A few kit questions.

[HansenHomestead]

Okay my youngest litters are 3 weeks old now, so I have a few questions.

90% of the kits in all the litters are spending most of their time outside of the nest box. Should I just go ahead, and remove it?

I have a litter that is 5 weeks old now, and they have been away from their mother since they were 3.5-4 weeks old, and they are doing great! Should I wait to consider them completely weaned at 8 weeks?

This question is about my purebred Cal litter. I got to really looking at the kits over the weekend, and I noticed something that was sort of interesting. Well to me at least, lol. Some of the kits are just pure white with the dark ears, nose, feet, and tail, BUT I got to looking at the others, and they have the same markings, but on their fur close to their skin it is also grey? Is this common, something they will grow out of as they get older?

 

[crookdbeak13]

Cals have a temperature sensitive fur so to speak. If I am not mistaken (someone please correct me if I am) but if the kits chill outside of the nest box then the points will be grey instead of dark, but it should molt out during their molt and come back in dark.

Here is a link to my post summer 2014 with my Cal/NZWxFG kits
post238762.html#p238762

They had grey points then, but molted out to the dark points

 

[Homer]

90% of the kits in all the litters are spending most of their time outside of the nest box. Should I just go ahead, and remove it?

Turn it on it's side. That way if they get a chill they still have a place to gather they feel safe in.

I have a litter that is 5 weeks old now, and they have been away from their mother since they were 3.5-4 weeks old, and they are doing great! Should I wait to consider them completely weaned at 8 weeks?

For all practical purposes they are weaned. If you're asking because you want to sell them know that in most states they have to be 8 weeks old before any sales take place.

This question is about my purebred Cal litter. I got to really looking at the kits over the weekend, and I noticed something that was sort of interesting. Well to me at least, lol. Some of the kits are just pure white with the dark ears, nose, feet, and tail, BUT I got to looking at the others, and they have the same markings, but on their fur close to their skin it is also grey? Is this common, something they will grow out of as they get older?

Can't help you with that one. I've never raised Calis. :shrug:

 

[HansenHomestead]

Yes I am aware that where they are marked will lighten with cooler temps, but I mean it's the fur all over their bodies. Like when you look at one kits it's a white except their markings. When you look at the other kits you can visibly tell that their under fur is darker, and when you separate some of the fur on their backs it's for sure dark near the skin, but white on top, haha. Was able to snap a few pics while I was feeding. All of these kits are from the same litter.

Pictured are three different kits. All siblings in the same litter. 1 pic is just as if you were generally looking at a kit, followed by a pic of me parting their fur. 2 have the darker under fur, and 1 is what you would consider standard coloring. I'm not like concerned, or anything I just have never personally seen it, and wanted to see if it was a common occurrence? I think they would look pretty cute if the dark under fur stayed, lol.

http://imgur.com/a/UQmow

 

[JJCRabbitry]

I remove the nest box once they are spending more time out of it, then they are in. I find that they tend to use it more as a litter box at that point, but that's just me. I follow my own judgement. If I do take the box out, I make sure they have PLENTY of hay to burrow into, and I NEVER take it out before at least 3 weeks, and they are bouncing around on their own. As far as weaning, people say 5-6 weeks they stop nursing. I choose to self wean. I let them stay with mom until they are ready to go to their new homes. I don't sell until at least 10 weeks, and as long as the cage is big enough, I have never had any problems. This is just how I choose to do things however, it is your own call. I am sure there are people on here way more experienced than I, but I figured i'd throw my input into the mix. opcorn:

 

[Dood]

Crookdbeak13 is correct that Cali's colour is temperature sensitive and any time they get chilled the subsequent fur will be darker and since fur grows from the root the tips can be white and the base dark depending on when the cold spell happened during the fur growth

 

[wamplercathy]

My Cal/NZW buck Cumin's coat has a sliver tinge to it. Can't get the color to show up in pictures though. I have seen a reverse of the points color. During the summer Cumin's points had become lighter. I chalked it up to him maturing. But since the weather has gotten colder they have darkened back up. Now it's got me thinking it's an adaption.
A dramatic difference, black in April-->soft gray in July-->black in December. :shrug:
As for the nest box I'm leaving mine as long as the kits get in it. This past fall I left the boxes till the kits were 4-5wks, but since it's now winter I plan to leave as long as they want the hide away. I do plan to change out the nesting material in the next couple of days, they'll be around 3-4wks old at that time, switching the straw for hay that they will eat and can then be replaced every few days (because they will devour the hay by then).

Just how I plan to handle things this winter,
Cathy