I think my rabbit is prego... Not planned.

[Jezahu]

We haven't bred our rabbits yet because we were planning on moving them. The buck is in between the two does and the cages are touching. I went out to check on them tonight and one doe has fur everywhere. It wasn't there yesterday. My first thought was, "sneaky little devil bred her through the cage wire" my next one is "crap how do I know when to place the nesting box" and quickly followed by "crap I need to buy a nesting box". These are our first rabbits and are about a year old. The buck is unrelated to the sister does and they are all pure bred New Zealands.

Help! What do I do? How can I tell how far along she is?

[Marinea]

If she is pulling fur, birth is likely imminent. Try and get a box in there as soon as you can. Stuff it with hay and gather up as much of the fur she has pulled as you can and make her a little hole in the back of the box and line it with the fur.
If you can't go buy a nest box right away, get something in there- a box of some kind, a small tote. If worse comes to worst, put a bunch of hay in a corner of her cage. Add the fur and make like a bowl in the hay.
*fingers crossed*

[Jezahu]

I made a make shift box in case she has them tonight and we will get a box from tractor supply or the co-op tomorrow. I'm so anxious. I was not expecting this. I'm already steeling myself to loose them. It's 45° tonight. They are in a closed barn but we have no way to get heat out to it tonight.

[Tricky Grama]

Gosh, I thought birth control was free for most these days...

[Jezahu]

Apparently not for two young kids in love...

[Jezahu]

Still no bunny babies... False pregnancy?

[Danaus29]

I've had rabbits pull mountains of fur and not be pregnant. Sometimes it's just hormone related.

[Jezahu]

Still no babies... So... Take the box out?

[popscott]

Does a "rabbit has to die" to test if a rabbit is pregnant?
"Friedman test"

[TMTex]

Originally Posted by Jezahu

Still no babies... So... Take the box out?

Not just yet. Since you don't know the exact day of breeding, it would be wiser to leave the box in for at least a few more days. Rabbits can kindle late, even a week late in some cases.

I removed a box a day before one of mine kindled. Lost several of the kits. Better safe than sorry.

[Skip]

I had two does bred the same day. One started showing signs of pulling fur a week ago. The other didn't pull any until she presented the kits and boy then there was fur everywhere with her. So one never knows?

[Jezahu]

This morning there was more fur.... So I left the box.

[Jezahu]

Ok now this... ImageUploadedByHomesteading Today1430838639.448627.jpgis this a nest... Is she just digging? What should I do?

[Danaus29]

I see lots of poop in the box. Looks like she's using it as a potty. Clean the box out and put it back in a different spot.

[Jezahu]

Ok thank you.

[ognend]

If you are keeping them in separate cages next to each other, she could be pulling fur out of frustration.

[Jezahu]

They've always been together... Nothing has changed recently. We are actually moving them today to a different barn anyway so maybe that will help her settle down if that is it.

[TMTex]

That's a small amount of fur compared to the nests I've seen on my NZWs. There's usually enough to cover all of the kits and then some. Did she put the fur in there herself or did you? If she didn't, she might just be molting.

[Jezahu]

I did some and she did a little after me.

[RoseW]

Times have changed? Raised rabbits for many years, never used a metal box. Always a wood one. Granted, does chewed the sides, but didn't have to worry about them scraping tender tissue on metal.
Only issue I had was keeping out fireants - solved by putting the legs of the hutch down in water filled metal cans.
Never had one get preg without actual buck assistance. Some rabbits pull fur out of boredom, frustration - like a parrot plucking...