Doe Charging Kits

[downonthefarm]

This is a new one for us. One of our French Lop does is a first time mom. She has been doing great until now. Yesterday it was time to take the nest box out. When we remove the nest box, we take the doe out and let the kits explore & settle in without mom. It didn't go well. When we put the doe back in, she kept charging the babies and grunting at them. I stayed with her and supervised for about an hour. I was afraid that she was going to hurt them. She eventually settled down, but we've checked on her several times since then and she still grunts at them every now and then. I don't think she will hurt them at this point. However, I don't think this is the end of the problems. I had one of her babies out this morning and guess what it had learned from mom? "GRUNT! GRUNT!" when I was holding it! That's a fine thing to be teaching the kids! :angry:

Janine

 

[MaggieJ]

I'm not quite sure what's going on with your doe, but I suspect it has to do with the removal of the nest box. Some does are pretty strict with the kits and the kits spend a lot of time in the box or on the shelf at its head. Could be that the doe doesn't like having them underfoot and looking for milk all the time. I'd put it back and see if that helps.

How old are the kits? How is weaning coming along?

 

[Miss M]

Perhaps for her, you may want to consider not taking her out when you remove the nest box, and you may want to leave the nest box in for a few extra days while she gets used to the kits being out and about.

Hopefully she'll settle down in the future, considering she's a first-timer.

 

[akane]

I had a confused champagne d'argent with that problem. When her kits would run around the pen she'd get all upset and charge them. When I took out the nestbox and they were bouncing around it became constant. She was pulling up before reaching them and only on accident would run one over so we left her. It took a week for her to fully get over it and not get upset when the kits ran around but she eventually did get over it with no injuries.

 

[downonthefarm]

How old are the kits? How is weaning coming along?

They are about 20 days old. They're nibbling on pellets & eating hay.<br /><br />__________ Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:03 pm __________<br /><br />

you may want to leave the nest box in for a few extra days while she gets used to the kits being out and about.

I wondered if turning the nestbox on its side would make a difference. Maybe that would be an easier transition for her.

 

[MaggieJ]

I'd just put the nest box back in its normal position. At least the kits have a place to run for cover that way. At 20 days old they should have no trouble hopping in an out.

 

[arachyd]

I've had this happen with a very protective doe when the nest got disturbed. It seemed as though she was "wired" to instinctively attack anything that moved near her nest and did not recognize that it was her own kits moving about. They were only safe when they stayed in the nest - then she was the best of mothers. This is fine while the kits are still small but most does get over this stage when the kits start exploring. She was always much more aggressive than other rabbits and probably had overactive maternal hormones.

 

[ottersatin]

I believe your problem is/was caused by
removing the Dam while you set the Kits out of the nestbox.
When I remove the nestbox I simply let the kits
out of the box into the cage. Once they are all
out and about I remove the nestbox. It may be that it just
works for me with my herd, but I have never witnessed a Dam
attacking her offspring simply because they were in their/her cage.
I would give the Doe another chance to see if the same thing
takes place with her next litter.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[downonthefarm]

I would give the Doe another chance to see if the same thing
takes place with her next litter.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

We'll definitely do things differently with her next time. She may only get one more chance though. I don't like that one of her babies picked up on the grunting. Hopefully that changes as its handled more. We don't need rabbits with bad attitudes.

 

[akane]

None of mine grew up to have bad attitudes. I've also had kits grunt before their eyes are open when removed from the box and they grow up to be fine rabbits. I've come to just ignore any noise because generally as soon as the rabbit is used to you it goes away and rarely leads to anything else. We've had one exception out of 50 rabbits and that one was purchased not bred from my stock.

For my doe I did remove the nestbox with her in the pen. She still charged the kits whenever they ran. If they sat still or stayed in a pile they were fine. It was only when they ran around her that she got upset.

 

[Cattle Cait]

Please tell me it isn't Maisy...

What we did was take babies away from mean mamas and foster them to Harlequin or Dutch does. They raised them to be sweeties.

 

[downonthefarm]

Please tell me it isn't Maisy...

:lol: No, it's not Maisy. She became very friendly after her 1st litter and has stayed that way. I guess she just wanted a man. She actually asks to be petted now, rather than tolerates it. We still have all of her babies from the 1st litter & they are friendly too.

 

[Cattle Cait]

Please tell me it isn't Maisy...

:lol: No, it's not Maisy. She became very friendly after her 1st litter and has stayed that way. I guess she just wanted a man. She actually asks to be petted now, rather than tolerates it. We still have all of her babies from the 1st litter & they are friendly too.

That's more than she ever did at my place, tolerating petting just didn't happen :lol: She actually more tolerated us trying to feed her.