First Time and SCARED! D:

[HannahM130328]

I am just a ball of stress.

I shouldn't be so stressed about it because my Pal doe still has 22 days until she's due... and it's not even her first litter, but I'm still nervous.

I'm part of FFA with my high school and we bred the Pals for the fair in May. My uncle had me bring the breeding pair over to my house and he had me breed them myself for the "complete experience" and I really don't mind it. I love the rabbits. My mom calls them our "therapy rabbits" so when we get a bit stressed we spend a little extra time with the rabbits and just pet them and cuddle with them but I'm a bundle of nerves.

The previous 2 litters she's had have all come along smoothly but after reading through all the forums on here of litter mishaps, I'm a bit anxious. As of tomorrow it will have been ten days since I bred her, and I think my biggest fear is that I'll be at school when she gives birth and if something goes wrong I won't be around D: Probably just being irrational as always. Crossing my fingers that everything will go smoothly. I'm still new to rabbits and I guess it's just a bit nerve-wracking...

And I miss my baby. He's around 16 weeks (don't know exactly), but about a week ago we left him up with my uncle so we could get the breeding pair. We only have a small space for the rabbits (only 2 cages) and we needed the space. He was from the breeding doe's (Bonnie) first litter, and his name is Houdini. We brought him home Christmas day I have to say that was my best Christmas gift ever!!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Deep breaths, Hannah! Relaaaaaxxxx.

It seems like there are lots of problems when does kindle, but there really aren't. Take a look in Random Rabbit Ramblings, and you will see tons of "Popple Announcements" about successful litters of kits.

Since she has kindled successfully before, I'm sure she will do just fine. My does usually deliver around 7 or 8 in the morning or between 8 and 10 in the evening. You might just get lucky and catch her in the act of giving birth.

You will also probably have an idea in advance because she will begin gathering hay in her mouth to put in her nest or a corner of the cage if the nest isn't in there yet.

Don't worry- we will all be here to help when the time comes!

 

[Miss M]

Besides, if you use up all your anxiety now, you won't have any left for when you need it!

Just kidding! Especially since she is proven, there's a better-than-excellent chance that everything will go smoothly.

 

[skysthelimit]

It does seem like a lot of problems. But when you look at it, I have 21 does, had 13 before, and have had over 100+ kits being born problem free, so any trouble now is simply the odds of life. Most of the time, things go fine without human intervention.

Best wishes for a successful litter.

 

[Diamond]

I have not had trouble with the doe's health kindling so far. Currently managing 9 breeding does with 2 to 4 litters a month. Problems I have had with kits occurred during a first-time litter, during extreme heat, and extreme cold weather. So if the weather is not pleasant around kindling time, move the doe into a sheltered area like a garage or basement. Have had good results warming up kits born on the wire or in the far corner of the nest box, just using a hot water bottle in a shoebox with a soft dish towel.

I give my does a nest box about 4 or 5 days before "Day 28", all of my girls like to build their nest early. I keep giving them straw and hay to move around until they lose interest in it.

They will keep you pacing the floor when Day 30 comes near. Will seem like the kits will never be born. Usually the doe will go off her feed right before kindling. She will spend a lot of time lying around in her cage stretched out, when mine get close they tend to put their hind legs out behind them and sit with their heads up/ ears tipped back. Trying to make more room for all those kits inside.

For now, just feed her good quality rations and enjoy the journey!

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

you have plenty of backup here-- and if your mother is anything like me, well-- when the doe makes herself a haystache, you get a day off school-- call it a 'mental health day'

 

[HannahM130328]

Thank you for the support guys!

I tend to overreact to things and be a bit over-dramatic, I just want everything to go right. I'll post updates when it gets sooner to time For now, we wait...<br /><br />__________ Sat Mar 09, 2013 10:05 am __________<br /><br />Oh, man. I thought I was nervous before! 5 days to go and each day adds more excitement and a bit of stress. I want everything to go smoothly, and a cold front is shifting down out of the nearby Sierra's! We've got plenty of rain in the last three days, and it's even cloudy today! That's the only thing making me nervous right now. The cold weather...

I have towels that I can drape over the cages. Should I do that once the kits are born? Just to ensure some extra heat?

 

[Teddy2511]

If it makes you feel better to cover the cages, then feel free to do it. It won't hurt anything. But the cooler weather really shouldn't bother her or the kits any as long she makes a good nest. (Lots of pulled fur and a nice hole in the hay or straw at the back of the nest box.)

Good luck with the new babies, and keep in mind, mama rabbits (especially proven ones like yours) usually do a very good job all on their own. Most likely you will wake up one morning to a nest full of little popples!
And have fun with it; a few days before her due date up until the day she has them, you should be able to hold a hand on her abdomen and feel the little ones moving about. How fun!

(Edit: Oh yeah, I totally forgot about them ingesting the towel, MSD! I have had that happen, so yes, I would definitely suggest cardboard instead.)

 

[MamaSheepdog]

If you put towels on the cage, the doe is going to pull at them and tear them. If she ingests long pieces of fabric it can cause a blockage. I would suggest using cardboard instead, since it is edible.

Good luck with the popples! Not long to go now!

 

[faiththequeen]

Woohoo! It's getting exciting! Won't be long now. I'm sure all will go smoothly and you'll wonder why you were even nervous in the first place

 

[Marinea]

Can't wait to see the popples!

*fingers crossed for healthy babies*

 

[Teddy2511]

How are things going? Any action yet?

 

[HannahM130328]

Well yesterday, she was supposed to have them but didn't, so it was a bit disappointing for me... I think I was more nervous than she was. More stressed about it hahaha

She had a litter of 8 today between 11am and 2pm. They are so cute and adorable and I'm so proud of her This is the first breeding I've done and I had been so stressed about it. To have everything go smoothly was just great! I knew she would have them today when my mom told me she checked at 11 (while I was at school) and Bonnie was pulling fur. We went out to lunch after my minimum day and when we got home at 2 I just had a feeling to go check and sure enough, there was kits

I was actually being a chicken because there were wasps EVERYWHERE around the pen, and I can't see into the nesting box from the doorway. I was trying to get my bunny to just tell me if she had the kits or not but, of course, she wouldn't. But she moved and I saw a little squirmy kit on the wired and PANICKED because I've heard so many kit-on-the-wire death stories. I ran back into my house and yelled "Mom, we have kits!!" and she said "we do?" and, overreacting like usual, I yelled back (quickly with my words running into each other) "Yeah but there's one on the wire and there's wasps everywhere and I can't get it up off the wire because I'm scared I need your help right now it could die!!!" So she fearlessly walked right into the pen and found a second kit on the wire. She safely returned them to the box (even though she's allergic to wasps). I'm such a scaredy-cat.

BUT WE HAVE KITS NOW AND IM SO PROUD!!! :')

 

[skysthelimit]

Congrats

 

[Miss M]

:congratulations:

I take it that since you know how many there are, you've already gone through the nest. That's great! Don't hesitate to pull the box every day for the first few days, to see if they are all being fed, if they are all still alive, etc. It can take a day for the mother's milk to come in, but they usually have it before that.

 

[HannahM130328]

Miss M ~ Thank you And yes I couldn't stay away from the cuties!! I found the little runt and he/she likes to just cuddle with my hand hahahaha. so cute

thanks for the support guys!

 

[faiththequeen]

Just give her a nice little treat when you come to check out the popples and she'll love it when you do! Congratulations! Can't wait to see pictures

 

[MamaSheepdog]

:congratulations:

I'm so glad she did such a good job for you. See? Nothing to worry about!

Regarding the wasps... I am sure the blood and possibly uneaten placentas attracted them. Make sure to clean the area around the cage if they are still there.

I have made wasp traps by simply drilling several wasp sized holes near the top of a Gatorade bottle. Put some soda or Gatorade in it, and the wasps will enter to get it and then they can't figure out how to get back out.

 

[HannahM130328]

MamaSheepdog ~ Brilliant! haha I'll have to try that and yeah, I guess I didn't have anything to worry about.

faiththequeen ~ I'll try to get some pictures up soon. They are the cutest things.

They look like they are all getting fed, but when I checked them this morning, I found a couple scratches on about 3 of them, and a bit of dried blood around their ears. My hunch was that when Bonnie jumps into the nesting box her nails got them, so I clipped them and filed them down. I feel bad that I didn't think of doing that before they were born -_- like it's my fault that they got a bit scratched up.<br /><br />__________ Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:52 pm __________<br /><br />How do you post pictures? :?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

How do you post pictures? :?

There are two "Stickies" that will help you post pics at the top of this page:

tutorials-and-testing-forum-f25.html