by Josey Ramosse
How do you know if your rabbit is pregnant? Its not as easy as you may think. Even experienced vets can sometimes find it difficult to tell when a rabbit is pregnant. However, some signs certainly suggest the possibility. For example, when she is pregnant the female rejects the attention of males. If you then feel little lumps in her stomach a lot like marbles, theres a good chance she is pregnant and you are actually feeling her babies (kits). Once you know your bunny is pregnant, you will need to know how to take care of her during her pregnancy and her litter after she has given birth.
Lets start with caring for the mother while she is pregnant. First of all, the gestation period is about thirty one days. After 28 days the female rabbit will begin making a nesting place where she will give birth. She will do this by moving hay to one spot and taking some of her fur as well. This can also occur to as late as one day before she actually gives birth.
You dont need to change the type or amount of food you feed your pregnant rabbit, as long as you have been feeding her a nutritious and adequate diet before pregnancy.
As long as your rabbit has been eating properly, you wont need to change her diet, add supplements or increase the amount of food you give her during her pregnancy.
The time it takes to give birth to the whole litter is surprisingly short, taking only about ten minutes. Then you will suddenly be presented seven to thirteen newborn kits. Once she has given birth, your rabbit will probably move to another part of the cage away from her kits. Thats to be expected. As soon as they are all born, make sure the babies are warm. If the kits do not feel warm, it is important to quickly warm them up. One of the quickest and easiest ways to do this is to put a hot water bottle in the nest and cover it with a thick towel. The bottle needs to be warm, not hot. When you are happy with the temperature, place the babies gently on the towel.
By this time, the male rabbit should not be in the cage, but if he is separate him from the mother and kits. This will enhance the likelihood that the kits will survive and protect the mother from any further pregnancies. It is also a good time to get the male spayed.
The mother will feed her kits at night when she feels safe. It is important to give her privacy at this time because if she feels unsafe she may not feed her kits. Kits who are not gaining weight and seem to feel the cold may not be being fed properly.
You can hand feed the kits with special formulation cat milk which is sold at many pet stores and by some veterinarians. You cant bottle feed them because their mouths are too small; they need to be fed with a syringe or a medicine dropper two times a day. It can take a bit of time initially (around an hour) but as the kits become used to drinking from a dropper or syringe and you learn to handle the situation, it will only take about thirty minutes.
When the kits are around ten days old, they will open their eyes. You should also see some fur growth. At only a month old, these babies can begin to taste normal food such as hay. You can provide solid rabbit food when they begin weaning at around ten weeks. At this point, you can allow the male back into the cage with the others but only if he has been spayed.
Now you have some idea about what to expect once your rabbit is pregnant and has a litter, you will know what to expect. More than anything, enjoy your rabbits, particularly the kits!
About the Author:
Rabbits should be housed in an environment where they can move around freely and they should be ables to get fresh air. Josey Ramosse is a blogger and full time rabbit specialist and wants everyone to care for rabbits responsibly using
large rabbit hutches for freedom and even
outdoor rabbit hutches to enable your rabbit to get in touch with it’s natural environment.
Pregnant Rabbit Care And Litter Care
How do you know if your rabbit is pregnant? Its not as easy as you may think. Even experienced vets can sometimes find it difficult to tell when a rabbit is pregnant. However, some signs certainly suggest the possibility. For example, when she is pregnant the female rejects the attention of males. If you then feel little lumps in her stomach a lot like marbles, theres a good chance she is pregnant and you are actually feeling her babies (kits). Once you know your bunny is pregnant, you will need to know how to take care of her during her pregnancy and her litter after she has given birth.
Lets start with caring for the mother while she is pregnant. First of all, the gestation period is about thirty one days. After 28 days the female rabbit will begin making a nesting place where she will give birth. She will do this by moving hay to one spot and taking some of her fur as well. This can also occur to as late as one day before she actually gives birth.
You dont need to change the type or amount of food you feed your pregnant rabbit, as long as you have been feeding her a nutritious and adequate diet before pregnancy.
As long as your rabbit has been eating properly, you wont need to change her diet, add supplements or increase the amount of food you give her during her pregnancy.
The time it takes to give birth to the whole litter is surprisingly short, taking only about ten minutes. Then you will suddenly be presented seven to thirteen newborn kits. Once she has given birth, your rabbit will probably move to another part of the cage away from her kits. Thats to be expected. As soon as they are all born, make sure the babies are warm. If the kits do not feel warm, it is important to quickly warm them up. One of the quickest and easiest ways to do this is to put a hot water bottle in the nest and cover it with a thick towel. The bottle needs to be warm, not hot. When you are happy with the temperature, place the babies gently on the towel.
By this time, the male rabbit should not be in the cage, but if he is separate him from the mother and kits. This will enhance the likelihood that the kits will survive and protect the mother from any further pregnancies. It is also a good time to get the male spayed.
The mother will feed her kits at night when she feels safe. It is important to give her privacy at this time because if she feels unsafe she may not feed her kits. Kits who are not gaining weight and seem to feel the cold may not be being fed properly.
You can hand feed the kits with special formulation cat milk which is sold at many pet stores and by some veterinarians. You cant bottle feed them because their mouths are too small; they need to be fed with a syringe or a medicine dropper two times a day. It can take a bit of time initially (around an hour) but as the kits become used to drinking from a dropper or syringe and you learn to handle the situation, it will only take about thirty minutes.
When the kits are around ten days old, they will open their eyes. You should also see some fur growth. At only a month old, these babies can begin to taste normal food such as hay. You can provide solid rabbit food when they begin weaning at around ten weeks. At this point, you can allow the male back into the cage with the others but only if he has been spayed.
Now you have some idea about what to expect once your rabbit is pregnant and has a litter, you will know what to expect. More than anything, enjoy your rabbits, particularly the kits!
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