her hydrated. 

--Dawn


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## naturestee (Apr 15, 2007)

How is she doing? Is she eating yet?

For some reason, all three of my girls after their spays would really only eat food if I held it for them. Veggies, hay, the odd treat. If I held it for them, it was "special" and they were far more likely to eat it than if it was in their normal bowl or hay rack.


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## bummietime (Apr 15, 2007)

she's sorta eating... i see her munching on hay slowly...and i syringe fed her before giving her her pain meds. how do you tell if she's taken it in and if it's working? just by the way she looks? poor lil one


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## naturestee (Apr 15, 2007)

That's good that she's eating. As long as she's eating something and pooping something, it's okay if she doesn't eat as much as normal right now.

My girls were all pretty sore for the first day or two. The only pain meds they got was an injection after the surgery.But you have to figure that even with lots of pain meds, they'll still be sore because their bellies were opened up. I bet she'll feel a lot better tomorrow.


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## aurora369 (Apr 15, 2007)

If she's munching on hay, even slowly, that's a good sign. She'll probably be sleepy and not move around much for today and possibly tomorrow. Wildfire didn't move at all or eat anything till the second day besides what I was syringing her.

Is she still enjoying the rice socks?

--Dawn


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## Pipp (Apr 16, 2007)

*aurora369 wrote:*


> I showed her how to syringe fed with out having to hold the bun. Just put her on a towel on the floor or sit her on your lap. I did it with Wildfire after her spay, and it worked well.


Of course,she's in Dawn's extremely capable hands, silly me! 

Actually, I didn't doubt you for a minute, butI do like to mention these things in threads for the benefit of other people reading them now and in the future.

How's Tufuthis evening? It sounded like she wassailing through this pretty well.  (I still think that the surgery couldn't have been more painful than a stuck kit, poor bunny). 



sas :bunnydance:


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## Haley (Apr 16, 2007)

Aww I missed all this being busy all weekend! I am so glad everything worked out okay for you and your girl!

Thats great you were able to get her to the vet and taken care of so quickly. And God Bless Dawn and Sas for helping. You guys are just the best!

Give your little girl kisses from me. I hope she recovers quickly! 

PS. Im sure Dawn told you this, but just in case, keep her brother away from her until she's fully healed. Even though he cant impregnate her now that shes spayed he can mount her and tear the stitches, etc.


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## bummietime (Apr 16, 2007)

thanks for caring everyone! so she hasn't been eating tooo much...and not a lot of poo in her litterbox  but she's moving around here and there..and was giving oreo little bunny kisses through the cages 

They'll be continued to be separated for 2 weeks or so..but i've put the cages next to each other so they'll still have each other's company i hope she starts eating more tomorrow


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## aurora369 (Apr 16, 2007)

How much mushed up pellets have you been able to get in to her? 

Have you also tried hand feeding hay or parsley to her? Wave in in front of her nose and poke her mouth with it. She make get annoyed enough to bite it and decide it tastes yummy.

Keep up with the pain meds too.

Poor little girl, been through so much in the last few days.

Are you able to keep the neuter appointment for Oreo on Tuesday?

--Dawn


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## bummietime (Apr 16, 2007)

not too much with the mushed pellets...1/4 of the big syringe? and i don't know if she took it in cuz i did see it drip a lil bit  ive stuck hay in her face and she's bitten itoff...but not really chew and swallow it. Is it ok to continue feeding her broccoli right now if she's willing to eat it? 

yep! oreo will be going in on tues..hehehe


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## bummietime (Apr 16, 2007)

here's some cage lovin' for ya!:bunnydance:


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## aurora369 (Apr 16, 2007)

Awww, nose kisses! I bet they miss each other and can't wait till they can be together again.

In my opinion it's better to get her eating something, anything and she'll start eating more as she feels better. So if all she's eating is broccoli, then let her have some. Have you tried some parsley or cilantro or dandelions, those work well sometimes too.

--Dawn


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## bummietime (Apr 16, 2007)

thanks again dawn! this morning she seemed much better!! she ate some broccoli, hay, and then i gave her her meds. Oreo kept 'talking' to her too! it was so cute 

i've fed them cilantro before and they really like that...so i'll pick some up today!


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## Haley (Apr 16, 2007)

Glad to hear shes eating! Broccoli makes me nervous because it can cause gas, but I guess its better than nothing.

Maybe try some Parsley too? My bunnies love Parsley


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## Bren165 (Apr 22, 2007)

Sometimes they do that to show dominance in the cage.

Brenda


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## bummietime (Apr 24, 2007)

thanks everyone for the good advice!! the 2 bunnies are doing well...back to hopping around and eating normally I'm going to try to bond them again this weekend... just a question though... if i see oreo humping tofu still and spraying her...do i separate them? I'm just worried for my little girl


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## naturestee (Apr 24, 2007)

Thanks for the update!

If Oreo is mounting her a lot, then yes I'd keep them caged separate but with frequent play/bonding dates until he's neutered.Tofu might get pestered too much if they're in a cage together, and she could still be sore from her ordeal. But I should think that Oreo is old enough to be neutered now so you could make an appointment for him soon.Then he'll be more interested in snuggling with Tofu than...pestering.


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## bummietime (Apr 24, 2007)

ooooo sorry! forgot to mention that oreo was neutered last tues...but still seems to be in the mounting mood....hehe. They're still in separate cages next to each other and I think i'm going to keep it that way. If i try to bond them and he still mounts her...should i separate them and wait a bit longer until he's no longer....mounty? hahaa


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## naturestee (Apr 24, 2007)

Ah, ok. If he's still mounty, give him a few more weeks. It can take a month or more for the randy hormones to die off.


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