Palpating

Some of you remember that thanks to Trent, I'm now able to palpate! *muwahahaha*

I went outside and started poking around on my does and I have to admit, I'm a little worried. Of the three I smushed, all three seem to be pregnant! I haven't had this kind of success since we moved! I hope I'm not feeling poops! :( That would be just my luck though.

I'm going to try to describe palpating for you guys, in nice PLAIN language and easy to follow steps.

To begin with, sit your doe on a table or piece of carpet, facing you.

Take your LEFT hand (always!) and put it under her, all the way back where her pelvis is. Basically, your hand should be nestled, palm up, right under the rabbit, between her legs. Do what you want with your right hand, either put it behind her butt so she doesn't scoot back, or help hold her head so she doesn't run forward.

Make a U shape with your hand by moving your fingers to just a few inches apart.

Press the U to the doe's stomach. Be willing to push firmly. This is what took me the longest to get going. You're basically trying to act as if you can touch her spine with your fingers on each side.

Move your hand, still in the U shape, towards you. You may have to widen your hand as you go. Feel anything? Something small, nickel or grape shaped, may slide through your fingers. If you can catch it and squeeze gently on it, it will be very soft. That's a baby! Poops are harder feeling, or so I've been told.

Sometimes, I have to run my hand along her belly several times to feel even one baby. Hey, I'm learning too! However, as you get more experienced, you can be like Trent. He claims he can count the babies and just by the size of the little baby tell you when the doe was bred pretty accurately!

I hope this helps somewhat! As my skill in palpating progresses, I'd be happy to bring a preggers doe to a show and help teach any local people how to do it! Like I said though, I'm still getting used to it myself, so it may be a while before Keep's Classes get started! :)

-Kristen
Keep's Rabbitry