Some female questions

[LittlePuffyTail]

Okay so my new bun is a girl. I’m not sure how old she is, the petstore said under a year probably. I know for sure she had babies at a young age, not sure how old though. Will this make her spay more difficult when the time comes?

I also have a few questions I figure someone can answer faster than if I do a search (okay, so I’m lazy )

* What age can a female reproduce?

* How long is the pregnancy?

* How can you tell if your doe is pregnant?

I picked her up today and her belly is quite big. It’s probably just that she’s fat from the junk pellets she’s eating but since I don’t know much about her I guess there is a possibility she could be pregnant (Oh, God…I hope not). Her tummy is fat but also sort of hardish.

Any info in this area would be great! I don’t know much about this.

[Sarita]

They can get pregnant at 4 months from what I understand.

The pregnancy is 28 to 30 days I believe – they have a short gestation period.

The only way you can really tell is to see if the vet can palpate her or maybe if she starts nesting (?) – but even nesting can be a false pregnancy.

Will being pregnant or being young make her spay more difficult? Not sure what the question on that is – pregnant – possibly if she is very far along although our vet spays being pregnant rabbits and they come out fine – it is harder on them but they are okay. Being young is easier to spay too – under a year.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I believe the longest gestation period is 33 days so by 34 you know your in the clear!

Like Sarita said it’s pretty much impossible to tell if they are pregnant…So really just wait it out!

[Beka27]

i don’t *think* the spay will be more difficult.  but i’m no expert.  i think it should just be the same.  i would ask tho b/c she may have a higher risk for other tumors or something.  i would also wait re: babies.  we’ve heard some stories where even the vet was not sure if the girl was pregnant or not.  i hate that she’s already had babies once.  what a ridiculously irresponsible store.  ugh.  i’m sure they loved it b/c they probably sold each “oops bunny” for full freakin’ price!   *scoff*

[LittlePuffyTail]

Okay so if no babies by the end of April it will be fine. Like I said I don’t really think she is pregnant but it is possible.

I’m hoping to get her fixed this summer sometime. I have to wait until the old credit card is wiped clean

I heard about tumors being common at about 80% chance in an unspayed doe. Do these tumors usually happen to young rabbits or is it more common in an elderly or teenage rabbit? Is there more chance of tumors developing if the bunny is spayed at a later age.

Is there any good sites that have lots of info on does? I’ve had only boys for so long, I need to read up on the gal bunnies.

[Sarita]

Well, I’m I hope she isn’t pregnant because that would be another big expense for you – babies :~(

She should be fine if you wait until this summer to get her spayed though as long as you do get her spayed.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Yes I definetly will get her spayed. All my pets get fixed.

I REALLY hope she’s not pregnant because I don’t need any extra stress!!! And it would be extremely hard for me to give them away, I get attached really easily to anything cute and there’s no way I could keep em all!!!! God 3 bunnies is enough!!!

How many bunnies do you have Sarita?

[Sarita]

I have 10 and it’s alot of work. I am currently bonding 2 for the rescue I help at too – so that makes it 12 right now – I hope I get these 2 bonded very soon :~) so they can go to their new home and I can be back down to 10.

[LittlePuffyTail]

Wow. 10 Buns!!! I think I could probably take care of 10 okay but it’s the cost and where the heck would I stick em all. Also it would be a lot of work unless I had really big cages that the buns didn’t need to come out for a run a couple of hours a day. That takes up a lot of time since Storm and Bindi aren’t bonded.

I imagine it’s extremely hard to work at a rescue and not have that many buns!! Your great to open your home to so many!

[MarkBun]

Take her in for an examination. Let the doc find out if she’s pregnant or not. An early check-up is always a good idea and if she is pregnant, it will at least give you some time to think about what to do.

Maryann had a litter at a young age too but it didn’t affect the spay in any manner. The cancer usually doesn’t hit until around year 2 so you have time.

[Scarlet_Rose]

This is a good medical resource: http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rabrefs.html#tumors

I hope for your sake she is not pregnant and is just chubby from poor diet. Please keep us updated.

[MooBunnay]

Its so nice o you to take this bun in and get her some proper care! It sounds like she really needs the help. I’d recommend just getting her to a vet as quickly as you can, it would be difficult for you to tell on your own exactly what is going on with her, so the vet should be able to clear things up for you! I hope that your little girl is in good shape soon

[BinkyBunny]

Regarding the tumors, my understanding is it happens quicker in non-breeding bunnies, but that it usually spotted between 2 – 5 year old, but can happen later in life too.

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