went to get the rabbits finally. well the hutch with the lionheads was bigger than the lady

told me over the phone. course she just guessed it because she couldnt find her tapemeasure. so

we only took one seat out of the van not two. so the hutch would not fit. so i will be going

back on tuesday to get them.

but i did bring the dutchs home! i was so stoked! once there the lady told me that the doe

can get cranky when she has babies. but she isnt cranky when she doesnt have them. the doe

seemed fairly calm to me and didnt seem that cranky but then again i did not just stick my hand

in there either. she told me the buck is always a sweetheart and knows what he's doing when it

comes to breeding. i'm pretty confident in dealing with the grumpy doe though.

the kits are 2 wks old. there are 5. now here is where my question is... one of the kits is

about half the size of the other 4. is there a "peanut" in dutch rabbits as in dwarf breeds? i

have read about it and am looking through info on the net again but i thought only the dwarf

breeds had the genes for peanuts.

only took the two pics because it was dark and i didnt want to be flashing a bunch in their

eyes. didnt want to stress them with the flashing after the van ride. they seemed calm though.

I'm no expert, but those look like really cleanly marked Dutch, and that isn't easy to come by! The babies look well marked too, except that one on the far right- does it have a white tip on its' right ear?

I would recommend hanging your cages up and removing the trays- it's a lot easier to rake underneath the cages than it is to dump pans. Are you sure the kits can't get out of the cage? You might need to add some wire to the sides on the bottom few inches.

I'm glad you finally got some bunnies! I can't wait to see the other ones when you get them!

They do look very nice, my only suggestion would be to scrap those cages and get some that have better supported floors and less rust. If you can't, then maybe just replace the floors. Saggy, rusty wire is murder on their feet. Congrats on getting your first rabbits....they won't be your last!

they are two weeks old and the lady said they werent really getting out of the nest on their own yet. the cage wire is 1/2 by 1 inch i think. i dont think they could get their heads to poke out of the wire. maybe the runty one could get its head through. but it only cuddles down between its siblings or tries to wiggle under them all. its so tiny and cute. my sister has fallen in love with them. the runty one has already been dubbed "peanut". i warned her that there is no gaurantee of me keeping any of the babies. then she went on to rub a bunny butt on her cheek and squeal "omg its so adorable!!!"

yes i plan on cleaning the cages. i was going to let them settle in a day or two first. especially with what the lady said about the doe being grumpy. put the buck in a carrier, the does in a carrier, and the kits in another carrier. that way i can check them over one by one.

also... how to remedy leaky waterers? i got the water bottles with the little ball and tube thing. they look to be leaking alot. is there a way to fix that?

also, the little kit's eyes are kinda "gunky". not sure how to explain it other than if you have alot of cats and they all get pinkeye infections and they get gunky eyes and you have to put that powder medicine on their eyes after you wash off the gunk. i will get a picture of it tomorrow. is this "nestbox eye"?

__________ Mon Feb 06, 2012 12:12 am __________



i will have to check the bottom of the cages. they did look beat up and dirty but not sure if they are completely rusty yet. will see tomorrow i suppose.
and thanks for all the tips. greatly appreciated.

Sounds like Nestbox Eye to me. Wash gently with sterile saline wash or Veterycin Eye Wash or even Chamomile or Black tea diluted. Get all the gunk out or off and put some Terramycin EYE ointment in the eye.

It could be the pics, but I am sure you will have a better idea tomorrow of what you need to do. Again, Congrats!

Congratulations!

I have to admit... the leaky bottles got to me pretty early -- They'd leak out several times a day no matter what I did. I ordered the 2-liter bottle conversion things which are sprung. They push or shift the little tip, and it lets water out.

Two things you have to make sure of: drill a very small hole in the bottom of the bottle before filling, and don't overtighten the cap.

The hole does not need to be any larger than the diameter of a pin or paper clip. You don't want it larger than necessary, because water will be gushing out of it as you try to fill the bottle. I just take a sharp knife, and drill the hole with the point of it. It takes a couple of minutes each.

If you overtighten the cap, it apparently distorts the gasket, and it will be more likely to leak. I tighten until the cap stops, and then I do not force it. Bass Equipment's shipping prices are horrid when you are ordering something small, but these things are worth it to me.

Dutch are not suppposed too have peanuts but some of mine did.I know peanuts since i raise Dwarfs.Nice looking Dutch.I Love Dutch the does were almost all good mothers.The markings made me crazy or i would still have them.they are usuallly calm sweet rabbits.

the mom is steel, dad is chocolate. 3 kits are black, 2 are brown but have the "frosted" look

of moms fur. what is this coloring called?

dad has two black's in his pedigree, the rest is chocolate. born april 27, 2010.

mom has steel, black, and grey in her pedigree. born july 13, 2010.

the kits are two wks old.















you can see the little kit next to another black kit in this one






__________ Mon Feb 06, 2012 9:37 pm __________

the runt of the litter died this evening. my dad cried a bunch. that always makes me uncomfortable and all choked up. wether it is something i am already sad about or ust me walking in on dad crying over a movie. ya, we are some weirdos...
but anyhow... he was only 2 wks old so wether he was a peanut or something wrong with him or just the runt i guess i wont know now. but i am glad that at least the little thing wont have to suffer at all or fight to stay alive.
sad but i'm alright. buried the little bunny at the bottom of the old silo. somewhere it wont be disturbed. <3

aw, so sorry.