# Can rabbits have phantom pregnancies?



## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

the doe that gave birth on valentines day night, the litter that i had to hand rear and lost them all, she is now making a nest again....... she cant be pregnant...... do rabbits have phantom pregnancies? if not any ideas as to why she is buildin a nest?


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

They can have phantom pregnancies but I guess that she is doing it out of frustration/stress of losing the kits.


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

they can, mine i had was a right mare with them used to attack and get very defensive and produce milk...
like has been said though it sounds like she is missing her babies


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

its very common, especially where two does are kept together,
i`d check that all her milk has dried up, or she could develop mastitis,

it might be better to mate her up again, she`d be a lot happier.


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

pigglywiggly said:


> its very common, especially where two does are kept together,
> i`d check that all her milk has dried up, or she could develop mastitis,
> 
> it might be better to mate her up again, she`d be a lot happier.


If I remember right, she lost the babies because she wasn't producing milk....


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

LoveForLizards said:


> They can have phantom pregnancies but I guess that she is doing it out of frustration/stress of losing the kits.


 
she didnt lose them, she never had them! i had to take the kits away cos she wasnt producin milk to feed them


pigglywiggly said:


> its very common, especially where two does are kept together,
> i`d check that all her milk has dried up, or she could develop mastitis,
> 
> it might be better to mate her up again, she`d be a lot happier.


see above, she never had milk to begin with, she has had 2 litters, both she failed to produce milk, so i dont know if this will be an ongoing thing? or is it known for them not to milk for a couple of litters then start producing? id worry that a repeat would happen if i mated her again and am thinkin about gettin her spayed.....im assumin spayin would stop the phantoms?


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

xXFooFooLaFluffXx said:


> she didnt lose them, she never had them! i had to take the kits away cos she wasnt producin milk to feed them


She still knew she had them though hun, and she went through the process but she didnt actually get to care for them so she is probably just confused



> see above, she never had milk to begin with, she has had 2 litters, both she failed to produce milk, so i dont know if this will be an ongoing thing? or is it known for them not to milk for a couple of litters then start producing? id worry that a repeat would happen if i mated her again and am thinkin about gettin her spayed.....im assumin spayin would stop the phantoms?


Some arnt able to produce milk so my guess is it would be ongoing. Spaying doesnt always stop the phantom pregnancys.


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## coopere (Aug 6, 2008)

I think this is what my doe is going through. She built a nest and became a bit defensive but today was supposed to be the last possible day she might give birth and no sign of any babies - unless they come tonight which I think is now unlikely as she has abandoned the nest she made. Sorry to here you lost all the babies.
Emma


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

when you say she failed to produce milk, how long was she with the babies before you took them away?

sometimes it takes a while to come through, and rabbits only feed their youngsters once a day.


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

Rabbits can resorb embryos if food or conditions are not right, she may have done that.


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

pigglywiggly said:


> when you say she failed to produce milk, how long was she with the babies before you took them away?
> 
> sometimes it takes a while to come through, and rabbits only feed their youngsters once a day.


 
i know they only feed their young once a day. They were born 1am sunday morning, i left them with her until the thursday, though i was supplement feeding, and they hadnt been fed overnight when i got up and checked each morning, i only took them away the thursday. i also checked her regularly and she wasnt lactating, im positive of that. i stepped in because last time her litter died within 48 hours, they starved to death


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

how horrible for you, i must admit i cheat and mate the does two at a time so i have a handy foster mother about


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

pigglywiggly said:


> how horrible for you, i must admit i cheat and mate the does two at a time so i have a handy foster mother about


 
that actually sounds like a good idea. does fosterin them work? or have you never had to do it? this last litter wasnt intentional, seperated too late i think


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

its very easy, i take out the new mom, rub my hands in her litter corner, roll the new fosterlings in the poo too........and sneak them in while she`s running around the garage floor with a carrot.

pop new mom back in and she`s non the wiser!

i`ve had some strange litters, minirex with netherland dwarf babies!


i have found that babies kept from clueless mothers with no milk tend to be useless at breeding too, it definatly is inherited!


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

Fixx said:


> Rabbits can resorb embryos if food or conditions are not right, she may have done that.


 
this is ditta cant be bothered logging in ....lol

what does this mean ray?, that she will absorb the embryos, she had four kits on valentines day and has not seen the male since then never mind been near him......how can she re-absorb if she gave birth? do they retain sperm? maybe she only had half her kits......could that happen..? but the retained ones would be fully formed not embryos? im totally confused and i think she is too. but me more:lol2:


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

i`ve never heard of a rabbit retaining sperm............

absorbing a litter half way through is very common tho, especially if the doe has been roughly handled.

your does hormones are probly a bit all-over-the-place after loosing the litter


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

With the rabbits at the sanctuary spayed females never have phantoms or make a nest. Unspayed rabbits make nests even when they have never been near a male


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

pigglywiggly said:


> i`ve never heard of a rabbit retaining sperm............
> 
> *absorbing a litter half way through is very common tho,* especially if the doe has been roughly handled.
> 
> your does hormones are probly a bit all-over-the-place after loosing the litter


 
but would that make her give birth to the absorbed litter, my understanding of aborbing is breaking them down back into blood n stuff and using it in her own body.......not saving some to give birth to at a leter date........or is the absorbtion theory to explain her hormonal behaviour and her getting confused enough to make a nest......sorry im just not getting this:lol2:


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

no, if they adsorb the litter, you dont see anything , its unlikely that yours has anything retained. if they have they tend to hang around the nest all restless, and occasionally you see straining or a bloody discharge.

( rabbit breeders tend to give does three chances to have a litter.......then get rid to a pet home! )

sounds like yours isnt cut out to be a mother, maybe spaying her is a good idea?


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

yup i think speying her will be the answer.....will leave her a few days and then get her booked in, we do have an unrelated female on hold so if we can ever get over the torture of these last few litters, we will still have two does to breed from. i dont think we could go through all this again so maybe having the 3 does and the buck just as very gorgeous ginger kidless pets, oh and the baby we keeping from the sucessful litter:flrt:


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## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

i`ve been very lucky with my buns, only really had one nightmare doe who PEELED her babies alive when she had them.

i re-mated her and sat up in the shed for nights on end waiting for her to give birth so i could remove them asap ( had foster mom all lined up ) and she did it again! think she got a bit overzealous cleaning them up!

found her a lovely pet home, and gave up my ideas of opal broken minilops!


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

pigglywiggly said:


> no, if they adsorb the litter, you dont see anything , its unlikely that yours has anything retained. if they have they tend to hang around the nest all restless, and occasionally you see straining or a bloody discharge.
> 
> ( rabbit breeders tend to give does three chances to have a litter.......then get rid to a pet home! )
> 
> sounds like yours isnt cut out to be a mother, maybe spaying her is a good idea?


Rabbits can resorb partial litters too.


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## Pimperella (Sep 26, 2006)

pigglywiggly said:


> its very common, especially where two does are kept together,
> i`d check that all her milk has dried up, or she could develop mastitis,
> 
> it might be better to mate her up again, she`d be a lot happier.


 
It might be better her never being mated up again.

But since as she is no doubt still with the male as ios the other doe. Then ain't likely this doe is going to get any mental relief any time soon.

The male was never taken out and all three, 2 does and Buck have been left together.
I gave you advice after advice. All of which you chose to ignore, then wonder why you have problems?


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## quizicalkat (Jul 7, 2007)

of course there is the chance that she is just scared of them - I have had the odd doe that doesn't like the way it feels when the babies start to feed - I found boxing them really helped and once they had learnt that it didn't really hurt them they were fine.

however as other people have said if the doe has been a bad mother a couple of times - it is likely she will always be a bad mother and often her offspring will too.

but to answer the question yes unspayed does do have 'phantoms': victory:


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Pimperella said:


> The male was never taken out and all three, 2 does and Buck have been left together.
> I gave you advice after advice. All of which you chose to ignore, then wonder why you have problems?


Are you talking about xXFooFooLaFluffXx's rabbits? They have been together all this time? even when the does were kindling? and nursing?

Just out of curiosity was the female rabbit ever taken to the vets for oxytocin or similar?


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

Pimperella said:


> It might be better her never being mated up again.
> 
> *But since as she is no doubt still with the male as ios the other doe.* Then ain't likely this doe is going to get any mental relief any time soon.
> 
> ...


why dont you get your facts right eh pimps??? if you bothered to take me off ignore on msn after your childish b*tch fit then you would know that the two does arent with the male, they are in completely different rooms on completely different floors, and havent been with him for a while!! So unless you have some idea of the actual situation id stop makin bitchy comments. So therefore the Doe isnt being mated with again and is getting mental relief!


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

LoveForLizards said:


> Are you talking about xXFooFooLaFluffXx's rabbits? They have been together all this time? even when the does were kindling? and nursing?
> 
> Just out of curiosity was the female rabbit ever taken to the vets for oxytocin or similar?


see above post to pimps


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

Ohh okies, well you have a pm. x


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

LoveForLizards said:


> Ohh okies, well you have a pm. x


brilliant thankyou pm replied to 

she seems to have stopped makin the nest now n is being relatively normal now :lol2:


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

xXFooFooLaFluffXx said:


> brilliant thankyou pm replied to
> 
> she seems to have stopped makin the nest now n is being relatively normal now :lol2:


glad shes seeming to feel a bit better  im sure you feel for her enough without everyone making assumptions its your fault ,specially after the sad loss of the little ones


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## xXFooFooLaFluffXx (Aug 4, 2007)

ami_j said:


> glad shes seeming to feel a bit better  im sure you feel for her enough without everyone making assumptions its your fault ,specially after the sad loss of the little ones


im thick skinned and can give as good as i get :lol2: plus, some people are just out to be nasty, im sure i will cope

thanks for your kind words x


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

xXFooFooLaFluffXx said:


> brilliant thankyou pm replied to
> 
> she seems to have stopped makin the nest now n is being relatively normal now :lol2:


Thats great, sorry I just sent you a PM back without reading this, ignore the last bit :lol2:


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