How do you know if your bunny is pregnant?

Question

How do you know if your bunny is pregnant?

Answer 1

Um.... unless you take it to a vet the best way is just to wait and see if she shows any major weight gain or just be surprised

Answer 2

hello there

One way is to use palpitation (or palpating). This is when you feel the doe's underside for kits. However, if you do this incorrectly or too rough/strongly you can damage the kits, so this is not recommended without practice.

The surest way to find out if your rabbit is pregnant is to wait 40 days. If your rabbit does not deliver within this time, she is NOT pregnant or has reabsorbed her litter.

One sign that your rabbit might be pregnant is if she carries nesting materials to a certain place and/or if she starts pulling her underbelly fur and nesting with that. This is not a certain sign however. Unspayed rabbits will sometimes just do this spontaneously or as a symptom of phantom pregnancy

More input from FAQ Farmers:

She will be gaining weight, of course. She will also begin to pluck out her fur and build a warm nest for her babies. (Make sure there's a box or something in her hutch to make sure the babies are suitably warm.) You might also notice a change in her eating habits and her social manners. She might be drinking more water or eating more food than normal. She may also change personalities completely, a little, or even not at all. (If she's normally nice, she might become mean. Don't hold it against her - she's just being maternal and making sure she can protect her babies when they're born)

A couple weeks after mating, put her to the male again (under close supervision). If she refuses him, chances are shes pregnant

The most reliable way is to palpate her abdomen. This technique is difficult to learn for someone who does not frequently breed a lot of rabbits, because it takes practice.

When it was been 10 days to two weeks past the breeding date, I will place the doe on a non-slip surface, facing me, and I will put my right hand over her ears and shoulders. Then I will place my left hand palm up under the abdomen just in front of the pelvic bones. I will gently press upward with my fingers, while pressing in from the side with my thumb. This will bring the embryos, if any, into position between my thumb and fingers. They feel something like grapes, and are about that size or larger. Having detected the developing kits, I will discontinue and return the doe to her cage. I will not palpate the rabbit's left side with my right hand, because it is too easy to mistake a kidney for a kit on that side.

You can also check the doe's vent. If she is in the early stages of pregnancy, her vent is usually small and pale, though she may pink up again towards the end of her 30-35 day pregnancy. Always check again on the 28th day after breeding. If there is only 1 fetus, you may have missed it at 2 weeks. Or, the doe may have re-absorbed her litter. It is a good idea to leave a nest box with the doe just in case she IS pregnant, but keeping it a secret.

have a nice day!

♦HM♦