Does never move kits?

[imajpm]

I have a doe who is one of the best mothers in my barn. She has never had a kit on the wire nor ever dragged one out of the nest. She does not usually mind me messing with her babies but does keep an eye on me and very intently watches what I am doing. She has a different nest box for this litter than she normally has. She usually has a big nest box outside the hutch, with an indoor access point. This time she has a standard type nest box. Last night I rebuilt her nest as the hay was almost gone. I gave her a big pile for herself, to eat. This morning I went out and found her eating hay all stuffed in a corner, with a bowl depression and 7 of her 9 kits all snuggled up in the middle.

I was told that rabbits never EVER move kits, and that they must have climbed out on their own. I don't buy that really, as they are only 7 days old this morning, and can't do anything other than shake and wobble around. Having 7 decide to climb out successfully seems ridiculous. Their eyes are not even open! It also seems like alot of them to have stayed latched on when she left the nest though I suppose that is possible. It's the perfect nest outside the nest box that makes me wonder.

So I am curious if anyone has had rabbits move kits, and also if I should pull the nest box and either give her her old one, or just let her keep them in the new nest. I did move the two that were left behind to the main pile.

 

[Celice]

when a doe nurses some kits are very reluctant to let go and sometimes she drags them out with she leaves. it's not surprising, I've had this happen before. all you have to do is put them back in the box and keep an eye on them.

 

[Dood]

That is very curious

I've had a doe build a nest around 1 or 2 kits but I assumed they were dragged out and she was just being a good mom and tried to keep them warm, I put them back in, modify the nest box and they weren't out again :shrug:

But 7 getting lost is very odd - what are the dimensions of your nest boxes ? Specifically what is the height? Is it a box or more like a tray?

 

[Zass]

Does cannot pick up kits with their mouth. It's like trying to hold a baby with a pair of scissors.
They just do not have the tools.

As for my proof, not one person on this forum has a single picture of a doe holding or carrying a kit.

At 7 days kits can crawl around pretty well, and may have wandered out because you changed their box material. I've seen young kits abandon a nest for that reason before.
They would have ended up all together to stay warm.

 

[akane]

I just found 5 of 6 in a corner out of the box a few days ago without their eyes quite open yet. One had a slit. I am completely confident they got out themselves. I put them back and 2 days later found 1 out and 2 headed there and put them back. It's not uncommon for me to find kits out a few days before their eyes open so about 7 days would be right. Most of mine have always been eager to leave the box asap and by 12-14 days it's pointless to try to keep them in. I get concerned when I'm not having to put kits back before all their eyes are fully opened. The only exception is winter litters where the does will bury the entire box and kits might not be seen until closer to 4 weeks. I think part of the reason you can get so many out of the box is that they seek out each other and warmth so if they have spread out in the box and a few leave another few might leave trying to find each other and eventually you have too few in the box for them to be happy about staying causing all or nearly all to end up out of the box. More often though they pile up in front of it trying to figure out how to get back in their warm nest.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I had a friend who was an old-timer with rabbits, -- who had a doe who would move her kits, [we could watch her do it], -- but in all my years and thousands of does-- I have never seen another rabbit do it.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

One of our members (MaryAnn'sRabbitry) saw a doe pick up a kit and put it back into the nest.

I would have to say that does moving kits either into or out of the nest is a pretty rare behavior though.

 

[Zass]

I think, the doe eating the kits should definitely be ruled out as a possibility if someone reports seeing a doe holding a kit in her mouth. I do remember Mary Ann's Rabbitry having a problem with a cannibal doe.

I've been searching the net for a pic in case I'm totally wrong...thus far without success.


I know over on BYMR people talk about doe's moving kits like it's a daily occurrence...but all I saw were people assuming the doe did it whenever the kits are not where they expect them to be.

 

[Susie570]

I know over on BYMR people talk about doe's moving kits like it's a daily occurrence...but all I saw were people assuming the doe did it whenever the kits are not where they expect them to be.

BYMR?

 

[Zass]

I know over on BYMR people talk about doe's moving kits like it's a daily occurrence...but all I saw were people assuming the doe did it whenever the kits are not where they expect them to be.

BYMR?

Back yard meat rabbits facebook group.

 

[Susie570]

I know over on BYMR people talk about doe's moving kits like it's a daily occurrence...but all I saw were people assuming the doe did it whenever the kits are not where they expect them to be.

BYMR?

Back yard meat rabbits facebook group.

I'm afraid to join that group for fear prior will boycott my business. :x

 

[Zass]

I found the thread you were mentioning MSD. mom-takes-baby-out-of-nesting-box-t7577.html

Is she still active so we can question her about it more?
She says "I watched her" repeatedly. First in reference to the doe sniffing around for the kit. The second time she didn't specify exactly what she watched the doe do.

She doesn't say that she saw the doe with the kit in her mouth, and I'd like to clarify that bit.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I found the thread you were mentioning MSD. Is she still active so we can question her about it more?

Mary Ann hasn't been on in a while, but I just PMed her earlier tonight to see how she is doing. Hopefully she will pop back in again soon.

You could send her a PM asking about it if you want more info.

 

[Zass]

I found the thread you were mentioning MSD. Is she still active so we can question her about it more?

Mary Ann hasn't been on in a while, but I just PMed her earlier tonight to see how she is doing. Hopefully she will pop back in again soon.

You could send her a PM asking about it if you want more info.

That would be really helpful MSD!!!
I've always been under the impression that a doe would damage a kit if she tried to carry it in her mouth.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I've always been under the impression that a doe would damage a kit if she tried to carry it in her mouth.

Well, I know that rats and mice will move their babies if necessary, and they have similar teeth to rabbits. And cats and dogs have sharp teeth, especially with their pointy fangs...

I think that it isn't so much that they will damage them if they try to move them, but more that the instinct to do so isn't very highly developed since rabbits are hard wired to stay away from their kits most of the time so as a species wouldn't necessarily have "learned" that certain scenarios are dangerous for the kits.

 

[Dood]

I've always been under the impression that a doe would damage a kit if she tried to carry it in her mouth.

Well, I know that rats and mice will move their babies if necessary, and they have similar teeth to rabbits.

Even sharper and I have seen assembly lines of momma mice stealing pinkies for their nest and the other mother stealing them back :mrgreen: and never a mark on the babies

I never thought it was an injury issue but that they just lacked the instinct to move them since they don't need it - in the wild, and in colonies, they usually fill the tunnel with debris and dirt so the little ones cannot escape :shrug:

 

[Susie570]

I never thought it was an injury issue but that they just lacked the instinct to move them since they don't need it - in the wild, and in colonies, they usually fill the tunnel with debris and dirt so the little ones cannot escape :shrug:

I agree... I don't think they CAN'T, just don't have the instinct.
Perhaps some very smart does are learning to do it over time. :shrug:

 

[michaels4gardens]

I had a friend who was an old-timer with rabbits, -- who had a doe who would move her kits, [we could watch her do it], -- but in all my years and thousands of does-- I have never seen another rabbit do it.

The doe would pick them up in her mouth and move them from the nest box into a back corner of her cage where she had constructed a "nest" when we moved them back to the nest box- she would immediately begin to move them back to the new nest . From what I remember, -- she would have the kits in the nest box, then in a week or so, she would want to move them to her "new location"

 

[Susie570]

I had a friend who was an old-timer with rabbits, -- who had a doe who would move her kits, [we could watch her do it], -- but in all my years and thousands of does-- I have never seen another rabbit do it.

The doe would pick them up in her mouth and move them from the nest box into a back corner of her cage where she had constructed a "nest" when we moved them back to the nest box- she would immediately begin to move them back to the new nest . From what I remember, -- she would have the kits in the nest box, then in a week or so, she would want to move them to her "new location"

:shock:
I guess the question then would be... why? :shrug: