All species have to reproduce if they’re going to continue being on earth, but it does seem that some are better than others. Rabbits, for example, can be pretty fantastic at bringing their offspring into the world.
Ever heard of the expression, “to breed like rabbits”? That didn’t come from nowhere -- rabbits have earned their right as the standard-bearers of efficient procreation.
On this page, we’re going to take a look at a few of the key things you’ll need to know about rabbit pregnancy, including how long it’ll last, how many you should expect if your pet bunny is pregnant, and how you can tell if your rabbit is carrying.
How to tell if a rabbit is pregnant?
You might be wondering how to tell if a rabbit is pregnant. At some point, it’ll just be obvious (because of her size), but in the early days, you can keep your eyes out for some tell-tale signs.
The rabbit will begin to build a nest using the hay in their hutch. They may also pull out some of their hair (to keep their babies warm) or be aggressive. A vet can confirm the pregnancy.
How long are rabbits pregnant for?
How long does it take from the moment that a rabbit becomes pregnant to when they give birth? As with all pregnancies, there’s no hard and fast rule. It would be convenient if there were, but that’s not how nature works.
Still, by the standards of other animals, the timeframe for a rabbit’s labour is pretty close -- from the moment of conception, there’ll be around 31 to 33 days before they give birth.
When it’s time to give birth, you’ll find that everything is pretty smooth. If you (or your partner) have given birth, you might associate labour with pain and endurance.
This isn’t the case with rabbits. It’ll take around 15 minutes, and it’ll be so smooth that it’s highly unlikely that any human help will be required. It typically happens in the early hours of the morning, so you’ll just wake up to find new rabbits in your life.
The only thing that a human has to do is to effectively leave the rabbits alone once they’ve arrived. You can check that they’re breathing, and everything is in order, but after that, stay out of the way. If you don’t, then you may cause the mother distress, and this can even cause her to more or less reject her young (since she could stop feeding them).
If you have some doubts about the health of the rabbit or litter, it’ll be a good idea to call the vet.
How many babies (kittens) to expect?
One thing about rabbit pregnancies is that you can never quite be sure how many will be born. The number that it could be is pretty wide-ranging. You could get anywhere from one baby rabbit to fourteen.
Typically, you’ll get around six. They won’t resemble rabbits all that much when they’re born (since they’ll be hairless), but within a few weeks, they’ll begin to transition to their final form. Baby rabbits are also known as ‘kittens’