You may be breeding rabbits and need to know if the mating worked, or you may be an innocent rabbit owner whose rabbit ventured out recently. Either way, you probably want to know if your rabbit is pregnant. Rabbits do have quite the reputation for being quick baby makers, but on the other hand there is no need to jump to conclusions or to be worried over nothing. There are a few signs that you can look for if you are unfamiliar with the reproductive process of rabbits. If you are familiar however, these sign will seem very obvious to you.
One of the most basic signs that your doe is pregnant is that she is going to start building the nest where she will have her kits. This can be a little bit alarming, as she will pull the fur out of her own body to line the nest. If your rabbit has never displayed behavior like this before, you can tell that there is something that is going on. Also be aware, though, that this is not a surefire method of telling if she is pregnant. There are does that regularly undergo this behavior, and in their case, it is known as false pregnancy.
Moreover, you must begin the practice of counting. For the time of conception to the point of birth, rabbits will be pregnant for around thirty five days. Therefore, if it has been more than thirty five days since the assumed time of conception and your rabbit hasn't even begun nesting, then she probably is not pregnant.
Consequently, if you were trying to breed, then you may want to try again because it didn't take.
Your rabbits mood will tell you a lot. If your rabbit is usually a very docile, friendly, and even tempered pet, but suddenly becomes angry, annoyed, and easily agitated, then she might be pregnant. She may not want to be touched anymore which may also be a sign that she is pregnant. Pay attention to any additional chewing or digging that your rabbit may be doing; she is probably building a nest, which as stated before, is a sure sign that she is probably pregnant.
If you have ever had any sort of experience with pregnant rabbits before, then you might gently touch her stomach. Usually pregnant rabbits will have tiny lumps the size of jelly beans in their stomachs, which is the absolute best sign that she is pregnant. However, a big risk factor in doing this is that if you touch her stomach too hard, you could injure or even kill the babies in her womb; so be careful.
The ultimate proof that your rabbit is pregnant is to simply go to a veterinarian and have an x-ray done. An x-ray is the only way to be 100% sure that your rabbit is pregnant, and will ensure that you do not hurt any babies inside or your rabbit in the process. It is also a good idea to take your rabbit to the veterinarian because being under a doctor's care will certainly help to make your rabbit's pregnancy smoother and safer.
| Brian Stephenson is a pet enthusiast and has several pets of his own including a German Shepherd, a Bichon Frise, and a rabbit. He likes to teach his pets lots of tricks, but also likes to make sure that they are healthy and orders their petmeds from 1800PetMeds. They always give his pets what they need and PetMeds even offers the generic forms of most prescription drugs. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Stephenson | |
