The pregnancy of a rabbit is a joyful event for her owner, especially for the one whose pet is going to become a mother for the first time. Therefore, first of all, the breeder must know how to determine the fertility of rabbits.
Instructions
Step 1
Place the male with the female 6-12 days after mating and observe the behavior of the rabbit. A pregnant female will behave aggressively towards the male, try to bite him, grunt at him, and reject courtship. But such a test for the fertility of rabbits is not always reliable. It could just be a false pregnancy.
Step 2
A reliable way to determine the pregnancy of a rabbit is palpation. It should be carried out no earlier than 13-15 days after fertilization. To do this, carefully take the female by the withers and lay her head towards you on a flat surface. Holding the rabbit with one hand on the sacrum, with the other, carefully begin to feel the back of the abdomen on both sides. Remember that the embryos are arranged in a chain, one next to the other.
Step 3
If the rabbit is pregnant, then her uterus is greatly enlarged and filled with placental fluid, in which the embryos are located. Babies are usually oval in shape, elastic and soft. Palpation should be done carefully and with extreme caution.
Step 4
During pregnancy, the rabbit's appetite improves, taste preferences change and she begins to gain weight. This is all due to the fact that little rabbits grow and develop in her womb, but after 1-2 weeks the appetite returns to normal and becomes the same as before pregnancy.
Step 5
Some rabbits are preparing for the appearance of babies during the gestation period. They build a nest for future rabbits from paper, hay and from the fluff plucked from their own belly.
Step 6
Also, a sign of the rabbit's pregnancy is the emergence of a bad habit - throwing ordinary food out of her cage in search of something tastier. Although ill-mannered and finicky females can do this constantly, without being pregnant.
