Burying chew toy in nest?

[Tbgb1912]

So my doe (who I think is pregnant again) is still being housed with her two five week old kits. I went in to clean the nest this afternoon after letting them all out for a run, and there was a pile of straw in one corner of the box, covered over. I dug in, and sure enough one of them had buried their chew toy. What kind of behaviour might this suggest?
When letting my doe out for a run, she's been trying to dig tunnels in the lawn, and has no interest in anything other than digging, as she did when she was pregnant.

Has anyone had this kind of behaviour happen with their rabbits?
Would it likely be the kits or my doe burying the toy? And what could it mean?

 

[Zass]

Toys in the nestbox is usually a sign of nesting behavior.

The doe was just in a hurry to put EVERYTHING available in the nestbox.
I have a couple doe who do that. :roll: silly things.

It might be time to wean those kits, as there is a good chance another litter is on the way.

 

[Tbgb1912]

Toys in the nestbox is usually a sign of nesting behavior.

The doe was just in a hurry to put EVERYTHING available in the nestbox.
I have a couple doe who do that. :roll: silly things.

It might be time to wean those kits, as there is a good chance another litter is on the way.

Her last litter she proved she was an organised mum and had the nest already gathered a week early, so hopefully the same this time around. Is five weeks too early to wean the kits? Do I just put them into a different cage, near the doe, or gradually?

 

[Zass]

Toys in the nestbox is usually a sign of nesting behavior.

The doe was just in a hurry to put EVERYTHING available in the nestbox.
I have a couple doe who do that. :roll: silly things.

It might be time to wean those kits, as there is a good chance another litter is on the way.

Her last litter she proved she was an organised mum and had the nest already gathered a week early, so hopefully the same this time around. Is five weeks too early to wean the kits? Do I just put them into a different cage, near the doe, or gradually?

You can wean as early as 4 weeks. Some say their does wean naturally at that age. My girls usually keep right on supplementing their kits with milk until closer to 8-9 weeks if I let them.

I don't prefer to wean mine in the 4-5 week range, but I would if there is a reason, and another litter on the way is a perfectly good reason.

You can just take them out and put them in a different cage. Or move the doe. With just two kits, the doe wouldn't be making much milk, and if there is another litter due in a week, she probably isn't feeding them anymore at all.

 

[Tbgb1912]

Thank you! When you say she probsbly isn't producing much milk, will that affect the new litter?

 

[Zass]

Thank you! When you say she probsbly isn't producing much milk, will that affect the new litter?

The milk she was feeding the older babies wouldn't be suitable for a new litter.

Since the content of the milk changes as babies grow...The first milk they produce after giving birth is colostrum, full of antibodies for the developing immune systems.

Is she's expecting a litter, her milk will only temporarily dry up so that it can re-start with milk suitable for newborns.

 

[Tbgb1912]

Thank you! When you say she probsbly isn't producing much milk, will that affect the new litter?

The milk she was feeding the older babies wouldn't be suitable for a new litter.

Since the content of the milk changes as babies grow...The first milk they produce after giving birth is colostrum, full of antibodies for the developing immune systems.

Is she's expecting a litter, her milk will only temporarily dry up so that it can re-start with milk suitable for newborns.

Okay so nature would've taken its course and stopped producing milk by now, ready to begin again for these kits?

 

[Zass]

Okay so nature would've taken its course and stopped producing milk by now, ready to begin again for these kits?

Yep At least, that is what is most likely to have occurred.

 

[Susie570]

Toys in the nestbox is usually a sign of nesting behavior.

The doe was just in a hurry to put EVERYTHING available in the nestbox.
I have a couple doe who do that. :roll: silly things.

It might be time to wean those kits, as there is a good chance another litter is on the way.

The doe I have now apparently just LOVES to build nests... I'm 99% sure she isn't pregnant, but she's still packing hay into her box (I'm just letting her do it, I don't see a problem) and even pulling some fur at times.

As for putting anything and everything into the nest box, as I've mentioned a few times before, I actually saw her dragging a shoe to her nestbox when she was pregnant with the litter we have now. :roll: She would also grab anything else that was handy, a towel or washcloth, socks, pieces of paper... but the shoe was the most amusing. Bunnies are weird.

 

[Becky]

One of my nesting does somehow managed to use a plastic bag (which was full of kale ends, that I never found :lol which had been sitting on a solid shelf above her cage as nesting material :lol:. I still have no idea how she did it.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

My does will put their toys in the nestboxes too. But not being a cynic like Zass :twisted: I believe it is because they are trying to properly prepare the nursery and want their babies to have toys.

Zass is spot on with all of the advice she gave you. I agree you had better get those kits into their own cage soon.

 

[Zass]

But not being a cynic like Zass :twisted:

A cynic!?
Hmm.
Lets see if I can find a cynical enough looking smiley.
Maybe this one

:jump2:


:twisted:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

But not being a cynic like Zass :twisted:

A cynic!?
Hmm.
Lets see if I can find a cynical enough looking smiley.
Maybe this one

:jump2:


:twisted:

Hey now, hey now!!! :evil:

That's a "smashing-MSD-to-a-pulp-smiley" NOT a cynical smiley! :angry:

***HMMMPH!!!***

I can't believe I just got squooshed just because you don't realize that rabbit mommies want to make sure their wittle baby-buns have appropriate enrichment toys in their nests.

How very anti-anthropomorphic of you! :nono:

 

[Susie570]

I can't believe I just got squooshed just because you don't realize that rabbit mommies want to make sure their wittle baby-buns have appropriate enrichment toys in their nests.

How very anti-anthropomorphic of you! :nono:

My bun wanted to make sure her babies were well shod. :lol:

 

[Tbgb1912]

My does will put their toys in the nestboxes too. But not being a cynic like Zass :twisted: I believe it is because they are trying to properly prepare the nursery and want their babies to have toys

I love that idea! :lol:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Hey Zass!!!

Look:

My does will put their toys in the nestboxes too. But not being a cynic like Zass :twisted: I believe it is because they are trying to properly prepare the nursery and want their babies to have toys

I love that idea! :lol:

:tease: :tease: :tease: :tease: :tease: :tease:

 

[Zass]

Hey Zass!!!

Look:

My does will put their toys in the nestboxes too. But not being a cynic like Zass :twisted: I believe it is because they are trying to properly prepare the nursery and want their babies to have toys

I love that idea! :lol:

:tease: :tease: :tease: :tease: :tease: :tease:

All right all right. You ladies win this round. :bow:

I'll just
:shutup:

and
:writelines:

"Rabbits are very thoughtful mommies
who like to stock their..nurseries
with a variety of...enrichment objects
for their children."

:lol:

Well, Mucky always liked to steal my kitchen washcloths to put in her nest.
She must have wanted the babies to wash up properly after each meal.
:yes:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

All right all right. You ladies win this round. :bow:

inkbunny: :hooray: inkbunny:

Well, Mucky always liked to steal my kitchen washcloths to put in her nest.
She must have wanted the babies to wash up properly after each meal.
:yes:

Probably... being named "Mucky" she probably didn't want her kids ending up with names like "Sticky", "Sloppy", or "Pigpen". okeeye:

 

[Zass]

Probably... being named "Mucky" she probably didn't want her kids ending up with names like "Sticky", "Sloppy", or "Pigpen". okeeye:

She's such an opinionated little thing.

You should see her roll her eyes every time I refer to her son as "Sushi." :roll:

 

[Susie570]

Probably... being named "Mucky" she probably didn't want her kids ending up with names like "Sticky", "Sloppy", or "Pigpen". okeeye:

She's such an opinionated little thing.

You should see her roll her eyes every time I refer to her son as "Sushi." :roll:

:lol: