# In Heat, On Cycle?



## briemommy (Feb 2, 2013)

Can someone clarify the rabbit heat cycle for me a bit please? My inclination is to assume they get monthly "periods" like humans and dogs, but what do I know? Links would be helpful, if you have any handy. I like knowing about the natural behaviors of animals anyway. I haven't seen Brie bleed, but she roves us nuts with the figure eights and nipping. Pretty sure that's her in heat. One more month before the spay!

Also, sorry if this topic grosses people out, but any ladies here notice that your bun seems to have the same "cycle" as you? Or something that seems like it?


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## Korr_and_Sophie (Feb 2, 2013)

Rabbit do not have a heat cycle. They are induced ovulators, so the eggs are released when the mate. When you look at dogs or even people, the eggs are released and hopefully mating happens at the right time to fertilize the eggs. There can be times when a female rabbit is more hormonal and wanting to mate, but they can get pregnant are pretty much any time, extreme heat or cold can make them infertile for a short while.
Intact females can be very hormonal and it doesn't really calm down on its own. Spaying is really the only want to stop the hormones.

If you do see blood, that is not normal and needs to be seen by a vet.


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## woahlookitsme (Feb 2, 2013)

Rabbits do not ovulate like we or other animals do. They are induced ovulators that release eggs 8-12 hours after the act of breeding performed by a male. They do not bleed either


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## lauratunes12 (Feb 2, 2013)

:yeahthat: Also, if your rabbit seems to have the same "cycle" as you, it could be that you are hormonal and she is picking up on your emotions and mirroring it. I know when humans are stressed, it can make bunnies stressed as well.


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## ldoerr (Feb 3, 2013)

I agree with what the others have said. As a former rabbit breeder I learned that there are certain times when rabbits are more in the mood or able to breed than others. The way I would tell if a particular rabbit was ready to breed was to look at her "area". If it was DARK red or purple then they would just about always get pregnant. If it was pale in color they almost never got pregnant.


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## briemommy (Feb 3, 2013)

Thanks for the info! 

I suppose Brie picks up on my hormones cause during that time she goes nuts with the figure eights at our feet and nipping. After that she settles back to her own self. She's also a lot easier to pick up during that time. Hehe. 

Another reason I asked is cause someone mentioned their rabbit bleeding a lot more during spay because it was in heat. I kind of wanted to work around that time. :/


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## Bunnylova4eva (Feb 3, 2013)

Everyone else has already said it all so I won't repeat. But, if you DO see blood ever, hurry to the vet, very likely would be uterine cancer.


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## missyscove (Feb 4, 2013)

I'm not sure how much background you have in things like estrous cycles and reproductive physiology in non-human animals, but this may be an interesting read for you:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/t1690E/t1690e05.htm


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