Doe buried her kits - first time litter

[bunnybunbun]

Hi, my Doe had her first litter yesterday morning and 7 wiggly little piglets were at the front of the nest box and all looked to be in good health although she hadn't pulled almost any fur. I helped her pull a little fur and went to bed tonight.

when I woke up this morning, there were two plump looking kits in the same place at the front of the nest, but the rest were completely covered in an insane amount of fur and hay under the ledge on the nest box and completely inaccessible for feeding. The back part of the nest box was stuffed to the absolute brim with hay and fur, and kits smack dab in the middle.

I unearthed them all and put them back with the other two, the others didn't look like they had been fed.

What do I do? I don't want to intervene if I should just be letting nature takes its course, but I also want the kits to survive! Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Hopperpopper Queen]

Hi! I'm relatively new to rabbits( at least compared to most people on here) I've had rabbits for a year and a couple months. But in my experience I found that when it's cold they tend to "bury" their kits. Pictures would help, just to see how much they are under the fur. Is this your first litter too? When it was my first litter i was amazed and a little alarmed at the amount of fur Unless im misunderstanding this, my thought is that the two kits in the front crawled out from all the other kits and I would just put the two kits with all the other ones. And it seems fine.

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

When my Doe Natzumi had Pearl and Jasper, she had enough hay in the corner of her Nest Box with fur, but sometimes after feeding I would find them shoved under hay. All i did was uncover them and put fur over them, and they were fine

 

[MnCanary]

I have a Dutch doe that uses a 5 gallon bucket, laying on its side, as a nest box. She stuff the whole 5 gallons full of fur, hay and poplar shavings. Every other day I dig and dig and dig and finally find kits. They come out of the nest box at about the usual time, and seem OK. I think she knows better than I do.

 

[northernnevadahollandlops]

I have no problems with intervening to the extent that the kits are all fed and survive. With rabbits, it's in their nature to cover them up to hide them from predators. She will likely only feed them a couple times a day (usually dawn and dusk) and the kits are very good at finding mama when she hops in to feed. They may have crawled to the front under the ledge looking for her. It's good to check and make sure they are being fed though! Round bellies, gaining weight, etc. I'm glad you moved the little ones! They will need each other for warmth. So fun! I miss having tiny babies!

 

[Softie]

I have no problems with intervening to the extent that the kits are all fed and survive. With rabbits, it's in their nature to cover them up to hide them from predators. She will likely only feed them a couple times a day (usually dawn and dusk) and the kits are very good at finding mama when she hops in to feed. They may have crawled to the front under the ledge looking for her. It's good to check and make sure they are being fed though! Round bellies, gaining weight, etc. I'm glad you moved the little ones! They will need each other for warmth. So fun! I miss having tiny babies!

My California buried hers in the ground! She digs them up and feeds.

 

[northernnevadahollandlops]

My California buried hers in the ground! She digs them up and feeds.

Really? I have one doe who does this too. She refuses to use a nest box and goes crazy digging before she kindles. I've tried everything short of caging her. Because she hates being caged.

 

[Softie]

Really? I have one doe who does this too. She refuses to use a nest box and goes crazy digging before she kindles. I've tried everything short of caging her. Because she hates being caged.

Mine finally saw the cage was safer than risking predators. But I had to have the dog herd her home a few times.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

Mine finally saw the cage was safer than risking predators. But I had to have the dog herd her home a few times.

I want a video of that! LOL

 

[northernnevadahollandlops]

Mine finally saw the cage was safer than risking predators. But I had to have the dog herd her home a few times.

Maybe I need a sheep dog . Currently, my doe with the digging instincts, we hope, is pregnant, she had some play time in the garden the other day and within an hour had dug out a beautiful tunnel! It's almost sad to cover it up and put her back in her pen. But, better than dealing with the winter litter underground!