Signs of a Pregnant 8 Week Old Bunny

Many rabbits do not show signs of pregnancy so it is often difficult to determine their condition. Spotting pregnancy in an 8-week-old rabbit may be even more difficult because her maternal instincts may not be developed. To make things more difficult, bunnies can experience false pregnancies, in which they display some of the same behaviors they would if they were pregnant.

  1. Increase in Abdomen Size

    • As with most mammals, a rabbit's stomach may swell when she is pregnant, but this isn't the case for every bunny. Some bunnies never show that they are pregnant until moments before labor occurs, states Pet-Rabbit-Care-Information.com. If your 8-week-old bunny does start to look like she's carrying extra weight in her tummy, she may have babies, or "kits," on the way. As the pregnancy develops, it also is possible to see the babies moving in the bunny's belly.

    Abdomen Palpation

    • According to BarbiBrownsBunnies.com, palpation is the only way to know for sure if your bunny is expecting. An experienced breeder or veterinarian can tell if your rabbit is pregnant simply by feeling the babies inside her stomach. This examination should occur between 10 and 14 days after conception. Doing so too early could result in fetal injury. It is possible to feel the babies in the stomach again at about days 27 or 28 in the pregnancy and at this point, it is usually easier to feel them.

    Peculiar Behavior

    • Your 8-week-old bunny may act in a few odd ways if she is pregnant. Most pregnant bunnies remain calm during their 30- to 31-day gestation periods. If your bunny is usually hyper or playful, and she starts to act very low-key, she may be pregnant. Also, pregnant rabbits often hold hay in their mouths. Your rabbit may be nearing the end of her pregnancy if she doesn't want attention from the male anymore and begins digging frantically, especially at her bowl. About this time, she pulls fur from her body to make a nest. The bunny typically takes hair from her legs, abdomen and sometimes, her back, states Pet-Rabbit-Care-Information.com. Do not intervene with this process or attempt to move the nest, as doing so may result in the denial or mutilation of the mother to her babies.

      Keep in mind that since your 8-week-old bunny is younger than recommended age for breeding, her maternal instincts may not fully kick in, so she may not display some of these common behaviors. According to BarbiBrownsBunnies.com, the recommended age for breeding is between three to six months for small to medium breeds, eight to 12 months for large breeds and 12 to 18 months for giants. However, even bunnies that are older sometimes neglect to show pregnancy signs and surprise their owners with a litter of kits.