Rabbits are great pets, perfect for adults and children alike. Depending on the breed and the climate in which they grow up, they will live between 7 to 9 years and sometimes even longer. Such little, furry, and cute animals would definitely fill your house with joy, laughter, and a ton of babies during their lives. When you buy a pair of bunnies, and you think a lady may be pregnant, here’s what you might expect.
Gestation
Management is characterized as the period of time from conception to birth. This duration usually takes 31 days but can differ as much as two days in either direction. During this time, the doe grows a little bigger. She might also get grumpy and attempt to bite you.
You’re not expected to change her feed at this point. Don’t give her a reward if you don’t usually give her a treat. Don’t increase the amount of food you normally give her. Her body would be more affected by changing her diet than by maintaining things as usual. Her body adjusts well to growing babies without the involvement. Only make sure she’s still got plenty of new water to drink anytime she wants it.
Often a doe will give birth on the bottom of the cage. Be alert and lookout for this. If you don’t catch the babies in enough time and put them in the nest box, they will die from cold. The mother must take care of them once in the nest box. The location of the infants is very critical. The mother never pushes the babies out.
When they’re on the cage floor, they’ll sit on the cage floor until you intervene. They’ve got to be in the right place even in the nest box, and it’s up to you to make sure that’s it. Make sure they’re laying on the fur in a nice depression in the hay so they can’t get out of the nest box.
Birth
The doe will give birth at every time of the day, with most of the births occurring at night. It takes around ten minutes for her to produce all her young. Normally, she’s going to pull her fur just before conception, but as I said, there’s a lot of variation in this.
If everything goes right, she’ll give birth to them in a nest box on a fur bed in a hay depression. Once she’s collected all of them, she’ll cover them with fur and get out of the nest box. As long as they had three or more bunnies and had enough fur cover in the nest box, they could live even in cold winters.
If there is only one or two of them, they may not be able to keep their temperatures up in cold winters, and they may die.
The most common signs of pregnancy
Not all female rabbits can exhibit signs of pregnancy in the first two weeks, so you have to pay attention to any symptoms and check your bunny’s weight every other day. However, like most other animals, the abdomen of the rabbit will increase in size as the baby grows internally, and weight gain is the most noticeable sign of pregnancy.
Female rabbits may also have a larger appetite, while others may sound cranky, moody, and even a bit aggressive. Mood swings are normal in all animals, including humans, so you should take a closer look at the temperament of your pet.
If she is excessively exhausted and sleepy, she can require more rest to remain healthy through pregnancy. Some bunnies are inherently unfriendly and would not encourage you to touch them very often, and you won’t be able to say whether they’re pregnant in the first week.
10-12 days after breeding, you should be able to feel various marble bumps within your rabbit’s belly, an indication that she is pregnant. Like we mentioned earlier, the general gestation period is 31 days, so if your bunny did not deliver 33-35 days after birth, you could take her to a vet to check the pregnancy to make sure that everything is correct.
About a week before giving birth, the future rabbit mom will show strong signs of nesting activity. Another indication of a pregnant bunny is that the mother is going to take off her hair, so if this occurs, you shouldn’t be concerned.
Specialists suggest that if a bunny is pregnant, you should expect a new batch within a week, and if the potential mother is taking her fur off, you should be ready for a baby in 1-2 days. Bear in mind that rabbits are often nocturnal animals, and it will come as no shock that the new mom would deliver the baby during the night.
What to feed your pregnant rabbit?
Bear in mind that your mother is still feeding to provide the kid with the requisite nutrients and vitamins for healthy development, which ensures that you can pay careful attention to your pet’s diet during pregnancy and nursing.
Expect pregnant rabbits to eat more calories, including both dry and wet milk. Alfalfa hay and fresh vegetables should be given at all times to help with the digestive system and to avoid loose stools. In case your pet is not used to alfalfa, you can attempt to slowly transition from grass hay to alfalfa before or during the rabbit’s birth.
As we have already stated, rabbits should also be supplied with tasty organic treats and plenty of chewing and edible toys. There are a variety of nutritious fruits that can be given to your pet to provide additional vitamins and minerals and to support a healthy pregnancy.
Berries are rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants, while pineapple, watermelon, bananas, and seedless apples can be used as occasional treats. You should also go for dried fruits, including figs, raisins, and dates, as long as they do not contain any added sugars.
False Rabbit Pregnancy
Some rabbits have a false pregnancy where their body thinks it’s pregnant, even though that’s not the case. False paternity leads the bunny to exhibit nesting activity and to appear moody. False parenting habits typically last for around two or three weeks.
Preventing Rabbit Pregnancy
Apart from having an intact female rabbit completely separate from an intact male rabbit at all times, it is best to prevent the rabbit from becoming pregnant. The spaying of a rabbit destroys the uterus and ovaries that a rabbit uses to have children, which reduces or lowers the chances of developing multiple forms of cancer later in life. Surgery to spay a rabbit does not arise without complications, of course, but you should negotiate this with your doctor.
