Babies? BABIES! The kits are here! Updates

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Maleficent

Maleficent

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So in curiosity I found an instructional video on YouTube on how to palate rabbits for babies. Following and doing it the way the guy did it on the video, hand coming in from under the butt, I gently felt around. To my surprise I THINK I felt one for sure maybe two little egg shaped grape sized lumps along her right side! As soon as I felt them I decided to post here asking if what I felt could be little fetuses.

I'm wondering because for some reason she is still very receptive especially if I tap just at or under her tail. Her vent is also swollen and a nice deep pink. By this point today she would be a day shy of 14 days after her initial 'date' with her broken black mini Rex suitor.

If it is babies is there anything special I need to do for her at this point?
 
If the lumps were round, soft, and grape sized, they are most likely fetuses. At that stage it is easy to feel them. Small, hard balls smack in the middle are droppings. I haven't really checked my does' vents when they are pregnant, but if I do they are usually a pink color until later in the pregnancy.

At this stage nothing special needs to be done. You can be gentle with handling. At 21 days, I usually stop handling so I don't harm her and so she is settled down. I pet them but don't take them out of the cage. She can get a little extra feed at that stage. I also like to supplement my does with some sunflower seeds too, but it isn't necessary. At 28 days she can get her nest box.
 
Decided to update this, so the pregnant beauty is for sure pregnant with at least 3 babies she palpated by someone more experienced then I. Least to say she had a snit and I was her least favorite person for about a week, a bribe of some apple and some banana finally brought her back around. Of course she doesn't really like her belly touched and in gently feeling it yesterday she let me know about her displeasure by giving me a light nip (no skin breaking her teeth barely grazed skin) on my finger and of course she peed on me as a way of revenge. :|

-- Mon Jul 31, 2017 4:40 am --

So quick update, I had to pull her out to give her nails a trim on Sat and on Sun I started to seem some nesting behavior. Mainly a tiny pathetic little piece of fluff dangling from her mouth so I caved and gave her the nest box early. She hoped in and started eating the hay/straw mix that was in there but as soon as I stuffed her few tufts of fur she pulled out in the box that stopped. Today I had to go out there for something or other and she had stuffed it almost back full with everything in reach, her Timothy hay, a hay stuffed cardboard tube I supplied her, her toy carrot.. :roll: :lol: <br /><br /> -- Tue Aug 01, 2017 5:34 am -- <br /><br /> She is within a couple of days now for her due date on the 3rd. Is there any thing special I can do for her? I have been reading around the Web and noticed something mentioned about tums? I'm also going to try to get my hands on some organic raspberry leaf tea to put in her water.
 
The tums are to provide calcium which can help with stalled labor. It's "usually" not necessary but it doesn't hurt anything. You can try to give her a fruit flavored one if she eats it good if not that's good as well and probably means she doesn't need it. The raspberry leaves imo perform a very similar function.
 
alforddm":720qloip said:
The tums are to provide calcium which can help with stalled labor. It's "usually" not necessary but it doesn't hurt anything. You can try to give her a fruit flavored one if she eats it good if not that's good as well and probably means she doesn't need it. The raspberry leaves imo perform a very similar function.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the info, I'll invest in the tums as they can always be useful when not applied to rabbits. The girl is being silly would not touch pellets of hay the past two days though I could tell she had been nibbling at it. Checked on her this morning and she had demolished the bowl it was empty. :roll:

Almost as if she can't make up her mind. Tomorrow is day 31 let's hope I start to see signs of babies. :up:

-- Wed Aug 02, 2017 11:30 pm --

Don't know about active labor but we have some serious fur pulling and nesting going on over here right now! <br /><br /> -- Thu Aug 03, 2017 12:59 am -- <br /><br /> Quick update, don't know how I did it but my doe was comfortable enough with me there to give birth! Pics of the kits will follow once I am certain she is done! I left her alone for now to finish her thing. :)
 
LittleFluffyBunnies":25ij7hq1 said:
Congrats! Very exciting! Can't wait to see the kits :D :popcorn:
Click to expand...
Went back out to check on her and holy moly there were 8 little wrigglers in that nest! Or at least I think 8.. I need to recount once I find a spare container as I may have counted someone twice. I think it is bedtime now as it is after 3am here :p <br /><br /> -- Thu Aug 03, 2017 6:32 am -- <br /><br /> Here is the nest of popples, since taking this picture she has since pulled more fluff and they look nice and fed for 8 babies!

20170803_022042.jpg

20170803_070435.jpg

This is only one of the dark color popples out of a group of two. One is slightly bigger then the other.

20170803_070558.jpg

This is the only for sure broken one we have, looks kind of like mom. Almost the same exact markings as her. :lol:

20170803_070626.jpg

The rest look like this one, some with little markings here or there. I lost track of who did ad didn't have their picture taken at this point. I'm just surprised and honored that mom let me watch er for their birth! I have video of it if anyone is interested.
 
Yes, videos are awesome! I've had lots of litters and the closest I've come to seeing birth is watching a momma clean up afterwords (and overclean one baby, she's a brand new momma)
 
https://youtu.be/6stBNrtp9FY
This is the video from towards the end of her labor, I'll have to download the other from my Facebook messenger. I'm just surprised she gave me 8 for a first litter when her own mother was known for a max of 6 kits.
 
https://youtu.be/tyJFoOBed5A

Most up-to-date video on the popples <br /><br /> -- Sun Aug 13, 2017 7:17 pm -- <br /><br /> So the lot have started opening their eyes!

baby.jpg


Is there anything special I should start doing for them or mom at this point? They are 10 days today.
 
Cute!

At 10 days, I change out all the nest box materials for fresh, keeping only any clean, dry fur that was pulled.
 
Axel.jpg

Dotty.jpg

Gomez.jpg

Jessie.jpg

Morticia.jpg

Stitch.jpg

Stitch_II.jpg

Thumbelina.jpg

Buzz.jpg


In order of pictures their nicknames are Axel, Dotty, Gomez (and his wonderful grumpy face), Jessie, Morticia, Stitch and Stitch again, Thumbelina, and finally Buzz. Enjoy the update pictures!
 

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