Hockeyaholic Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 I opened the rablu door this morning to find the biggest wad of fur in their bed, at first I was concerned they'd been fighting even though they cuddle up & clean each other all day. Anyway after a thorough inspection of both there appear to be no bald patches, blood or scratches. So my second thought was -are they nest building? even though they're 2 girls! I've had a quick search on net and found that rabbits do tend to do this. We have double checked their sex in the past but I'm now concerned one may be pregnant or think they are. We're thinking of ringing the vet tomorrow for advice but was wondering if anyone else had this experience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 A rabbit of mine a long time ago had a "phantom pregnancy" where she nested and pulled out her fur. We just let it pass naturally, took about a week after we had removed the "nest". Had a quick look on another forum for you and it says this: "bunnies can get this from contact with any other animals, including humans. Usually passes in about a week, or clean out the cage as she will be building a nest. Usually destroying the nest stops it straight away. They will get hyper-agressive during the "pregnancy". HOWEVER, if she is not eating you should take her to the vet immediately!!! Especially if it is over a long period. Some of my bunnies lost their appetite during pregnancies, but you can't take the risk. Also, you might consider getting her neutered." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyaholic Posted April 18, 2007 Author Share Posted April 18, 2007 Thanks. I hope it's a phantom pregnancy as I really wasn't intending to breed them. We spoke to our vets who said its quite possible that they may be a boy and girl as they are difficult to sex when young - so they said to bring them in and they'll have another look. So I guess we'll wait and see... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunniesrus Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 Eek! Sounds a bit scary! Hopefully we'll be getting a doe soon because our boy bunny Will is a bit lonely and aparrantly the best thing to do is get an older lady rabbit which has already been neutered! They're really hard to find!! LOL I think that you should get both bunnies neutered even though they're both girls...Or are they?! I hope everything works out okay for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyaholic Posted April 21, 2007 Author Share Posted April 21, 2007 Phew! Went to the Vets this morning and my bunnies are both girls like we orginally thought. So no baby bunnies thankfully It seems they're just getting a bit frisky going through puberty and all. Our vet doesn't encourage getting them neutered/spayed unless its necessary i.e. behaviour etc..as its a big operation for such a small animal especially for the females. Though it seems our bigger bunny Tallulah may need to be done as shes the one who's been pulling her fur out and bossing little Delilah around, They get on great at the mo and don't fight but it's something to keep an eye on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 It's interesting that your vet doesn't encourage getting them spayed as that goes against all other advice i ahve ever heard. Female bunnies stand a very high chance of getting uterine cancer unless they are spayed (especially if they aren't being bred from). As with any animal or human, there is a risk from the anaesthetic, but the breeder who our girls came from wholeheartedly recommends it. See her site at http://www.rossrabbits.co.uk for further information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Same here, I've not heard of anyone advising not to have them done, I think you may find they have more behaviour problems in the future, I would get a second opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 23, 2007 Share Posted April 23, 2007 Mine went mad with their hormones for about a month before they were due to be done. They calmed down and went back to being litter trained about 2 weeks afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeyaholic Posted April 23, 2007 Author Share Posted April 23, 2007 Sorry when I say doesn't encourage I don't mean our vets are saying they shouldn't be 'done', they just said that it's worth seeing how things go. So like at the moment one of our rabbits is getting a bit hormonal and nest making whilst the other is fairly relaxed (for a netherland dwarf ). At the moment they're technically hitting puberty so it's to be expected. If it carrys on our vet said to comeback in a month and discuss it with them, but for now they're fine and healthy. I think the point our vet is trying to make is that its a big op for a small animal that may not be necessary - if it's in the best interests of the bunnies then they'll do it. I must say I have full confidence in our vets, they seem to genuinely care about the animals and don't push you into anything. We used to take our animals to a vetinary surgery where it was obvious that there main aim was to get as much money out of you as possible. Needless to say we don't take our pets there anymore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted April 24, 2007 Share Posted April 24, 2007 I'm glad to hear that your vet has their best interests at heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
