Colony Update After One Month

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Thanks, Ann. It's not a pretty rabbit colony, but the buns don't care. They are certainly much happier than when they were in cages.

Jasper is the New Zealand Red from Moonkitten's rabbitry. He is a handsome boy, isn't he? Nice to see he has passed on the colour to some of his offspring. He's not a very aggressive breeder, Brody, but it does mean that he can stay in the colony full time without issues. I raised Rosemary and Sage together in one cage and I think it may have been a mistake. They are both stubbornly resistant to breeding. I had no luck at all when they were in cages, even after they were separated. I thought they might do better in the colony... but so far, no go. They do have some time yet to mend their ways.
 
Maggie,

Most hay feeders for the side of cages are on the outside, so the rabbits are pulling the hay through 1" x 2" wire, and it works fine. Rabbits have smaller noses than ones thinks (which most of us have found when we leave something like an extension cord to close to the cage) They really don't need to pull the hay though the wire at all, they can eat it on the other side. I "free feed" my bucks hay, by simply putting it on top of the cage (again 2 x 4). They have to stand on their hind legs to get it, and it gives them something to do.
 
Love the pictures! This looks sorta similar to what I did, actually. Your buck is SOOO pretty! and your alice looks similar to my Spooky! (I can't wait to have pretty babies peeping at me again).
 
Well, we confirmed 5 kits today, and they all appear healthy. I haven't taken them out yet, maybe tomorrow, but they were active and overflowing their nest inside the box today. Alice started getting worried, so I didn't keep it open very long.

I'll take a few more pics soon.
 
All my NZ red bucks are like that :( Jasper's brother Jordan was in my giant cage with a doe for about 9 months and they only had 3 litters. He seems to do much better now that he's in a single cage with visits from the girls. I think the reds are just so laid back that unless it's a *new* doe suddenly appearing, they are willing to just "be friends".

Hopefully as the weather warms up your does will start getting hormonal and insist on some boy time...
 
Ahhhh...yes. The guys just want a new sexier girl. Familiarity is a turn off. The complaint of married men the world over :lol:

or...it's just too much effort. "sex..sure...well, after dinner..but there's this show about grass and dandelions I wanted to watch...."
 
HAHA! As an interesting note, my NZR is also complacent in the "bedroom". He takes a while to get anywhere, lol. Hoping that production speeds up with him living with the girls, though.
 
Alice's kits were out in the colony when I went down this morning. They are twenty-three days old. This is the first they have ventured out of the nest tunnel. They have a tiny hole at the top of the hay that Alice used to barricade the doorway and the first one I saw was popping back into the tunnel through it. Then three others ventured out from behind the hay rack. They are exploring and nibbling and crawling under momma to get an extra bit of milk. One red kit is a tiny perfect replica of its daddy, Jasper. They looked cute sitting side by side. All the adults are very tolerant of the kits. One was nuzzling up against Rosemary and she was fine with that. More important, Alice was fine with it too, although she wasn't happy about me reaching in for the grain and water dishes. Might have been the sight of my gloves. Eek! Alien hand-like things! They're after my babies!

I know, I know. You all want pictures. Talk to MidnightCoder. He's the photographer here. :D
 
David took some pictures when he did the feeding and watering in the colony this evening. You'll see the kits discover carrots. They seem to have made a quick adjustment to colony life.

Sage, the big grey doe, is now digging furiously in the second nest tunnel and is not in the pictures. She looks pregnant, but the timing suggests to me that her activity may be just baby-envy. :) Rosemary, her sister, a dark agouti doe, looks on benevolently while Alice and her kits feast.


Wait up, Mom!
wait_for_us.jpg

Following Mom
following_mom.jpg

Discovering Carrots
yummy3.jpgcarrots_for_all.jpgyummy2.jpg
 
I'll try to get some pics with less blur tomorrow. It's a crappy camera, must be close to 10 years old, and the barrel of the mechanical zoom isn't aligning properly anymore.

I was amazed at how voracious the youngsters were tonight. They really attacked the carrots, and were just having a blast. Usually Alice and Jasper would be pigging out, and the other two does getting a share, but tonight they all seemed to stand back and let the kits get some. It could of course be coincidence, but it was still nice to see. :)
 
Cool pictures :) Thanks!

I'm not sure it's just coincidence. I've noticed that when the kits are finally out of the nest box, that there are days in the Angora colony when the does just take advantage of the quiet time when the kits discover a treat I've put into the feed dishes. Even if it's grain/pellets in the empty dish, they'll sometimes just stay over in a corner watching while the popples gallop over to feed. I can almost hear them saying "THANK YOU JESUS!!" for the time alone. :lol:

Watching the rabbits in a colony is truly fascinating for me. They REALLY develop personalities and you can see the dynamics at work. "Auntie" Vienna is currently the one who sort of baby-sits while the other 2 drink or eat or lay around in the litterbox.
 
Wow, I looked again, and it really IS bigger than the others, isn't it?

Incidentally, I have noticed it is much harder to catch rabbits in a colony. How do you catch your kits (because someday I would like a litter of my own, lol).
 
I would hazard a guess that you let them corner themselves or scoop them from the tunnel, most of my kits just come to me if I let them run in my barn
 

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