One week popple checkup time.

[bilder]

Been a week since the first litter on our little farm was born so I went out and did a more thorough check on the little ones to see how they are doing.

Past inspections have been haphazard with all the kits squirming all over the nest and it was hard to tell if I had checked them all. This time my wife held a basket and I transferred them there after checking each one out. Momma just looked at me and went back to her treat while I checked out the babies.

7 out of nine are pretty good. They are active, plump little things and some even did us the courtesy of peeing on me to show how much they cared. 2 others, the tan one and one of the blacks, are skinnier than the rest, yet they are still active and moving around pretty well.

Should I hand feed the runts to help them out or shall I only step in if they show a drop in activity levels? The doe is the only one I have with a litter right now, so fostering is not an option for me.

 

[Miss M]

You can do either... but if they are just as active as the bigger ones, I probably wouldn't worry about them at this point. I have supplemented some of mine in the past, though, when they didn't seem to be getting enough. And I have also not supplemented.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

What a nice, colorful litter!

:congratulations:

You could remove the nest and put only the two runties in for the evening feeding and then add the rest back in. If you want to keep the nest inside tonight and then do the same in the morning that might kickstart the little guys.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Eee, basket of baby buns!!!

 

[trinityoaks]

SQUEEEE!!!!!

 

[Marinea]

That's the kind of basket I want- not one filled with laundry

Too cute!

 

[AnnClaire]

LOL - the runts might just be small ... you would really need to check after feeding to see how full their bellies are. I have a runt that is 1/4 the size of the litter mates, but he comes back with a full belly EACH TIME On his own, he is growing well and reaching milestones, just so much smaller.

Ain't it fun to get them out and handle them??? :laugh2:

 

[Maxine]

Oh they are so sweet.

 

[bilder]

LOL - the runts might just be small ... you would really need to check after feeding to see how full their bellies are. I have a runt that is 1/4 the size of the litter mates, but he comes back with a full belly EACH TIME On his own, he is growing well and reaching milestones, just so much smaller.

Ain't it fun to get them out and handle them??? :laugh2:

Funny thing is that I am not sure when they get fed. I have yet to see momma in the nest with the kits. She seems to be sneaking in when I am not around so I am not sure what time of day to go out and pull the rest out of the cage.

Or should I just take them out mid-afternoon and return them at dusk? I could wrap them up in towels and such and keep them inside for a few hours to give the little ones a good shot at a feeding.

 

[AnnClaire]

Most rabbits feed just before sunup and just after sundown ... they don't WANT anyone/anything to see them near the babies. So, while having your morning cup of coffee, go out and pull the nest box and check a couple of the runts to see if their bellies are as full as the larger kits.

If you want to pull the nest box and only take it out for feedings, morning and late evening would be the time to take them out. When I get mine out in the morning, the does are ready to feed and jump right in. In the evening, they are wanting fed more than anything, so I usually put the nest boxes in and feed/water and go inside for an hour then go pull the nest boxes. Usually, some time during the second week, the doe will quit the second feeding, so I simply only take the nest boxes out in the morning.<br /><br />__________ Mon Mar 11, 2013 1:12 am __________<br /><br />Also, when I bring the babies in, I take them out of the nest box and put them in a small wicker basket lined with a paper towl, regular towel, fur, and cover the top of the basket with a towel to keep the warmth and moisture in. The reason I do this is to keep the nestbox as clean as possible ... most of the babies will eliminate shortly after eating, and I would rather have them do that in the basket.

Generally, but the time their eyes open, I will keep them in a laundry basket lined with a towel and a small towel (covers maybe half the bottom of the laundry basket) that they can snuggle under. When their eyes open is also the time to offer some oats, hay, green fodder and a small saucer of water.

By the third week, I have them in a larger box/indoor corral where they can start moving around and getting their feet figured out. It really helps if there are older kits in the corral to help show the younger ones the feed and water spots. Lots of binkies and other silliness like racing around the edge, trampling on litter mates, bashing into each other, etc. :laugh2: I make tubes out of empty oat cannisters, cut "condos" out of cardboard boxes, put hay in toilet paper tubes for them to play with/on.

They will huddle in a big pile when sleeping, then they all seem to get up at once and the fun starts up again.