Instructions
Pay attention to the actions of the female rabbit if you believe it may be pregnant. It will not be until the second week of pregnancy when it will be noticeable by feel. The gestation period of a rabbit, according to "Storey's Guide To Raising Rabbits," is 30 days. If the doe has been exhibiting behaviors like denying males or nesting, then it is likely within the first week of pregnancy.
Gently lift the doe, once it is approximately the second week of pregnancy, by grasping the skin at the back of its neck with one hand and holding the rabbit cradled in your arms, like a baby, on its back. If the rabbit is not used to people holding it, this may take two people so that one can hold its feet. Always be gentle as to not hurt the rabbit or its babies. Feel the lower belly area with light fingers. According to "Storey's Guide To Raising Rabbits," the babies will feel like small marbles in the mothers stomach.
Hold the doe at the back of the neck while it is sitting in its pen, or somewhere flat, if it does not seem feasible to actually pick the rabbit up. Use the other hand to reach under the rabbit and gently feel its belly. Again, the babies will feel like small marbles in the abdomen. Only feel gently and with a few fingers, so as to not harm the babies.
How to Tell if a Rabbit Is Pregnant by Feeling It?
Some rabbits may change their behavior when they are pregnant. A person can tell the rabbit is pregnant because it will start building a nest with its own fur and act angrily towards male rabbits. For rabbits that do no exhibit these behaviors, there is a way that pregnancy can be detected. "Storey's Guide To Raising Rabbits," a useful tool for rabbit breeders, explains how to check a rabbit for pregnancy by feeling its belly.