What is a false pregnancy in rabbits?

📅 👁 6364 views 💬 29 replies Behavior & Training
A

Expert Answer

A false pregnancy in rabbits refers to a situation where the rabbit is not successfully fertilized, yet shows pregnancy signs such as swollen mammary glands and pulling out fur to build a nest. Around 16-18 days after mating, the rabbit may display labor behaviors, but no kittens are born.

The cause may be poor sperm quality in the breeding buck or a lack of mating experience, where repeated stimulation during mating triggers the doe to ovulate. In addition, injecting hormones such as progesterone or luteinizing hormone into the doe can also lead to false pregnancy symptoms.

If you notice signs of false pregnancy, consider putting the buck into the cage for another mating.

Tagged with:

💬 Leave a Reply

← What does 'cat café' mean? Is it normal for a dog's nose to be wet? →

📌 Related Questions

Is this a tick, and how do I kill it? 1923 views · Behavior & Training My ~11-12-month-old, 15-lb dog fell backward and hit its head from ~1.5m, no cry or limp, ate and played, just shakes head occasionally, then slept - is it okay? 7110 views · Behavior & Training My Parrot Was Injured by a Wild Cat and Is Bleeding - What Now and Will It Recover? 1210 views · Behavior & Training My cat just came back from outside and started panting, running around, and twitching now and then; it looks in pain and has hidden somewhere. What's going on? Can someone help? 5339 views · Behavior & Training Is this a bug? 591 views · Behavior & Training While petting the dog yesterday I felt a small fleshy lump behind its head; touching it, the dog felt nothing. 1907 views · Behavior & Training