Anyone have experience of false pregnancy in rabbits?

[peaceandquiet1]

We got a rabbit from a rescue charity on May 9th and she is exhibiting signs of pregnancy-she became grumpy, starting burrowing, and is now making a nest. No contact with any rabbit since we got her and she is over the gestation period so assuming not actually pregnant. She is very "busy" with her nest so we are leaving her to it but will be getting her spayed soon. Just wondered if anyone had seen this?

 

[peaceandquiet1]

No one?

 

[Zero00000]

Female rabbits will 'nest' often, hormones rage through them, if she isn't spayed I highly suggest doing so, to ease the hormones and cut risks of uterine cancer, how old is she?

 

[Nudibranch]

Not false pregnancy but as a kid I had a single white lop doe who had a big outdoor run. One day I went to clean her hutch and found a furry nest with 4 pink babies...they grew up to be brown, just like wild rabbits but with bigger ears! No idea how they managed it through the mesh, but they did. Is it possible there could have been delayed implantation? Is the nest definitely empty? I guess spaying will sort her out.

 

[Zero00000]

Domestic rabbits cannot breed with cottontails, and they cant do the deed through mesh either, they can hold sperm, but my betting is this is just a hormonal bunny

 

[Equi]

Domestic rabbits cannot breed with cottontails, and they cant do the deed through mesh either, they can hold sperm, but my betting is this is just a hormonal bunny

What? Since when? Said who? REALLY,....? p.s. this is UK not USA, so that may make a difference?

 

[chillipup]

Domestic and wild rabbits in the UK can breed and produce young. (Cottontails are in the USA) I think female (un-spayed) rabbits will often have phantom pregnancies, so you're right to get her spayed.

 

[Zero00000]

No you are right, me getting mixed up,
UK wildies will often not tame... I've been out the 'fancy' a while

 

[webble]

Yes this is pretty common in unspayed females. Getting her spayed will help reduce the hormones and her risk of uterine cancer

 

[peaceandquiet1]

The charity didn't know how old she was, will get her booked in next week. Maybe she will stop digging up the lawn after......

 

[Nudibranch]

Domestic rabbits cannot breed with cottontails, and they cant do the deed through mesh either, they can hold sperm, but my betting is this is just a hormonal bunny

They certainly can through mesh. Otherwise shall we assume the 4 babies were immaculate conception then?

 

[Luv appyz]

Well we raise rabbits and have seen a few false pregnancies in our day. This sounds like a complete falsity to me. If you don't intend to use her for breeding purposes, spay her right away and it will help with the false pregnancy issue.

 

[Luv appyz]

My first thought is the buck is prolly not a cotton tail but an escapee. My guess would be that either the buck got in and by the time u were out there the doe had chased him out again or the doe got out and came back. Also pink babies grow up white not brown. Some crossbreed domestics can look like a cotton tail...
And rabbits CANNOT do their deed through mesh. Fact is fact.