Bred does, and handling?

[fuzzy9]

I'm just curious how often you handle your bred does? When I have a doe that I've bred, I touch, pet, and talk to her daily, but try to reduce the handling, and removing from the cage to different areas for fear of stress.

Sold a doe to someone, and emailed to see how they are doing, only to find out the doe died, and is now in the freezer. From the email it sounds like she may have been handled quite frequently, and taken in and out of the cage to a different location, like an outside play area.

I don't handle my bred does like that, and I'm curious if others do? Obviously she was not used to it, and it stressed her to much.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I routinely give my does a nail trim in the last week before they kindle, sometimes just a couple days before if I haven't gotten to it earlier. They are used to it though, since they also get a manicure on the day they are bred.

 

[mystang89]

I handle mine all the time. Either trimming their toe nails, checking their weight, looking at their teeth, letting them out of their cage to run around, holding them to let the kids pet them. Haven't had one doe yet die from being handled....unless I was handling it with the intention of putting it in the freezer.

 

[ladysown]

i handle mine all the time, switching them from one cage to another and so forth. Never really been an issue for me.

 

[skysthelimit]

I handle all the time, I love to feel the babies moving in their bellies. Most will lay down on my hand. I've gotten all of my adult does bred, one was 17 days (I forgot I paid for her and had her bred), and I have never had a problem. Even with ones that did not know me at all before they kindled. I switched two of them two days before they kindled, though I would not usually do that, and she kindled 12 last week. I do not have a nice, pleasant group of does, but there are only 2 that put up a fight when I invade their space, pregnant or not. The Seal do goes into these verbal fits, but she lets me handle her.

 

[fuzzy9]

I've handled mine at times as well, just clipped nails on a doe due in a week, but I think the difference is these does know me, and are in their same surroundings they are used to. Same sights, sounds, and smells.

I got a bit more details of what happened now. He was handling her pretty quickly after bringing her home, with the logic it would get her used to him, and him handling her. He admittedly didn't really give her time to adjust. He brings his rabbits outside to a play area, a sandbox he called it, and the kids are there playing as well. I don't have an outside area, no kids here either, let alone kids running around, laughing, screaming, and making all kinds of quick movement. It's pretty much just me they see day to day in my rabbitry, and once in a while Dave. They are used to noise, I've used the shop vac around them, and they handle it well. Just to much new surroundings, to much noise, and activity. He said she was doing a scream that sounded like death, and then wedged herself in between a tight space he had to pull her out of. She was panting, and then pretty much died right there. This line of rabbits is very laid back, so I can imagine it must have really been frightening for her.

I'm kind of a bit upset, she was a beautiful doe, but it's the risk you take when you sell I guess. He's purchased from me before, so I had no reason to be uncomfortable with his knowledge or his care, but.......those were young, and had time to grow into their surroundings too.