My rabbit has been acting weird for quite a while. It made a nest this morning lined with fur plucked from his own coat. It then jumped on my parents' bed and started pulling our clothes down to the nest(it's another room). When i picked up the clothes,it growled at me. What;s wrong with it? It cant be pregnant cuz we had the male sterilised like abt a year ago.
2007-01-11 01:38:15 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
She's probably having a false pregnancy. She'll pull some fur, make a nest, be grouchy for a few days and then get over it. This can happen when the male tries to breed her (even if he's shooting blanks, rabbits are induced ovulators) or can even be the result of some stressor.
BTW, you're very smart to have had your male rabbit fixed and left your female rabbit intact. Neutering a male rabbit is easier since it's not invasive, and still prevents having baby rabbits. Female rabbits do NOT have an 80% cancer rate, this is a myth put out by the house rabbit folks. (Advice straight from my vet, who is our state's Vet of the Year and very good with rabbits!) I personally think it's cruel to subject any animal to major surgery just to save yourself the inconvenience of picking up some fur after a false pregnancy.
2007-01-11 07:13:01 · answer #1 · answered by BB 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It sounds like it is experiencing a false pregnancy. If you had the male sterilized, then you shouldn't have to worry about her being pregnant. If the male at any point mounted her and tried breeding her then that could definitely explain the false pregnancy. You can do palpating to determine if the rabbit is going to have babies, but normally that is done on the 14th day of the pregnancy. That is when the babies feel like a grape. When they get larger it can be easy to mistake them for an organ in the rabbit because they are larger and no longer round. Even if you spay her she still may possibly experience false pregnancies if you leave the male and female together.
Separate the two rabbits and you shouldn't have to worry about it happening again. I wouldn't recommend disturbing the clothes until she loses interest in her "nest". She should be ok and back to normal after a day or two.
2007-01-11 13:09:40 · answer #2 · answered by devilishblueyes 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Props to the person that mentioned that the house rabbit society has a lot of false information. AVOID THEM!
As someone said, rabbits are induced ovulators. She is likely having a false pregnancy.
If she is indeed pregnant and making a nest, it is too late to palpate (may cause damage). Place a proper nextbox in her cage and wait it out. Do not let her run around the house in the meantime just in case. If the male was sterilized as you say...it's most likely just false.
2007-01-11 23:01:54 · answer #3 · answered by Tater Salad 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rabbits are induced ovulators, which means that they ovulate shortly after mating. Even if the male is altered, if they mate, an unspayed doe (female) will still ovulate and can experience a false pregnancy. The best thing to do for a doe that is exhibiting nesting behavior is to have her spayed. If you are concerned that she might be pregnant, gently palpate the lower abdomen. If there are kits in there, they will feel like grapes. If you are inexperienced in this, it is best to have a vet do it (and discuss spaying at the same time). Good luck :-)
2007-01-11 10:22:47 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
sounds like she's having "pregnant" feelings without being pregnant. If her behavior doesn't change in the next week I'd take her to the vet. Accidents with tube tieing happen.
2007-01-11 09:51:57 · answer #5 · answered by Sciencemom 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
when does become pregnant, usually the day before birth, they pull hair, and lot's of it for a nest and insulation for their babies. Possible the sterilization didn't work?
2007-01-11 10:23:36 · answer #6 · answered by Nikki D 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
She could be going thru a false pregnancy. I suggest that you get her spayed. Unspayed females have an 80% cancer rate. Your bunny will thank you. http://www.rabbit.org
2007-01-11 10:58:51 · answer #7 · answered by sugarcarat 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋