Zoe is Nesting

[bunnyjames]

Zoe is nesting and I dont know why, she was gathering up hay and was really anxious wanting to get out of her cage so I did but she kept taking hay into Luna’s bedroom closet. So I got her and put her back in the cage. And she sarted whimpering like a little dog with the hay in her mouth. So I got the box that I had used for the foster babes and put it in her cage and she started making the nest!!!  The babes that are still here were also in the cage eating and she started yanking fur out of them!! and when they wouldnt let themselves she actually mounted them!!! Whats wrong with Zoe?! What should I do? should I stop the behavior or just let her do what she is doing, she is still building the nest. I’ve hear rabbits are most likely to get phantom ptegnancies if they have never been mated and never had a litter but Zoe well has been through both. Can it be due to stress that some of the babes are gone? I think im’a start frikin out if I see she pulls out her fur. She took out good chunks out of the babes.

[Otti]

Hmmm I have no idea what’s going on but I’d probably first at least separate her from the remaining babies so she can’t pull out their fur or mount them anymore…

[RabbitPam]

Are either of the babies male? I think separating them from Zoe is probably a good idea. Otherwise, I’d say let her continue to nest. I doubt she will do any permanent damage to herself with her own fur pulls, but she could hurt the other babies. You don’t want her to hump one that is male who humps back and then gives the nest a purpose. Wait, has she been spayed now? Not an issue if she has.

She must be very tired and confused after all she’s been through. I would let her come to grips with the absent babies and settle down in her own way. If it comforts her to make a nest, what’s the harm.

[Sarita]

She is having a false pregnancy. When are you having her spayed?

[bunnyjames]

yeah one of them is male, and I did separate them cuz the bunny really didnt like that she was pulling out his fur. And im not exaclty sure when she will get spayed since she’s having problems keeping a stable weight and has recenlty completely healed from her stitches. I’m taking her once a month to the vet right now since they are keeping record of the fluctuating weight she’s having which they said might be due to her being a momma so young and having gone through nursing 2 litters of kits consecutively. I let her out of her cage once she was done making the nest and all she did was go lay down out back and started licking the babes that were outside. The babes have not been mounting or anything so im guessing they arent even close to being mature enough to mate. But tomorrow they will all be taken away though except for stella who is staying until friday. She didnt pull out her fur though!! so im happy about that, but she has been digging non stop making some pretty extensive tunnels. should i stop her? she’s been filling them up with dried grass and leaves, also something i’ve never witnessed from her is she wont let Chomper near her she chases him away and even tries to bite him when he comes near the tunnels or nest box inside her cage. Her aggresiveness is what has me worried, she was PERFECTLY fine yesterday. I cant understand why this sudden and drastic change from night to morning. The vet said if her next weigh in is consistent then she will most likely get spayed by early January but its not a for sure thing. Zoe has never been the aggressive type especially with Chomper she LOVES Chomper they are always playing and sleeping together. oh and she is 8 months.

[Sarita]

It’s hormones and well, there’s just nothing that can be explained about hormones :~) Hormones can cause these changes from day to day.

[bunnyjames]

Ahhhhhh!!! she’s pulling out her fur now!! and is putting it inside her nest box!!!! her doing this is stressing me out! and is fixing it up all nice in there. Do false pregnancies in rabbits go this far as to pulling out there own fur?!!!! she’s whimpering/squealing now as she fixes the nest with the fur!! what’s woring with her?!!!! could she be in some sort of pain???

[Otti]

Is your boy bunny neutered? Is there any way at all that she could have gotten pregnant? Like by another rabbit (not one you own) while out in the yard? If it couldn’t have been your boy bunny or another rabbit then it must be a ghost pregnancy. Not sure if the squealing is normal. Hope it turns out okay, I’m sure it’s a stressful situation.

[bunnyjames]

Yes, Chomper my male bunny is neutered for sure!! I took him personally and saw his stiches!! And no i dont think there are other rabbits near us, my neighbor on the the left has 1 dog and a guinea pig my neighbor to the right not sure, but the fence in the back is wodden picket fence that is 8 ft tall and 2 ft deep. that bunny (if it exists) would have to have busted a big mission to get to Zoe. The reason that fence is so high and deep is because my neighbor to the left used to have 2 bunnies both males and I used to have Apple which was a female that had not been spayed so we both decided to pitch in to build a fence in which our bunnies would never be able to get to the other side. his buns were big diggers so thats the whole reason for the 2 ft deep fence. But his buns died about 2 years ago.

[Monkeybun]

Yes, they can and will pull out their own fur for a false pregnancy. Its what my Smudge was doing when I first brought her home as a foster bun.

Honestly, I would keep her inside until she is spayed. Bunnies can dig deep… she may be able to dig out, or another bun dig in. Better to be safe than sorry.

[LoveChaCha]

Yikes.. I would get her spayed asap. Poor thing, she sounds like she is having a false pregnancy

[bunnyjames]

AHHHHHH!!!!! guys Zoe just had kits!!! how did that happen!!! she had them insdie Luna’s closet, I took her out cuz i thought maybe if I let her out she will settle down and I just saw her come out of Luna’s room with bloddy whiskers!!!! I looked in the closet and there is all this fur and stuff moving under it!!!!!Once again Chomper IS neutered i took him myself! AHHHHHHH!!!! I dont think I can handle more baby rabbits it is so stressful and HARD and EXPENSIVE!!!! Seriously how did this happen?! I have my boyfriend right now looking through the backyard to see if there are any holes or escape routes. I really doubt it though!!!!!!! I want to cry now, i feel so stressed just to think I have to do this all over again!! =( Not that I dont love Zoe but raising baby buns is stressful and hard

[Monkeybun]

Yep. keep her in. And definitely keep any of the current litter away from her and the new babies.

 

Edit: Zoe has been digging. She could definitely have dug out and under the fence. So DO NOT let her out again.

[jerseygirl]

Oh no! Can you take her to be seen by your vet? I’m really concerned this is too much for her. She’ll be feeding a third consecutive litter. Contact the rescue people you’ve been dealing with also for support. If it’s causing this much stress, get some help with this, even if it means Zoe and this litter are at a foster home temporarily.

As to how it happened…? I suppose one of the “babies” – some can have testicals even as young as 8-10 weeks. I don’t know…

Get some help with them Moz.

[Otti]

Wow, another litter definitely sounds super stressful. At least tell yourself this is for sure the last one since you’ll know now not to let Zoe outside at all or around any babies potentially reaching sexual maturity until she is spayed.

Hoping this turns out okay for you. At least now you have all the information and experience you need to know how to respond.

[Monkeybun]

And how sure are you that Chomper is neutered? Did you take him in yourself, or were you told he was when you got him?

[FluffyBunny]

Just stay calm and make sure Zoe is doing alright and feeding the babies.

Was she around the neutered male less than 6 weeks after his neuter? Sometimes there’s a little bit of sperm left for a few weeks after a male is neutered. It’s also possible that a testicle was partially missed.

[bunnyjames]

Im a step ahead of you jerseygirl im dressing up Luna and getting Zoe into her carrier, called her vet and she can meet me at the emergency vet hospital. That has me very concerned too. My boyfriend is staying with the litter of kits and seeing if he could put them in the nest box in her cage. Not sure how many she had though, kinda scared to look, joping she only had 2. lol (thats a nervous laugh). I’ve spent more thant

[jerseygirl]

I’ll jump back in here…. Monkeybun, Moz mentioned above she took Chomper in herself, saw his stitches etc. I believe it was well before Zoe was around as there was
another bun he was with wasn’t there Moz?

[bunnyjames]

No Chomper has been neutered for about a year now and i took him personally.

[bunnyjames]

ill keep you guys posted im ready to leave to the vet already.

[jerseygirl]

The “how?” is not really important now. Her health and this litter is. Keep her entirely separated from the ones being homed and Chomper to minimise stress. As you said, she was already acting out toward the older babies.  I’d be wary of allowing Luna near her too. Zoe might be really stressed and therefore aggressive. I know she’s been a great mother already and not displayed agression toward you too much but things can cchange depending on her health.

[jerseygirl]

ill keep you guys posted im ready to leave to the vet already.

Oh good. Hope you get some good support.

[FluffyBunny]

Sending health vibes to Zoe and her new babies. I hope that everybun’s healthy and that you can get some help.

[mrmac]

I hope everything goes well! Please keep us updated! Many health vibes to Zoe and the babies!

[Michelle&Lolli]

OH MY GOD! I am just as shocked as you are! And here I was just getting ready to post that I hoped her spazzy hormones calmed down soon. Oh my, poor you and Zoe!

I hope it all works out ok. You will figure this out. At least most of the older babies will be going to their homes tomorrow. I really don’t know what to say except that I am sending positive, calming vibes and will be praying for you.

[Monkeybun]

Ah ok JG. I had read that, and totally spaced about it immediately heh. Must need more caffeine….

So its likely then, that either a foster bun was the culprit, or a male found her outside.

Either way, hope she and the babies stay healthy. Poor ladybun. Tis alot of work nursing that many little ones! Vibes to Zoe and babies!

[FluffyBunny]

How are the bunnies today?

[bunnyjames]

Okay guys so took zoe to the vet last night and i didnt get out until 12am  but her vet said shes perfectly healthy. She said to try to keep her on lots and lots of alfalfa, fresh greens, and pellets. I will take her back in 2 weeks to see how she is doing with the nursing and hopefully she will get through this litter just fine. Vet thought waht many of ou hear have said, maybe one of the babes was mature enough to have mated with her.  But today when i get home i will double check my backyard. Oh and she had 6. All of them alive so far and wiggling around. I was hoping she had 3 like last time, but yeah that didnt happen Zoe seems to be taking this pretty good since she fed them early today before i left to work and is back to her sweet old self. Im thinking yesterday she might have been feeling some sort of discomfort and thats why didnt want anyone near her. I was seriously thinking at the vet yesterday about having someone foster Zoe and and the babesjust while she finished nursing them but came to the conclusion I couldnt do that. Zoe is a really sweet rabbit but only with people she knows and i dont want to stress her out more than she already is. I guess ill just have to bite the bullet o this one. Its just so EXPENSIVE and time consuming!! Ive spent around $400 with the foster babes for the 2 months ive had them. They go through litter, hay and food like no tomorrow and is really hard trying to keep and attend to each of the bunnies needs. Anyone out there wanting to breed a rabbit just for the fun of it DONT! not fun at all and really expensive plus it takes a reall beat down on your doe, Zoe looks tired and so thin. Ill post pics maybe tomorrow of the new kits so you guys can meet them. Oh I will talk to the people from rabbit organization to see if they can help me find homes for them once they are 2 months.

[Otti]

I looked at just the smiley faces in your post in order, and they really tell the whole story LOL Sorry this happened again! It sounds really stressful but you’re doing such a good job coping with it. I probably wouldn’t have thought the foster babies would have been mature enough yet to mate with her either, so it’s an honest mistake. You were so generous to take them in in the first place – it’s unfortunate that it’s caused even more stress. At least you know you’re at the end of it! 2 months down the line you’ll finally be out of this situation, and now if anyone else on the board has this happen to them unexpectedly, you’ll have all this expert advice.

[LoveChaCha]

Wow I’m sorry Moz. *sends hugs and vibes to you*

So did the Vet say when to seperate Zoe and her kits? It could have possibly happened when Zoe was with the foster bunnies. The bunnies did look awfully big, despite being so young. I hope it doesn’t happen again! No more stressors for you!!

Poor Zoe *hugs to little bunny*

[RabbitPam]

I’m glad Zoe is coming through this well so far. How soon after the litter can she be spayed – did your vet say? I know it’s been expensive for you, but for her sake I think that’s very urgent to get done. If there’s another doe at the rescue who can help foster nurse the babies, that might be an option to give Zoe some relief, and help her heal sooner. I am concerned that she will be able to feed this many babies at this stage.
{{{{{{Healthy vibes to Zoe and babes}}}}}}}}}}}}

[allegrabunny]

Picking my jaw up off the floor…omg! Goodness.

[bunnyjames]

I’m glad Zoe is coming through this well so far. How soon after the litter can she be spayed – did your vet say? I know it’s been expensive for you, but for her sake I think that’s very urgent to get done. If there’s another doe at the rescue who can help foster nurse the babies, that might be an option to give Zoe some relief, and help her heal sooner. I am concerned that she will be able to feed this many babies at this stage.

I talked with Zoe’s vet about all that, and that was one of the main concerns of the vet too, Zoe is only 8 months and and has already cared for 10 babes and now these 6. Thats alot for a doe her age evethough she didnt give birth to the last litter but vet was telling me that nurisng is what takes a toll on rabbits. So the vet and I decided for Zoe to feed the newborns for maybe 3-4 weeks and then for me to bottle feed for the remaining time. She feels its important and necessary for the kits to get some amount of their mommas milk in order to reduce digestive problems in the future. The vet will wait for 1 month after Zoe has stopped nursing and then spay her. I had planned doing it at the SPCA since they charge cheaper around 190 for her, but due to the fact that there might be complications cuz of all the stress she’s been through I will have to spay her at the vet where she goes, which comes out to $290. By the way she gave birth to some REALLY REALLY chuncky babies.

[Beka27]

I think it’s obvious that the foster babies could not have impregnated her at 4 weeks old. How long ago did her 3 babies leave and how many weeks were they when they left?

[bunnyjames]

Yeah I really doubt it was one of the babes too, since they barely turned 2 months on the 13th of this month. Her last babe left about a month ago but i was never sure if it was a boy or girl. It was 3 months when it left. But i was looking through my backyard and I found a hole near the fence it wasnt that big though I dont think Zoe could fit through there, but just to kill my doubts Im gonna see if i talk to my neighbors and see if any of them have a bun at the present moment that might have had an encounter with Zoe.

[Otti]

Well, 4 weeks wouldn’t have been old enough but I think 2 months is maybe old enough for one of the foster bunnies to have been responsible, though I’ve read 10 weeks.

If the last of her remaining babies (who left 1 month ago at 3 months) was male, it could definitely have done the deed, since gestation time is about a month.

What color are the babies? Not that that’s necessarily a clue… I just kind of want to see them 

[jerseygirl]

One of her original 3 is the most likely scenario and possible from the time frame.

I know this sounds kinda ridiculous but i’d be ultra cautious and keep her and Chomper apart too… Could it be possible his neuter was incomplete? They call pull testicals back up into the canal that they descend from. Though if the vet only found and removed one, surely they would have told you. I’m just thinking of this possibility because of Chompers recent behaviour in acting like an unneutered buck.

[Beka27]

It might be worth a phone call to the vet to look back thru Chomp’s med records… just ask if there was anything out of the ordinary with his neuter.

[bunnyjames]

I think ill do that, but I really doubt it since Chomper used to be bonded with my old bunny who passed away Apple and she was not spayed and she never came out pregnant, plus that means Zoe should have had more than 2 litters by now, they are alway together. Unless there is a chance that over time some how something “changed” in him and became fertile again. But Ill ask next week when I take Zoe back to the vet. Right now I dont allow them to be together since Zoe doesnt really want him around and tries to attack him. I think she might be feeling a bit down and just doesnt want to deal with him. lol.

[allegrabunny]

I think some buns can have an undesecended testicle so if the vet only found one hanging maybe the other is still in good shape. That of Zoe is hanging out with the wrong crowd. (-; I hope she is feeling better soon

[cactuspancake]

Posted By Moz on 11/14/2010 06:54 PM
Ahhhhhh!!! she’s pulling out her fur now!! and is putting it inside her nest box!!!! her doing this is stressing me out! and is fixing it up all nice in there. Do false pregnancies in rabbits go this far as to pulling out there own fur?!!!! she’s whimpering/squealing now as she fixes the nest with the fur!! what’s woring with her?!!!! could she be in some sort of pain???

Rabbits pulling out their fur is a normal behavior for nesting, don’t freak out! Their hormones cause them to feel good when they do this. Their fur is very insulating and wild rabbits use it in their nests as well as domestic rabbits. Back when people didn’t do spays all the females exhibit this behavior. Some rabbits fur is seven times warmer than wool! Gotta keep those naked “babies” warm is what she’s thinking.

[cactuspancake]

omg I didn’t see till later she had babies! That’s crazy. I hope all your bunnies are ok. <3

[Author]

Messages