Rabbit Pregnancy

Pregnancy starts when an egg is united with a sperm.The fertilised egg starts to divide into new cells, at the sametime passing down the fallopian tube. After about four daysthe dividing egg which becomes the embryo reaches theuterus where it remains until birth. During these four days,and immediately afterwards, the uterus is preparing to receivethe embryos. By the eighth day the outside cells of theembryo attacks the walls of the uterus, and the uterine wallproduces new cells. Thus the placenta is firmed, part from the embryo, part from the uterus. Through the placentaoxygen and nutriment passes from the blood of the motherto the blood of the embryo, although the blood of bothnever mix.

Until about the middle of pregnancy, that is about thefifteenth day, there is relatively little increase in the size ofthe doe's organs or the embryos. During the last half ofpregnancy however, the increase is very great, and the futureof the litter and certainly the milk supply of the doe, may begreatly influenced by the doe's feeding during this period.Pregnancy in the rabbit usually lasts some 31 days. Thereare many factors which may influence its duration. Forexample the time of year, the size of the doe, and the sizeof the litter all have an effect. Rabbits born on any daybetween the twenty-eighth day and the thirty-fourth dayafter mating usually survive. These extremes are

Usually a few days before the young are born the doe willmake a nest from her bedding. Site will line this with furplucked from her breast, and there is some evidence thatthe time of and the amount of nest building are influencedby inherited characteristics.