Doe pulling fur from haunch, not belly

[hrabbot]

My Silver Fox doe (first litter) will be kindling imminently. She's filled her nest box pretty well, but it seems to be all fur from her hip, where there's a ~ 3x3 bald patch. I don't see that her belly has been cleaned off at all. Will the kits be able to properly feed? Should I pluck her belly manually after they're born?

 

[Prisma]

If she's made a good nest, don't worry. They pull from where ever they want to. I've had MR be near bald except for their heads and chest

 

[Dood]

:yeahthat:

 

[Miss M]

I had a doe pull fur from her little heinie once. So funny-looking. One side was this nicely rounded, furred behind, the other side was this little butt cheek. :lol:

Next time, she did this:

Just about bared her side. :roll:

 

[Ptbunny8087]

That is fine. Some rabbits just pluck wherever they feel like it XD If the kits seem like they are having trouble feeding try to flip her over on her back and just pick out the fur around her nipples. The fur should come out easily.

 

[hrabbot]

Well she's got a pretty bare belly now - she figured it out Pretty excited for my first litter! It's going to be windy tonight, and ~46°. The hutch is wire-sided, but tucked in a corner of two fences that block wind pretty well. The fur in the nest isn't blowing around or anything, so should it be OK?

 

[Miss M]

If it's going to be windy, you may want to try to block at least one more side with a tarp or something. They can handle the temp just fine in their nest, so it's only the wind I'd be concerned about.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I agree with Miss M that you should try to block the wind a bit more. If you have any empty tyvek (woven plastic) feed bags, it is easy to attach them to the cage wire with zip ties. They eventually become brittle or the rabbits chew them up, but it is a free temporary solution.

 

[hrabbot]

Success! 9 little wigglers.

So excited!