phantom pregnancy in spayed rabbits
Also, remove as many stressors as possible from your rabbit’s living environment. However, it’s almost impossible to prevent false pregnancy in rabbits. Pseudocyesis, false pregnancy, phantom pregnancy. Aside from keeping an intact female rabbit completely separate from an intact male rabbit at all times, the best way to prevent a rabbit from becoming pregnant is to spay it. The female rabbit develops genuine symptoms of pregnancy & goes through the motions. It is sometimes called phantom pregnancy or pseudopregnancy. The good news is that your rabbit will be back to her old self in no time. =] ps (my bunny had one) 0 0 This still needs to be done, though. A rabbit’s phantom pregnancy lasts between 18 and 20 days. This can become very stressful for the rabbit and she can become aggressive as a result. Respect your rabbit’s desire to be left alone at this time. However, read My Experience below for a false pregnancy in a spayed female. She’ll relax and spend more time sleeping. I needed Tilly to be spayed sooner rather than later so she could be paired with her new partner. Have a think about getting her spayed, as well as preventing some diseases and cancers, it will stop the phantom pregnancies. Even if your rabbit lives alone, she can still truly believe that she’s pregnant. Her operation was straight forward & nothing untoward was found. No risk of pregnancy. There could be some other illness occurring. She’ll restore her hutch to the way it was previously, stop tugging out fur, and her temperament will return to normal. What is False Pregnancy in Rabbits? In Annie’s case I find the triggers that set her into having a false pregnancy is when Spring arrives especially when they first start to have full access to the outdoors. The rabbit will lose interest in nesting. Non-pregnant female cat may show symptoms of mothering activity, nesting, and self-nursing I have to admit I am unclear as to what triggers Tilly into having these false pregnancies. Of course I have no proof or scientific evidence to support this it is just what I have observed. Is it common? Any female rabbit of breeding age (3 or more months old) can experience a phantom pregnancy. So, we can say that spaying does not help prevent false pregnancy but it does provide health benefits to our guinea pigs. She will be irritable and territorial. Epidemiology Species, Age, Sex ... Pseudopregnancy (pseudocyesis, false pregnancy) can occur in rabbits, even in pet does kept singly. This is not the case, for two reasons. Run your fingers along the belly. It is not usual for false pregnancies to be so regular. The rabbit will stockpile hay and blankets. The timeline of a false pregnancy vs. genuine pregnancy plays out as follows: As far as the rabbit is concerned, she is pregnant. One of my two doe bunnies started nesting yesterday but has been grumpy with us for several days, especially if we try to pick her up. After this stage, a phantom pregnancy comes to an abrupt halt and the rabbit returns to normal again. 50-75% of unspayed female dogs will experience a noticeable false pregnancy during their lifetime. My vet explained that there is a lot more blood supply around when the hormones are active so it does make the spay operation slightly more risky. If your spayed bunny is having regular false pregnancies you must see a vet. Because rabbits ovulate reflexively in response to sexual stimulation, the proximity of a male, an infertile mating, or mating behavior between two females housed together can stimulate ovulation and result in pseudopregnancy. I’ve loved rabbits for as long as I can remember, so it felt natural to share my passion for lagomorphs with a much wider audience. Females can be prone to false pregnancies, even after being fixed. However, it is still a short time, generally not lasting more than a day. A false pregnancy — also known as a phantom pregnancy, pseudocyesis, or pseudopregnancy — occurs when a fully matured female cat displays all of the signs and symptoms of pregnancy without actually being pregnant. Annie was a mum at a very young age. Isolate the healing rabbit. Be very careful if you're still housing the two rabbits together. It's important for you to go to the vet as soon … You must speak to a vet if this is happening. At this stage, she’ll start to act as though nothing happened. Your rabbit can get some extra exercise once the pseudopregnancy has concluded. However, it’s less likely to happen, and there are health benefits. All the same, your rabbit needs empathy and support from you. Rabbit Hearing Frequency Range. they act like they are pregnant with all the signs until after their 35 day gestation period inn which time they will go back to normal with no bad side effects. Some may even care for the phantom babies for awhile. This is why spaying a female pet rabbit is always advisable, but it doesn’t resolve every issue. I have definitely seen Annie display the behaviours of a false pregnancy after this type of behaviour with Thumper. This is in comparison to a real pregnancy, which lasts around 31 days. Her hormones will be extremely erratic and she’ll be temperamental. Hormonal surges can make a doe look and act like she is pregnant. The causes of false pregnancy in cats are hormonal: when a female is in heat and mates, ovulation is induced … After a discussion with my vet we decided to give her another week, which we did. If you have spayed your female rabbit, you may think that she is safe from male attention. I would recommend getting her spayed, as to be a responsible breeder you must know several generations back (5 is recommended) of the parent rabbits to make sure there will be no genetic problems. She mainly collects nesting material & will often sit about with it in her mouth. A female that’s been spayed can still experience a phantom pregnancy. As far as your rabbit is concerned, it didn’t. Your rabbit will acknowledge that she isn’t pregnant around 3 weeks into the process. Rabbits can be aggressive around each other. The vet advised getting her spayed but said that I had to wait 6 weeks after her season before they could operate and then only if she wasnt having another pahntom pregnancy. She’ll also start tearing out her fur to create a lining for her nest. Make your rabbit as comfortable as possible. Female rabbits are able to have kits from about 4-6 months of age. She’ll return to her usual behaviors, as if nothing happened and be less moody. This will mean that it’s less likely to tear out her fur to line the nest. We decided to go ahead with the spay. She is also easily distracted from it too, if it is feeding time the nesting material is dropped immediately & completely forgotten about & she doesn’t go back to it after feeding. Shortly after her babies had left home she was spayed. She will act exactly the same as when she’s pregnant. A false/phantom pregnancy or Pseudo pregnancy as it is sometimes referred to is a common occurrence in female rabbits. Spaying is essential if you are keeping two rabbits together to prevent fighting and breeding. It occurs when a rabbit becomes convinced that she is pregnant, even when this is impossible. Keeping two unspayed females together, even if they are sisters, is very likely to result in serious fighting and the risk of injuries. She’ll eat more, become volatile, and may be more aggressive towards male rabbits. She’ll start eating more and become increasingly agitated. The female rabbit develops genuine symptoms of pregnancy & … She won’t have a litter at the end of it, but it’s still exhausting. If your spayed bunny is having regular false pregnancies you must see a vet. However, the risk was still very low & we needed to know if something else was going on. Spaying a guinea pig won’t make her less attracted to the male; even an unneutered male will still mount a spayed female, which can result in phantom pregnancy. There are two solutions to phantom pregnancies - get the doe spayed or mate her with a buck. Spaying a rabbit is around $200 and must be done by an exotic animal vet. Genuine rabbit pregnancy symptoms include: She will engage in the same behaviors as a pregnant rabbit for around 18 – 20 days. Even though she is a spayed female she occasionally has brief false pregnancies. Thanks again, Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Even two female rabbits will get on better if they are both spayed. This state of mind is maintained for up to 20 days. The only difference I have noticed between an unsprayed & spayed female is that the unsprayed female tends to mimic a true pregnancy with a lot more of the symptoms than an unsprayed female & it lasts a lot longer. While female rabbits instinctively prepare for the arrival of their young, they are not natural caregivers. The day I went to adopt her it was noticed that her teats were very swollen, nonetheless I wanted her & went ahead with the adoption. Thank you so much for this information. If not, it’s likely a false pregnancy. I won't share your email or send you any junk mail! A lot of people say that when a female mounts another rabbit it is a display of dominance but I am not so sure that is the case every time. This is especially true when keeping male and female rabbits in the same cage. This was done just over a week ago now and doesn't seem to be sitting in it anymore, can anyone tell me when I should remove the nest as I don't want to do it too soon as to upset her or start her making another one. She can also experience phantom pregnancy after the previous one concludes. Put some soft/fluffy items in the hutch. Spaying should stop the false pregnancies occuring and prevent any aggression from developing, and will also avoid health problems in the future (uterine cancer is a big risk for rabbits). They'll be larger. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Annie’s false pregnancies are very brief lasting just a few hours. It’s no secret that rabbits breed quickly and often. dominant) phase and is associated with the production of the hormone prolactina hormone released from the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland that stimulates the secretion of progesterone by the corpus luteum and initiates and maintains lactation... Spaying … If repeated pseudopregnancy occurs, then the animal should either be mated or spayed. Hi I think my female bunny is having a phantom pregnancy. Female Rabbit is Spayed But Male Wants to Mate with Her. A false/phantom pregnancy or Pseudo pregnancy as it is sometimes referred to is a common occurrence in female rabbits. Her 'phantom' pregnancy should probably last for about another week, and if you get her spayed she wont have anymore 'phantom' pregnancy Source(s): Hope this helps!! The hormone changes that cause false pregnancy are normal in the dog but sometimes the symptoms get out of hand and are distressing for the dog and her owners. It’s difficult to tell if a rabbit’s pregnancy is real for at least 20 days. The spayed rabbit ovulates due to sexual stimulation or stress. Spaying won’t make her less appealing to males. As Clinical Veterinary Adviser explains, the rabbit ovulates and believes that she’s pregnant. In very rare cases, cats with hypothyroidism can present symptoms of pregnancy without being pregnant, due to diverse blood changes. Here are a couple of reasons it may be occurring: Whatever the reason, you must discuss the issue with a vet. The two explanations for a pseudopregnancy in rabbits are as follows: A female rabbit of any age can experience a pseudopregnancy, as long as she has reached sexual maturity and is physically able to reproduce. Fertility will not be affected, and the absence of a litter will not emotionally scar her. Also after she has mated her male partner Thumper. A phantom pregnancy is when a rabbit thinks she is pregnant and will prepare for babies by pulling her fur out to build a nest. She also shows more of the behavioural symptoms & it goes on for longer than Annie. Rabbits can also have phantom pregnancies which is why it is best to have your female bunny spayed to reduce unnecessary stress. Improves socialisation. The rabbit will give birth. Most rabbits are spayed between four and six months of age. This usually happens overnight. She also was not spayed. I’ve never had does before so this is totally new to me. Pseudopregnancy occurs during the metoestrus (progesteronea steroid hormone secreted by the corpus luteum of the ovary that maintains pregnancy and promotes the development of the mammary glands. Spaying has several other benefits:-- reduces or eliminates stress of phantom … Any female rabbit of breeding age (3 or more months old) can experience a phantom pregnancy. Two is careless. There's a number of reasons for this. Offer more food, ideally hay. False pregnancy is also referred to as a phantom pregnancy or pseudopregnancy. Don’t worry about any weight gain at this stage. While spaying or neutering can calm your bunny, other rabbits can cause injury during the recovery period. Pulling fur from the abdomen or chest area. Another week passed by & still no change. It is a sign of pain and/or discomfort. There'll be more blood there. She doesn’t always start to build a nest & doesn’t show any of the other behaviours associated with a false pregnancy. However, it can also be observed in female rabbits with no contact with other rabbits. She won’t know any different until nearly 3 weeks into the experience. Loud tooth grinding/hunched bunny-this loud grinding is very different form purring. If you need to know right away, try checking her stomach area. ), How Well Can Rabbits Hear? Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. Tilly made a brilliant recovery too. Previous owners can sometimes make assumptions about their bunny especially if it is one that is on it’s second or third plus owner. Female rabbits that have been spayed will not suffer from phantom pregnancies. My rabbit has been having a phantom pregnancy,(definitely a phantom as not been with male), she has made a nest and lined it with fur. It occurs when a rabbit becomes convinced that she is pregnant, even when this is impossible. She isnt spayed and lives with a castrated male. It was confirmed at my vets that her mammary glands were swollen & she was in full swing of a false pregnancy most probably triggered by the bunny situation she was kept in. This is called a Phantom Pregnancy and can be very stressful for the rabbit and her humans, a spayed doe will experience this less frequently. Aggression towards male rabbits is more likely. If so, the rabbit is pregnant. TIP – To avoid false pregnancies it is advisable to get your bunnies neutered. She’ll also. Pregnancy is a difficult time, and rabbits do not get the emotional reward we may from reproducing. As far as she’s concerned, she’s going through everything associated with impending motherhood. If this is happening to your rabbit, you’ll need to find out why. Many have repeated phantom pregnancies and may growl, lunge at, scratch or bite their owners or other rabbits, particularly in spring and summer. One unplanned rabbit pregnancy is unfortunate. She could experience a regular stream of pseudopregnancies. Don’t try to handle her unless it’s absolutely necessary. Spaying removes this high risk factor to their lives. These are baby rabbits. Rabbits have a gestation period of about 31 days. I adopted Tilly from a sanctuary where she lived with 2 unspayed females & a castrated male. Your rabbit will use these to line her nest. Here are some of the reasons: A false pregnancy will not cause any problems. The first is that often, it's quite soon after their season, so the uterus will be more engorged. Take the necessary steps to prevent this from happening again. I have seen a lot of my spayed females have them. You may also notice some physical changes in your rabbit during this time period. One example of this is neoplasia (new, abnormal growth). The benefits of neutering your rabbit are seen both for your rabbits and for you. Your email address will not be published. False pregnancy typically occurs between six to 12 weeks after the cat has been in estrus, also known as “heat”. What are the risks of neutering or spaying my rabbit? This is partly because she becomes fertile from the moment she gives birth. Thankfully, it’s self-resolving and has no lasting impact on her health. Spayed is advised for other reasons and i do not routinly spay any female that comes in, most rescue routinly spay but not all and unless i have a problem with one of my females they stay unneutered, but spaying can provent, unterine cancer, hormone problems, phantom and false pregnancy, myometra/pyometra in the uterus. Phantom pregnancy, officially known as pseudocyesis is a very common occurrence in female dogs.If you have a female dog at home you might have experienced changes in her behaviour, such as violence or weight gain. The unspayed rabbit mates with an unneutered male and is impregnated. An intact rabbit may experience a condition called "pseudo-pregnancy", also known as false pregnancy in which it will start nest building, milk production, and experience maternal aggression towards people and other animals. Pseudopregnancy happens in unaltered female cats ("queens"), usually when they have never given birth before, but it can very occasionally happen in spayed cats.Spayed cats do not go into heat, but it can happen in rare cases when the procedure is not done perfectly. She usually experiences this at least once or twice a year. She is off her food so I have to hand offer it to her when she allows me to stroke her nose. This can be common in some rabbits and is caused by a surge of hormones from either some unknown cause or being around a human or other animal that is in heat. However, as the pregnancy progresses, your rabbit will likely exhibit some territorial and nesting behavior. As soon as the phantom pregnancy comes to an end, she’ll forget all about it. This can last anywhere from between 10 – 20 days, so shorter than a normal gestation period which is usually 28-31 days. Female rabbits are particularly prone to uterine cancers and other reproductive diseases. Spayed rabbits are likely to live longer. The nesting process concludes. One expert at The House Rabbit Society advises against breeding rabbits at all. Also, every pregnancy carries risk for a rabbit, and they can get pregnant multiple times in a year. Once everything has run its course, act as though nothing ever happened. Don't worry too much, this happens in humans as well!! Your rabbit will have forgotten all about her pseudopregnancy. An unneutered male will still mount a spayed female, which can result in a pseudopregnancy. Phantom pregnancy (pseudopregnancy) will resolve itself. Spaying a rabbit early in life keeps her hormones under control and reduces the chances of stress-based ovulation. Preventing Rabbit Pregnancy . When should I have my rabbit spayed? She had a phantom pregnancy after her last season and has just come into season again so I am on the look out this time as she was really depressed last time. Since her spay operation 2 years ago Tilly has had yearly false pregnancies. Can a Rabbit Die from Eating Too Much? In the end everything turned out ok. Clinical Signs. Phantom pregnancy is a trying time for a rabbit. Can you feel little lumps, around the size of marbles? Dont worry about it, its a natural part of life, just try not to handle her as she will be stressed out at this time in her life. Many veterinarians prefer to spay at 6 months of … And Ive also known it happen in pigs. Rabbits can have multiple litters per year, and pregnancy and birth both carry risks to both your rabbit and the kittens. During the early stages of pregnancy, you probably won’t notice many differences in your rabbit. She has pulled lots of fur and started building a nest, other than the nest she seems no different in herself. There is no litter at the end of the pseudopregnancy, of course. As we entered the 4th week she had stopped tending her nest but still had the swollen mammary glands. I believe some vets don’t remove all the female plumbing during a spay & have been known to leave the ovaries behind. As far as your rabbit is concerned, there is no difference between phantom and genuine pregnancies. Some will be eaten, but most will go into building a nest for her litter. These, with mothering behaviour and enlargement of the mammary glands among others, are some of the symptoms of phantom pregnancy in dogs. It is said that it usually only occurs in unspayed females. She becomes convinced that she is genuinely pregnant. Consider wearing gloves to protect yourself from angry nips. Once reflex ovulation takes place, it results in the … I do not believe it is just unspayed females who have false pregnancies. False pregnancy is also referred to as a phantom pregnancy or pseudopregnancy. Collecting nesting material like hay or shredded paper. If she is having a false pregnancy, she will build the nest, get very cage aggressive (some females are just naturally cage aggressive before they're spayed) and may even begin to lactate. Sure, it doesn’t technically hurt your rabbit. Your rabbit is not spayed. In addition to being swollen, the tummy will have small bumps. A phantom pregnancy is not a ‘one-and-done’ experience for a rabbit. The length of time was unusual, she should have got it out of her system by now. For up to four weeks after surgery, a male rabbit can still impregnate other rabbits. The rabbit will start stockpiling hay and blankets. Sometimes the nesting will continue after spaying because it's become a habit, but the accompanying symptoms and aggression should subside, as these are hormone related. The phantom pregnancy may occur even in spayed cats, in case they were spayed during the diestrus stage of the reproductive cycle. We waited a couple of weeks & there was no change, her mammary glands were still swollen & she was still displaying other behaviour like nest building. Some people have found their female bunny has regular false pregnancies, sometimes once a month. What to do if your cat has a false pregnancy? (Overweight Rabbits), Keeping a Single Rabbit (Is It OK to Have One Rabbit? Nest building and hair pulling behavior is indicative for pseudopregnancy when an intact female rabbit lives in an environment with no other rabbits, or shares space with a neutered male (neutered at least several weeks prior so that he is no longer able to impregnate) or with another female. Her top teats were still swollen at the end of the week & it was thought something else might have been going on. Now, as for spaying an older dog and spaying an older dog who's got phantom pregnancy, we don't tend to like to stay while they're having a phantom pregnancy. Prepare yourself for mood swings, elevated hunger, and unusual behaviors. Hi there. My objective is to help owners to keep their pet rabbits happy and healthy. She’ll be annoyed about you cleaning their cage. Do Pseudopregnancies Cause Trauma in Rabbits?
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