Conflicting information

[Emily]

I've read that you shouldn't touch newborn kits. You can't until they're a few weeks old. If you do, the dams will eat them or reject them. I've also had two people tell me this. Now, I've had other people tell m this is ridiculous and I've seen photos on here of new kits being handled.

Can someone help a sister out? I'd really rather not lose my first littler.

 

[Gone]

This is a myth. Handling them is occasionally necessary to make sure they're healthy, to check that they're all being fed, etc.

That said, I generally handle them as little as possible, but I'll admit I may be overly careful. It's not the doe I worry about, it's inadvertently hurting one, or in winter, getting a chill. I'm probably paranoid. :shock:

It also depends on the doe. If your doe shows good instincts and produces good results, a cursory check every so often is likely enough. The main thing to be sure of early on is that they're all alive (and that they stay that way), and all have round bellies that indicate they're being fed. Later, when their eyes open, you'll want to be sure all eyes are clear and not gunked up at all (nestbox eye).

There are people here with vastly more experience than me, I'm sure they'll weigh in on it, too.

 

[curlysue]

I handle every newborn as soon as they are born.in some cases i have assisted the birth.if you touch them the mother will abandon them is an old wives tale.I have been raising rabbbits over thirty years.

 

[hoodat]

That was an old idea, now long discredited. A lot depends on the doe. If she's friendly and can be easily handled it's doubtful she'll object. Rabbits aren't as protective of their young as many other animals are. If your doe is spooky you might want to limit the handling but you can still check them now and then to be sure they are doing well. If she's the rare one that's protective you can distract her with some goodies like a slice of appple while you check them over.

 

[Secuono]

I handle my newborn kits, had our first 2 litters and they were fine. They cared more about their dinner than me messing with the nest.

 

[hoodat]

I like to check the newborns as soon as mama settles down after kindling to remove any dead or runty ones right away.

 

[ladysown]

99% of all rabbits will not have a problem with you handling their kits twice a day. Enough to ensure that all are living and getting fed.

you will get your odd rabbit that has issues...but those odd rabbits tend not to be kept around too long and therefore that weeds out those undesirable traits.

If you want to help your does associate you messing around with their nestbox in a positive light... give her a good pet and a food treat. She'll not worry on you so much then as her other needs have been met.

 

[MaggieJ]

Emily, as everyone else has said, this idea is an old wives' tale. Sometimes a first time mother rabbit will not care for her kits because she is inexperienced and her maternal instincts do not kick in in time. In these cases, sometimes the whole litter may die and the owners blame themselves, thinking that because they touched the kits, the mother abandoned them. The two events were completely unrelated, but it did not appear so to the people involved. Hence the myth.

 

[grumpy]

Maggie made two good points. They may "seem" connected to a new rabbit breeder, but they are seperate and completely unrelated.

First: Handling youngsters is not cause for abandonment. Quite the contrary, handling them is a must. Checking the nest box and young is a good husbandry practice that needs to be done with regularity. Assuring that no "dead" kits are left in the nest and that all is well with the litter.

Second: First time does often fail completely or partially with their litter. I personally feel lucky when a first time doe kindles and does "everything-right." When a doe is bred the first time...I "expect" her to fail with that first litter. More often than not, I'm pleasantly surprised when she's successful, but not upset if she doesn't. I wait a couple of days and re-breed her. However, I do keep a cautious eye on the doe and watch for successive failures. If she fails that second and third time....she has to go.

Grumpy.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

the doe recognizes her kits through a process called 'kinship recognition' Once a kit has nursed off a doe a couple times, the resulting 'scent' that exudes through the kits skin will even have the doe recognize fostered kits as 'hers'. Oddly, this also carries on so that littermates, even th foster littermates, recognize each other later on in life. Some people think it is the immune system speaking through the permanent antibibodies that is included in the does milk---

 

[akane]

Ridiculous unless you have really really high strung rabbits who are probably at risk of injuring themselves in fear several times a day as well. Most would cull these quickly. If some breeder decided to keep them despite their behavior for having good type or color or something they could breed a whole rabbitry of animals that you had to walk on eggshells around and not bother their nest or offspring. Hopefully we are all smart enough to know we shouldn't get in to that situation and since most cull those high strung rabbits like said 99% of the time it isn't a problem. I've handled kits while the doe wasn't finished having them without issue.

 

[Gone]

Bribing a protective doe with treats is an excellent idea, I should have included that in my post above. A small chunk of baked potato works wonders with Alice.

It would likely put any doe more at ease, even if they're not unduly bothered by it.

 

[currituckbun]

the doe recognizes her kits through a process called 'kinship recognition' Once a kit has nursed off a doe a couple times, the resulting 'scent' that exudes through the kits skin will even have the doe recognize fostered kits as 'hers'. Oddly, this also carries on so that littermates, even th foster littermates, recognize each other later on in life. Some people think it is the immune system speaking through the permanent antibibodies that is included in the does milk---

I did not know this. But I have noticed that they don't fight when I have separated , then put back together.

 

[Emily]

Thanks, everyone! I was leaning towards that information being bunk, but wanted to make sure. The same goes for dogs. I had some idiot animal shelter volunteer I met in TSC tell me I shouldn't handle my dog's pups for the first TWO weeks if not four. That is ridiculous and can make *very* unsociable dogs.

 

[akane]

I really don't understand those people who want to put their puppy in a plastic bubble for the first part of it's life and then complain later about it's behavior when interacting with the world. Then it usually gets rehomed where someone (occasionally me both unofficial and as an official foster for a breed rescue) gets to do the socializing.