My former helper in my rabbitry did not notice when one of my colony does had her kits, I just found the nest yesterday. They were definitely not bald, and from the amount of fur I guessed they were three or four days old. I took a closer look today and it looked like one had it's eyes open and another's eyes were starting to open. When I looked online though, they looked like every picture of kits around four days old, give or take a day. Is it possible for them to open their eyes that soon??? I thought that happened on the seventh to tenth day. I tried to get a picture but couldn't get a good one, I will try again tomorrow. They really look much younger than any pictures I've seen of kits just opening their eyes, but then how are their eyes open? I'm so very confused.
age of kits???
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ckcs
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I'm not sure if they open their eyes when they hit a development milestone or it just occurs when they are X number of days old. If it based on days then it is possible the babies were born premature and are developing slowly. I have a group of 3 kits now that are 6 days old and they barely appear older than a newborn.
skysthelimit
Well-known member
Generally they do open their eyes between 8-12 days old. Despite how much fur they have on them, if their eyes are opening I'd say they were in that range.
I doubt they would open their eyes earlier than 7 days and in the winter, mine seem to keep them closed longer, like 14 days. They really dont start to fluff out until 3 weeks and it can be hard to judge age before that.
I would need to see photos of them ... their fur is generally sleek and tight to the body for the first 2 weeks, with an undercoat starting to grow in at the end of the second week ... about the time their eyes are opening.<br /><br />__________ Mon Mar 11, 2013 1:20 am __________<br /><br />Also, are they moving their ears or are they still stuck to their heads?
I don't know if they were moving their ears persay, but they definitely were not stuck to their heads like a newborns are. They were still a little folded over on themselves though. I'm gunna try and get pictures today. The light is terrible in there and my phones flash is too bright and the whole picture just whites out, so I'm going to have to borrow a camera from someone.<br /><br />__________ Mon Mar 11, 2013 11:19 am __________<br /><br />Here are the popple pictures! I'm pretty sure they must be older than I thought because it seems all of their eyes are open now and they definitely have a nice coat of fur. Any guesses on what age they would be for sure? Three days ago there was only one or two with open eyes, and now all seven are.
You can't see the open eyes on this little one since it squinted for the picture, but they were.
You can't see the open eyes on this little one since it squinted for the picture, but they were.
OneAcreFarm
Well-known member
I would say 10-12 days old...
:yeahthat:
So, your former helper was really not being observent for a while!<br /><br />__________ Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:58 am __________<br /><br />Also, I would tear most of that nest out, leaving just a bit of straw for them to sit on ... time to get those babies out and about during the day!
So, your former helper was really not being observent for a while!<br /><br />__________ Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:58 am __________<br /><br />Also, I would tear most of that nest out, leaving just a bit of straw for them to sit on ... time to get those babies out and about during the day!
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I agree... they look just like mine at about 10 - 12 days.
jollysrabbits
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I concur I was gonna say almost 2 weeks old as well, Fire your helper or get them glasses. LOL
Add another vote for close to two weeks.
...and what AnnClaire said: it's about time for them to get out of that nest and start driving momma nuts!
...and what AnnClaire said: it's about time for them to get out of that nest and start driving momma nuts!
My only worry with getting them out of the nest is, is it warm enough? My colony is in an unheated garage and the temps here are sometimes up to 60F during the day, but down to 30F at night. Will they know to go back in the nest when they have such a large space? Can they keep warm in those temps at that age? I know I'm being a mother hen, but I just want to make sure that they will be okay. Also, I know they should start eating a bit on their own soon. Is there anything I should give to prevent loose poops or problems? I've read too much about that happening not to be worried. I have some oats, BOSS, the regular food I feed, and hay. What should I put near or in the nest to start them on?
Yep, you could take the nest box out and give them a short (or cut a door way out) cardboard box with hay in it and they would stay perfectly warm ... they pile up and stay quite warm that way!
As for feed, you need to either make a creep feeder for the babies to keep the adults from eating all their food (the adults do NOT need to be on free feed LOL), then keep the babies feeder full and they will figure it out soon enough. You can put some oats in their creep feeder in a seperate dish for them to start on.
This is one of the reasons I bring the babies into the house ... I can feed the does their ration, and the babies can have free feed of the oats and pellets with no need for a creep feeder LOL
You can make a creep feeder out of spare cage wire ... just make the entrance too small for the adult to get through and keep the feed far enough away from the sides that an adult can't stuff their nose in ... I would suggest zip tying it to a wall so the adults can't toss it around too!
As for feed, you need to either make a creep feeder for the babies to keep the adults from eating all their food (the adults do NOT need to be on free feed LOL), then keep the babies feeder full and they will figure it out soon enough. You can put some oats in their creep feeder in a seperate dish for them to start on.
This is one of the reasons I bring the babies into the house ... I can feed the does their ration, and the babies can have free feed of the oats and pellets with no need for a creep feeder LOL
You can make a creep feeder out of spare cage wire ... just make the entrance too small for the adult to get through and keep the feed far enough away from the sides that an adult can't stuff their nose in ... I would suggest zip tying it to a wall so the adults can't toss it around too!
