New Member, couple questions.

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olhippityhop

Active member
Joined
Mar 13, 2024
Messages
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Location
PNW
Hello,

I have been keeping rabbits about 6 months, I have three does and a buck. Things have been going mostly well, managing the rain in the Pacific Northwest has been interesting. I'm running into issues with my oldest doe. She's roughly a year and a half, she had one litter with the breeder and I'm on the second litter attempt while having her. The first litter in January all died around day five. I'm on day four with a new litter and she's already lost four. There's a fifth that's just barely hanging on. I'm kind of thinking she's the problem, she was pretty slow to pull fur this time and she's just generally a pain to deal with. If I'm not paying attention while my hands are in the cage, she will absolutely bite me, and she's quick about it too. She's pretty difficult to breed, she doesn't want to lift and I know the breeder had issue with her lifting as well. Would you guys give up on her after a couple rough attempts?

Also, how does everyone handle mosquitos? I'm starting to notice more mosquitos around my rabbits and I think they're getting them in the ears.

Thanks!
 
I am also in the PNW! Welcome!

I have a strict no bite policy. I would cull just for that, there are waaay too many nice rabbits to mess with a mean one unless they are some very rare breed. It sounds like she is not making milk for her kits. Assuming she is a normal weight and not malnourished, and has plenty of water, there is not much of an excuse for that either.

It sounds like the seller may have sold you a cull they did not want to kill and eat. I have sold a rabbit once that was sweet and a decent mom, but hated being bred, and I made a very big deal about that to the buyer, and sold her bred. I assume she was culled after her kits were weaned, though maybe not--she was worth being a pet, but just too much trouble as a production doe. I didn't have the heart to end her myself, but I completely understand if they did. It is an ok practice as long as everyone is clear on how it may go, and you are offering a big discount.

For the mosquitos, I mostly have rabbits with enough fur to deal with them, but I also have multiple small barrels and ponds for water collection, each with small fish in it...very very helpful for me, and I assume the rabbits benefit also. Make a great mosquito attractive habitat with a 100gal stock tank, a mini lilly pad plant in a pot set on a milk crate...then stock it with 5 feeder goldfish. Don't bother feeding them. They will hide from raccoons and the like under the milk crate, and double in size within a few months. You should have less mosquitos in that area. I am in town though, with limited natural water, so the only other places they have to breed are poorly drained gutters and sprinkler runoff, they probably think they have found the promised land!
 
eco2pia said:
I am also in the PNW! Welcome!

I have a strict no bite policy. I would cull just for that, there are waaay too many nice rabbits to mess with a mean one unless they are some very rare breed. It sounds like she is not making milk for her kits. Assuming she is a normal weight and not malnourished, and has plenty of water, there is not much of an excuse for that either.

It sounds like the seller may have sold you a cull they did not want to kill and eat. I have sold a rabbit once that was sweet and a decent mom, but hated being bred, and I made a very big deal about that to the buyer, and sold her bred. I assume she was culled after her kits were weaned, though maybe not--she was worth being a pet, but just too much trouble as a production doe. I didn't have the heart to end her myself, but I completely understand if they did. It is an ok practice as long as everyone is clear on how it may go, and you are offering a big discount.

For the mosquitos, I mostly have rabbits with enough fur to deal with them, but I also have multiple small barrels and ponds for water collection, each with small fish in it...very very helpful for me, and I assume the rabbits benefit also. Make a great mosquito attractive habitat with a 100gal stock tank, a mini lilly pad plant in a pot set on a milk crate...then stock it with 5 feeder goldfish. Don't bother feeding them. They will hide from raccoons and the like under the milk crate, and double in size within a few months. You should have less mosquitos in that area. I am in town though, with limited natural water, so the only other places they have to breed are poorly drained gutters and sprinkler runoff, they probably think they have found the promised land!
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Hey, thanks for the response. Yes she is healthy, fed and watered. My other two does are just getting old enough to breed so I guess it's time to move on from my problem doe.

I'm out in the forest and the mosquitos are mean. I've got some barrels, I might try the goldfish, thanks!
 
olhippityhop said:
I started with ten, on the 8th. Today I'm down to four. The weather has been good, not sure what the issue is. It's a little depressing pulling those baby bodies out of the nest box. I don't think this doe is getting another chance.
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Hey, just a friendly remember, If you want to keep any of the kits that might live they might be just like their mom...However, they could not take after Mom and be wonderful rabbits. I wouldn't keep mom. Where did you get her from?
 
The kits are 3 weeks old today. Everyone is doing great and growing like a weed. Mamma has calmed down a ton and I haven't had any issues with her. When I reach in and pull a kit out, she's like please take them. Maybe she just needed to get the hang of it.
 

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eco2pia said:
I am also in the PNW! Welcome!

I have a strict no bite policy. I would cull just for that, there are waaay too many nice rabbits to mess with a mean one unless they are some very rare breed. It sounds like she is not making milk for her kits. Assuming she is a normal weight and not malnourished, and has plenty of water, there is not much of an excuse for that either.

It sounds like the seller may have sold you a cull they did not want to kill and eat. I have sold a rabbit once that was sweet and a decent mom, but hated being bred, and I made a very big deal about that to the buyer, and sold her bred. I assume she was culled after her kits were weaned, though maybe not--she was worth being a pet, but just too much trouble as a production doe. I didn't have the heart to end her myself, but I completely understand if they did. It is an ok practice as long as everyone is clear on how it may go, and you are offering a big discount.

For the mosquitos, I mostly have rabbits with enough fur to deal with them, but I also have multiple small barrels and ponds for water collection, each with small fish in it...very very helpful for me, and I assume the rabbits benefit also. Make a great mosquito attractive habitat with a 100gal stock tank, a mini lilly pad plant in a pot set on a milk crate...then stock it with 5 feeder goldfish. Don't bother feeding them. They will hide from raccoons and the like under the milk crate, and double in size within a few months. You should have less mosquitos in that area. I am in town though, with limited natural water, so the only other places they have to breed are poorly drained gutters and sprinkler runoff, they probably think they have found the promised land!
Click to expand...
Gold fish in just a basic 100 gallon water barrel to fight of mosquitos? The same barrel you use for watering? We just set a couple of these up. We just have to level it out because it's too slow to overflow into the second.
 
eco2pia said:
I am also in the PNW! Welcome!

I have a strict no bite policy. I would cull just for that, there are waaay too many nice rabbits to mess with a mean one unless they are some very rare breed. It sounds like she is not making milk for her kits. Assuming she is a normal weight and not malnourished, and has plenty of water, there is not much of an excuse for that either.

It sounds like the seller may have sold you a cull they did not want to kill and eat. I have sold a rabbit once that was sweet and a decent mom, but hated being bred, and I made a very big deal about that to the buyer, and sold her bred. I assume she was culled after her kits were weaned, though maybe not--she was worth being a pet, but just too much trouble as a production doe. I didn't have the heart to end her myself, but I completely understand if they did. It is an ok practice as long as everyone is clear on how it may go, and you are offering a big discount.

For the mosquitos, I mostly have rabbits with enough fur to deal with them, but I also have multiple small barrels and ponds for water collection, each with small fish in it...very very helpful for me, and I assume the rabbits benefit also. Make a great mosquito attractive habitat with a 100gal stock tank, a mini lilly pad plant in a pot set on a milk crate...then stock it with 5 feeder goldfish. Don't bother feeding them. They will hide from raccoons and the like under the milk crate, and double in size within a few months. You should have less mosquitos in that area. I am in town though, with limited natural water, so the only other places they have to breed are poorly drained gutters and sprinkler runoff, they probably think they have found the promised land!
Click to expand...
Nvm! I just searched "stock tank." Amazing! I need to do this as I am allergic to goldfish.
 
olhippityhop said:
The kits are 3 weeks old today. Everyone is doing great and growing like a weed. Mamma has calmed down a ton and I haven't had any issues with her. When I reach in and pull a kit out, she's like please take them. Maybe she just needed to get the hang of it.
Click to expand...
They're so cute! I hope mama stays calm and does better for you.
 
brittanyf said:
Nvm! I just searched "stock tank." Amazing! I need to do this as I am allergic to goldfish.
Click to expand...
It does not have to be a stock tank and it does not have to be goldfish. Put mosquito fish in if you prefer, or any fish that is hardy in your area. goldfish are just cheap, and relatively available. I do also put them in rain barrels, but fewer, and make sure any outflow has a screen of some kind on it so they can't get sucked in when small.
 
This is my New Zealand red doe. I haven't bred her yet, she's about 6 months old. She might be my favorite, she is always the happiest to see me. Her dewlap has come in very strong and I love it.
 

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Kits are 5 weeks old. I got them out and weighed them. They're about 2lbs. My doe is a blue silver fox and my buck is a Champagne de'argent. Their fur is way more silver fox than I expected. The fur even stands up. I'm going to try breeding my doe next week. She has chilled out, and I haven't had any issues with her. Hopefully she's over all her issues. If not, she will make a great hat!
 

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