Doe pulled fur 7 days ago, still no babies....

Jayzandra

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I bought 2 does and a buck on Jan 28 and the guy said they might already be bred to a different buck. Well, I tried putting the does in with the buck (one at a time) about a week after I got them and they both refused him.
Then I noticed the Silver Fox (first time mom) doe started pulling fur on Feb 10. So I put hay in both cages and she made a nest. Then the California doe (kindled before) started making a nest feb 14. But there are still no babies. How long after nest making and fur pulling does it normally take before kindling? This is my first time. Thank you!
 

alsea1

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A doe starts nest building just before she kindles.
Your does should have had babies by now. Its possible that the move stressed them and maybe they absorbed the litter.
Odd for this to occur with both does though. False preg. comes to mind but also odd for this to happen with both of them.
If they seem fine I would rebreed them and try again.
 

firedragon1982

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One of my girls did the same, pulled about a week early, pulled again 3 days before, and the night of. Her babies were so warm half of them laid on top of the fur!! It's been 4 months since her babies have been born, and her fur is JUST recovering from how much she pulled off her sides. She looked like a badly cut shag rug.
 

Bunnylady

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Most does will do some gathering of hay and that sort of nesting material for a week or so before the babies are due, but usually don't pull fur until just before the kits are born. Some does may pull a mouthful or two for a couple of days before, but if I see a mound of fur in a nest box, I expect to find babies under it. With that being the normal pattern, if I see a doe pull a bunch of fur and no babies are produced, I assume a false pregnancy. To every rule, of course, there are exceptions, and until you have seen what a doe does, you can't be sure. I had a Jersey Wooly that started fur pulling a good 10 days before the kits were due, and kept it up until they arrived. At that point the cage was swimming in wool, and she was almost completely bald. She'd have just a little 2-inch-wide "Mohawk" of hair right along her spine, and fur on her head and paws, but her belly, chest and sides were completely bare. Someone saw her newly kindled once, and asked me if she'd had surgery, she really was that bare.
 

DutchBunny03

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False pregnancy is pretty likely. Some does almost never have them, but some have them a lot. I have one doe that has false pregnancies all.the.time. It gets annoying. That may be why your doe refused the buck, too. Try palpating the does. This usually only works between 11-14 days gestation, but you may feel something that could indicate a pregnancy. If you know the weights of each rabbit when you bought them and compare that weight to how much they weigh now, that may help you know if one or both are pregnant.
 

Jayzandra

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OK, so I put the silver Fox in with the buck and she accepted him. He fell off 4 times. So I guess it was a false pregnancy. I put the California in with him and she still refused and growled at him. She hasn't started pulling fur, just made a nest with straw. I'm going to put the silver Fox in again tomorrow just to be sure, then mark my calendar.
 

Jayzandra

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There's 4 dark ones and 3 pink ones. Mom is California, dad is Silverfox.
She didn't pull fur until right before. I went to feed and there they were!

KIMG1310.JPG
 

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