How To Palpate A Rabbit? In 6 Easy Steps!
Are you in much curiosity about how to palpate a rabbit? This action must be done carefully by laying down the rabbit on a table and gently squeezing it starting from its belly.
Feel what is inside, and you can also check if its organs are correctly in its place.
When you are to squeeze its ribs, you must feel the intestines and other things. Learn here how many ribs do rabbit have
In this article, we will be discussing important information about palpating rabbits.
If you want to know these steps without further delays, let’s get right into it!
When To Palpate A Rabbit?
As a pet owner, you should be aware of this matter and that you cannot only assume the best time to palpate a rabbit.
The ideal time that you check if a rabbit is pregnant is about fourteen days after mating.
Rabbit keepers make this technique to feel the kits that are developing in the tummy of their mother bunny.
By gently pressing the skin of the rabbit, you can indeed feel the babies with your hands.
The palpation is done to increase the production and efficiency of a bunny.
More so, this method is also done to determine if a bun has a gestation or not.
So if you notice that the doe is not pregnant, this technique will help you a lot so that it can be mated once more.
Steps In Palpating A Rabbit
I guess you will surely be aware of your rabbit being pregnant after a few weeks of mating.
But you cannot just be comfortable and think that your rabbit is pregnant already and you do not have to check.
Unless a doe carries many kits in her stomach, it will not show you any external signs of having babies.
Vets and rabbit breeders should take the initiative to do palpation to know if there are live kits or not. please read here how to breed rabbit in the fores
What if your doe has not gotten pregnant and you were only irresponsible the whole time?
Well, the following are the steps that you should do on how to palpate a rabbit.
Step #1. Make sure that the rabbit mated at least 14 days
The very first thing that you must consider is the time when you should check the belly of your bunny.
You cannot just assume to prevent the doe if only one week has passed.
Why is that so? The main reason is that you can undoubtedly harm the kits or damage their development if not two weeks.
This scenario would risk the babies’ lives, and that is something that you do not want to happen.
Step #2. Hold the rabbit well
Next, you must gently hold the bunny’s ear and the shoulder skin’s flap using your right hand. This action is crucial because it will secure the upper portion of the bun’s body.
Furthermore, it will also pose security to the hind legs and its pelvis.
Step #3. Use left hand to cradle the rabbit
After that action, you can now make use of your left hand to cradle the cottontail’s lower body gently.
You can be sure that you are holding the bunny right and that it will not get uncomfortable during the process.
Step #4. Place your thumb on the abdomen
You then have to carefully place your thumb on the right side of the bunny’s abdomen. Your fingers must be oriented to the left side of the body.
It is then your time to feel if there are developing kits in the abdomen.
Do not do it harshly because you may damage the babies, and you can also harm your beloved bunny.
A gentle touch on the abdomen will be enough to tell if your bun is pregnant or a false alarm.
Step #5. The embryos should be in grape-size
You can immediately tell if there are babies since you can feel grape-like things inside the abdomen.
If you do not think of any of these grape-sized embryos, then your cottontail is not pregnant.
If that happens, you must re-do the mating process so that the doe can develop babies right away.
It is the reason why you have to palpate your bunny because you cannot just trust and tell yourself that your bun is pregnant after one mating session.
Step #6. Have a veterinarian to palpate your bun
Even if you are sure of your skills, you can have a veterinarian to palpate your beloved pet.
Let me tell you a story about this matter. I have a male rabbit, and his name is Thumper. I had him a female partner, and they mated not so long ago. learn more here how to shave matted rabbit
After 14 days, I checked the doe of developing kits, and I just felt about 2 of them.
I brought both of my bunnies to the veterinarian and have the vet palpate the doe.
The vet told me that Thumper and the female bunny would have four kits soon. I was so happy!
How To Tell If A Rabbit Is Pregnant
There are a few things in which you can tell whether your bunny is pregnant or not.
Here are the following that you should remember:
#1. Building nest
It is an instinct of the mother to build a home for her kits.
With the use of straw or hay, the female bunny will start making a nest for her babies.
If you notice your pet doing this, I am sure that she is pregnant.
This behavior is typical for female rabbits because it wants to make a cozy place for her babies.
#2. Pulling hair
Another indicator that your pet will become a mother is to start to pull out its hair. She will use it to warm her babies when the cold is unbearable.
#3. Aggressive
You can then observe your bunny to be irritated or annoyed because it does want to be petted or stroked.
It is a sign that you should not disturb the peace of your bunny since it is pregnant. learn more here how to cut an aggressive rabbit nails
Conclusion
For the final words, palpating will surely help you in determining if your bunny is pregnant.
All you have to do is to gently feel the abdomen of your bunny to see if it carries kits or not.
If you do not know how to do it, you can watch video tutorials online. If you think that your skills are not that great, you can seek help from the veterinarian.
Make sure that you do the checking 14 days after the mating period.
I know that you have learned so much about the steps on how to palpate a rabbit and may you apply our advice correctly.
Good luck, and thank you very much for reading!
