# Don't know if she is pregnant or what?



## CiaraPatricia (Mar 9, 2010)

Hi guys, I figure you're the people to ask on this.

I just got a female Lionhead, 8 months old, and she wasn't kept with males but the breeder's daughter did say "I let all the rabbits hop around together" so that made me a bit suspicious that they could easily have mated when she wasn't looking. 

I got the rabbit (Evie) over a week ago, and noticed when I brought her home that her belly seemed a bit big and round (a good bit bigger than the other rabbit). She is also missing hair in two stripes on her belly, where the nipples are, and has hair in a stripe in the middle. Is that normal moulting? Or did she pull it out? She hasn't been pulling hair since I brought her home, but she has lots of hay. And when I looked at her nipples a week ago they seemed very small, but now I could swear they are bigger. Should they be bigger than a male animals nipples? She's never had babies before, so they said. 

She also eats and drinks at least twice as much as my male Lionhead (In a seperate hutch and run). I thought that in the last week there would have been some dramatic weight gain or sign of pregnancy to tell me, but not really. I don't really want to take her to the vet if I can avoid it, just because I'm scared she'll get stressed out and that wouldn't be good if she is pregnant.

Or could it be a false pregnancy?

Thanks anf hopefully someone can help me figure this out, or I will just have to wait and see  If she is pregnant then it shouldn't be long now, and I think I am prepared for it anyway


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 9, 2010)

Or maybe I'm just being paranoid because the last guinea pig I bought was pregnant! (Or just being hopeful!)


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## Pipp (Mar 9, 2010)

I'm sure a breeder will have better information than me, but its probably a 'wait and see'. I really don't think they show normal signs when they're pregnant, including fat bellies, expanded and/or hairless nipples, and with the exception of a brief period somewhere between 11 and 14 days into the pregnancy, you can't feel the kits moving. 

If she was allowed to 'hop with the boys' and she's eight months old, though, I think chances are you're in for a litter.


sas :clover:


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 9, 2010)

Thanks for the reply. I guess I don't have long to wait, but the suspense it killing me!


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## BlueGiants (Mar 9, 2010)

I"m afraid that at this point, it's a wait-and-see issue. Set her up with a nestbox and just be ready. (Make sure the nestbox is not in a corner that she used to poop or pee in, and check it often to make sure she isn't soiling it.)

I've never noticed strips of fur missing on any of my does (but I don't have lionheads). And most of my doe's nipples don't swell until the babies are born.

Patience.... and please let us know if/when she kindles! (Too bad you won't know which buck was the sire!)


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## mistyjr (Mar 9, 2010)

She might be. But set up a nestbox just incase. You never know. I have 4 litter's coming this month


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## mistyjr (Mar 9, 2010)

And I have a lionhead due on the 16th. I need to check her though and she if she's doing the same thing as yours is...


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 9, 2010)

She has a seperate sleeping area in her hutch filled with hay, and a breeder said that would be ok instead of a nestbox. She uses a litter tray too, so it should stay clean and dry. 

Just now I went out to her and she was making a weird noise, AT the male, like a kind of growling/whining. I've never heard this before, she seemed kinda agitated too. My dad said maybe she was calling to him? She sounded upset though.

Wow, four litters, that's so exciting!


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 9, 2010)

I looked up online and it said she might feel threatened and growl, and the dogs were all barking right behind her hutch so maybe she was scared. She seems fine now though, she's playing with her toys and eating


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## BlueGiants (Mar 9, 2010)

Personally, I prefer a nestbox to keep the litter in one place, so no one crawls off and misses a feeding. Also better for her, she can get away from them, instead of having them crawling off after her.

She might be warning him off... kind of a "stay away from me"... Or she really isn't bred and wants to be... but you have to wait at least 31 days from when you got her to try breeding her again.


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 9, 2010)

Could I use a cardboard box as a nesting box? Or should it be wooden?


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## irishbunny (Mar 9, 2010)

Hi Ciarapatricia! 
It's Grace from Irish Rabbits 

Good luck with Evie!


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 9, 2010)

Hi Grace! Thanks


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## BlueGiants (Mar 9, 2010)

Wood is good, it doesn't tip as easy and if she nibbles on it, it'll hold up. But a heavy cardboard box is OK, as long as you keep an eye on it and she doesn't eat it before the babies are born. LOL!


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 9, 2010)

Thanks


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## iluvdutchrabbbits90 (Mar 9, 2010)

My lionhead is Due April first. And she is pulling hair and already has a little belly


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## BlueGiants (Mar 9, 2010)

A doe that pulls fur this early (if you are sure of the breeding date) is usually not pregnant, but expericencing a false pregnancy. I'd palpate her if I could.


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## mistyjr (Mar 9, 2010)

Yeah, I put an cardboard box in with my Lion Head yesterday and she already ate half of it. So know we have to change it..


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 9, 2010)

If they have a false pregnancy, will their abdomen still get bigger? 

I now think Evie probably had a false pregnancy, maybe she just got bigger because she was eating for 7! But I still keep checking the hutch just in case!


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## BlueGiants (Mar 10, 2010)

Actually, I have seen a doe in false pregnancy gain weight, produce milk, pull fur... do everything EXCEPT produce babies. It's all hormone driven.

But the best thing to do is wait it out. Have patience, let her do what she has to ...


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 10, 2010)

Oh yeah, that makes sense. A vet actually thought my spayed dog had a false pregnancy because she was lactating, so it must be possible (and actually it was just because the kittens kept suckling from her!)

I'll let everyone know if she has babies anyway


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## BlueGiants (Mar 10, 2010)

PLEASE do let us know if she has kits! We NEED frequent "Cute Baby" fixes! :biggrin2:


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## Sabine (Mar 10, 2010)

What are you feeding her on? I wonder could the weight gain simply be diet related?
Sabine (IrishRabbits):wave:


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 10, 2010)

Hi Sabine 

I have to admit I am feeding them unlimited rabbit food pellets, hay and some veggies or apple everyday. I never really weigh out the food, because it was never a problem before, but she has a ceramic rabbit bowl (11cm diameter according to zooplus) and I just fill it up. They're not having too much veggies really, I give them about a quarter of an apple each, or a carrot, or some veggie peelings if I'm cooking (shared with the guinea pigs). 

At first when I had her, for the first week, she was eating way way more than Leon. Now her appetite seems to be going down a bit, she still eats more than him but she is bigger. She really loves fresh veggies, maybe she didn't get them in her old home and is excited because of new foods? If she gets fat then I'll have to cut back on her food.

It was never a problem with my old rabbit, but then again she lived with two guinea pigs who always stole her food! They're so much greedier than rabbits.


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 12, 2010)

I think she's building a nest! She has moved all the hay around the sleeping area (never moved it before), and I saw her stuffing her mouth with wood shavings and taking them into the sleeping area. She hasn't pulled fur though.

I think either she's gonna have babies, or she's a crazy rabbit who really wants babies!


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 12, 2010)

I just put in a pile of hay in the run and she's now trying to pick all the hay up at once and drag it upstairs to the hutch. Normally she would just eat it!


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 12, 2010)

She has so much hay in there now and keeps putting more in, she won't be able to fit! She's really going mad with the hay and won't even have her breakfast, not even a carrot! 

If she is pregnant, then she should have the babies soon right? I heard they nest a day or two before giving birth? I've had her a full two weeks now, so it's been at least that long since she's mated (if she has).


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## BlueGiants (Mar 12, 2010)

If she isn't eating, she might kindle in the next few hours. Most of my mothers build a nest anywhere from 24 hours to 20 minutes before they deliver! (And then there are the does that don't build a nest until AFTER they deliver! Silly twits! Not gonna waste all that energy and fur until I'm sure they are here!)

Keep us informed! Let us know!!!


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 12, 2010)

Could it still be a false pregnancy? Do false pregnancies last for 31 days, or for less?

Sorry for posting so much, I'm just excited! And there's nobody else home for me to tell!


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## BlueGiants (Mar 12, 2010)

Most false pregnancies only last 14-16 days. She could build a nest, and actually tend the "empty nest" for a day or so... then she'll give it up. Keep an eye on her, have patience, and let her do whatever she has to do....


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 12, 2010)

Thanks  I'll let everyone know


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## Sabine (Mar 12, 2010)

Have you had her for a months already?


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 12, 2010)

I've had her two weeks today.


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## BlueGiants (Mar 12, 2010)

Yeah, but the question of if she'd been let out with the bucks and if any of them "got her" still lingers. Guess we'll know soon enough...


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 12, 2010)

There's a chance she was let out with bucks before I got her. 

I heard that when they give birth, they want to get far away from the babies? If she was in a hutch with the babies, but another part of the hutch, would that stress her out?

She has a run too, but was wondering if it would be bad to shut her into the hutch. I don't want her to have the babies in the run, but she seems to know what she's doing.


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## BlueGiants (Mar 12, 2010)

Keep an eye in her, don't interfer or change anything unless you have to. Confining her to the hutch might confuse her right now. If you see her pulling fur in the run area and building a nest, move evrything to the Hutch and watch that she doesn't put the babies "outside". YES, you can touch and handle the babies... she will not abandon them if you tough them... (Old wives tale!)


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 12, 2010)

She was pulling fur in the run, but brought some upstairs into the hutch. Then she went downstairs and pulled more and just sat there with it in her mouth, and has been eating a bit and grooming herself, and just sitting around mostly. 

Thanks for the info.


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## Sabine (Mar 12, 2010)

It still could be a false pregnancy but better be prepared as either is likely. She seems to be building the nest in the safe spot of the hutch it seems. Once the babies are there (if there are any) you can always close up the upstairs to prevent them from toppling down into the run.


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 12, 2010)

Yeah, they'll be safe in the sleeping area, until they start hopping anyway!


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## BlueGiants (Mar 12, 2010)

Not sure how your cage is set up, but you might want to put a 3" high "lip" at the base of the dooway to prevent any babies from crawling out. They will move around, you just don't want them crawling out into the run area.


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 12, 2010)

Thanks I will do that.

There's a seperate sleeping area with a solid wood door, and a partition between that and an other area with a wire door, with a ramp going down to a run. I can close off the top half if the babies are moving around in a few weeks, but not old enough to use the ramp. 

And she'll have a bigger run attached to the front soon (once the guinea pigs get their new house next week, she'll get their big run). Someone said that the sleeping area would be ok, instead of a nest box. I was going to put in a nest box, even just made of cardboard, but then thought she wasn't pregnant. Now she has made the nest so I don't know if I should disturb it. 
I will make a lip in the doorway anyway, to stop them crawling out.


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## Sabine (Mar 12, 2010)

Assumong the sleeping compartment isn't absolutely huge a board in front of the entrance to create a lip should suffice to keep them contained. Not sure if shoving in a nest box at this late stage would be that useful as she is in the process of building.


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 12, 2010)

It's just a kinda standard size hutch sleeping area. And I think if the nest is round a dipped in where she has them, they should hopefully stay in the middle. I was gonna use some thick cardboard to keep them in.

I had a cat who built a nest in dead grass in a neighbours greenhouse, and it was pretty much like the rabbit's nest and the kittens all stayed in ok. I brought them home when I found them though


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## BlueGiants (Mar 12, 2010)

So???? Any updates???? Waiting with baited breath!!!!!


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 12, 2010)

Nope, well no babies when I checked last. It's 1a.m. now so dunno if I should go out and disturb her.  Or maybe I will just check in case she had babies outdoors . . .

Aw no babies yet. It's not too cold outside tonight anyway if she does have them.


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 13, 2010)

No babies yet, Evie did wake me up at 6 a.m. though, by turning her litter tray and her food bowl into a see-saw and running over it repeatedly for ages! After I was up til 3 a.m. feeling sick anyway. Crazy bunny  And when you can't sleep, the sound of rabbits and guinea pigs drinking from their water bottles gets much louder!


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## BlueGiants (Mar 13, 2010)

Give her some time. It could be a false pregnancy, but even so, it's real to her.


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 14, 2010)

Still no babies, I'm trying to leave her alone as much as possible, to make sure she's relaxed and happy. She hasn't added any more fur to the nest or anything, so just waiting. If she doesn't have them in a few days can I assume it was a false pregnancy?


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## Pipp (Mar 14, 2010)

*CiaraPatricia wrote: *


> Still no babies, I'm trying to leave her alone as much as possible, to make sure she's relaxed and happy. She hasn't added any more fur to the nest or anything, so just waiting. If she doesn't have them in a few days can I assume it was a false pregnancy?



I don't think you can assume anything until 31 days after you picked her up. I think that puts you around March 25th?


sas


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## irishbunny (Mar 14, 2010)

Most rabbits will build a nest a few days before having their babies. So she still could be pregnant.


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## Sweetie (Mar 14, 2010)

I hope your Evie is pregnant. When Sweetie and Prince mated, I thought that she was pregnant. She did everything that your Evie did. I even thought that I felt a baby inside her. After about 31 to 35 days from when I saw Prince get her, no babies. It was a false pregnancy.

When did the buck mate with Evie, did the previous owners tell you? I would check on that so that you know for sure how long to actually wait to see if there will be babies or not.

I hope there will be babies. I need my cute babies fix.


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 14, 2010)

I'm still waiting 

I hope she will have babies too, I've gotten my hopes up! It'd be really lovely because I could keep one and I'd love to have a rabbit since it's born, since I've never had a bunny younger than a 5-6 months. It'd be really tame and friendly 

I don't know if she has been with a male or not before I got her, but they had males too, so there is a chance that they left them together accidentally or maybe her sister was actually a boy or something. I could email the previous owners and ask, but I don't want to sound like I'm complaining if she is pregnant, because I don't mind at all. 

I've had her for two weeks anyway, for only two more weeks to wait to be sure, hopefully she has some soon. She wouldn't eat her dinner tonight, just nibbled a bit of hay even though I gave her carrots, swede and celery, and the other rabbit and the guinea pigs tucked into it straight away! So maybe she will have them tonight? 

I told my brother that I'd bet him that she'd have them tonight, and we should bet â¬20 for each baby born, but he figured out that if he won he wouldn't get anything!


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## bunnylove817 (Mar 15, 2010)

Any updates? Is she in a cage by herself?


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 15, 2010)

No babies yet still! Yeah she has a cage and run to herself, with her friend in a run next to her so she still has company.


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## BlueGiants (Mar 15, 2010)

inkbouce:Any news????


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 15, 2010)

Nope, but I felt her tummy today again, and I could swear it is getting bigger and her nipples are getting bigger.

Her tummy is definitely noticeably large now, and before it was just kinda swollen feeling. I'm still hopeful that she'll have babies soon.

There also seems to be alot more fur in the nest, but no babies yet


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## BlueGiants (Mar 15, 2010)

OK, so she's doing fine so far... we just need to learn better patience. LOL! Not something I do well... WAITING...


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 15, 2010)

She's doing fine  

I'm very unpatient! I just can't wait til there's little bunnies, then I'll have to wait til they start hopping around


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 15, 2010)

But I'll be in college tomorrow, for the rest of the week, so it'll make the time pass faster anyway . . .


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## BlueGiants (Mar 15, 2010)

*CiaraPatricia wrote: *


> But I'll be in college tomorrow, for the rest of the week, so it'll make the time pass faster anyway . . .


That's the trick of all expectant parents.. keep busy! LOL! I'm sure she will do fine.


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## bunnybunbunb (Mar 15, 2010)

Ugg, I feel your pain! I have four does pregnant, two of them are due the 21st. I am so excited! I thought one was due the 24th, but when I looked it was the 21st writen down so I had mentally remembered wrong. I am bouncing off the walls. Both girls due the 21st are inside now, inside babies are so much funner.

My girls usually do not start nesting until right before, the longest I had a doe go between nesting and kindling was 18 hours. I have a friend who's does always nest 4 days before hand. Every girl is diffrent


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 17, 2010)

Aw, that's so exciting having four does pregnant!

My parents keep telling me she's not pregnant and my mother is a nurse and midwife so she felt her stomach and said she's not pregnant, but to me it feels exactly like when a cat is pregnant (had alot of cats!) so I still think she is. Her stomach is definitely getting big, but my mother says it should be lumpy and wriggly . . .

And before her nest was just a pile of hay and hair, but now she has dug or flattened the hay to form a bowl shape, so I put the fur in there. And she started taking more hay into the nest today too. So I'm hoping that's a good sign


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## mistyjr (Mar 17, 2010)

Good Luck w/ the babies!! Mine died this morning


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## CiaraPatricia (Mar 17, 2010)

Aw, I'm sorry, that's so sad


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