Cleaning occupied nest box, and other questions

[LittleFluffyBunnies]

My kits are now 5 days old, doing well, their mama is doing a great job.
I am using a plastic nest box, but I realized I should have put in drainage holes. Although, I think the box might have cracked if I did that, it almost cracked putting in the door. It has worked super well anyways except that now the bedding and hay is quite wet near the bottom, but thankfully not too much moisture buildup. Would it be okay to replace the hay and bedding in a few days, if I put the fur back in? would that cause a problem? I have heard of people doing that but not sure if it's safe. I regret not putting in the holes, but again, it would have cracked. I am wishing they sold wooden or metal nestboxes where I live, but they don't. Plastic is all I could get. But otherwise it has been great.

On a side note, all 6 kits are growing nicely, and looking fat. The smallest one did look not very fed today though, so I flipped my doe and I think it got a good feeding. How often should I do this? It is looking more fed now, an otherwise is active and strong.

I am thinking of supplementing my doe's diet with something to give her more protein. Her food is good but I might anyway. I don't have any oats, would some dandelion leaves and a little bit of peanut butter be good?

 

[caroline]

Yes, pull out the wet stuff and add dry hay. I don't worry about replacing everything if it needs it.

As for flipping the doe,I only do that if really needed. I would keep an eye on them and leave the doe to feed if they look ok.

If I am concerned about the doe having enough milk I top dress her feed with some herbs to support lactation:

fenugreek, blessed thistle,fennel, anise seed, coriander seed, stinging nettle

 

[Ms. E]

If you don't have drainage holes in your nest box, a puppy training pad, folded to the proper size, works well to absorb the extra moisture and keep the box dry. I usually put one in when I check the newborn litter, as sometimes mom will destroy it if she likes to dig in the box while building her nest.

 

[Rainey]

Dandelion leaves are great--just start slowly if your rabbit isn't used to fresh greens. Don't know about peanut butter. Definitely want to keep the nest box dry. And enjoy the kits--they grow and change so fast

 

[Zass]

Pumpkin seeds and black oil sunflower seeds are good for adding fat and protein to a doe's diet. Both are quite rich and should be given in moderation.

 

[Truckinguy]

I've handled a lot of my kits from the moment they're born. As soon as the doe seems to have finished giving birth I usually bring the nest box inside, check and count the kits and clean up any mess or dead kits. I've removed kits at various ages, cleaned the nest box and put them back in with no problems. Not sure if it depends on the doe or not but I've had no problems handling the kits although the does can be protective of their nests.

If I have a large litter and one or two kits seem to be falling behind I will take the largest half of the litter inside for the night and leave the smaller ones in the nest so they get an extra feeding. The kits inside haven't had any ill effects from missing one feeding although they're usually pretty hungry in the morning when I return them to the nest.