Handling Popples?

[LilacGal]

How much do you handle popples? I've heard you shouldn't touch them and I've heard some people handle them daily. I was thinking that daily handling would get them to be much easier to handle when they're adults. But I don't want the doe to freak out either. I also want to weigh them weekly so I can track how well this mating did compared to future matings and combinations. In case anyone was wondering yes I do have OCD and I live for numbers..... We don't have any popples yet but soon I should hope. Our doe started pulling fur this morning.

 

[Peach]

I play with them daily Mom hating them after you touch them is just a wives tale. If I had a doe that did have a problem, they would earn a one way ticket to the freezer!

So enjoy your popples It sets a great foundation. If they are show animals, I like them starting with posing around 3-4 weeks. It won't be perfect, but it's not like pulling out an 8 week old and expecting him to know what to do and not fight you. They also learned to be flipped, feet messed with, and teeth checked.

 

[3mina]

I'm in my nestboxes way more than the doe ever is and I'm with Peach, any doe that causes problems about it doesn't stay

 

[Prisma]

I side with Peach, I handle from day 1 when I find them. I don't bother if I find them mid-labor of course, but after yes. If a doe seems scared or nervous, I give a treat and keeping going cause some new moms or rabbits I purchased for breeding just haven't had the same handling as the ones I brought up, if she kills the litter she's gone. I have no tolerance for such mothers.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Your rabbits know you and they know your scent. She should not care if you handle her kits, and I suggest that you handle them at least daily. You will want to check each one to make sure it is eating.

 

[skysthelimit]

Same. I've ever helped does in labor by pulling out stuck kits, or taking off sacs for dwarf does that have had large litters. I've put my hand in the box while they were nursing, moved kits around, held does in boxes, held kits on teats, and I pull my boxes all of the time.

 

[Wheels]

Here too - how else will you be able to inspect them for issues? That first week after birth I give my does a nice treat (apple slices) before I go messing with babies. It's more of a tradition now than a necessity - but I did start offering treats at first because I wasn't sure how they would react to my intrusive behavior. Turns out they couldn't care less

 

[Frecs]

I also handle daily. My doe, Country Mile, is a very very good mom. The first surviving litter, she was defensive with me messing with her babies -- even coming very close to biting me. I gave her a treat, talked calmly to her while I did a head count, told her what a good momma she was, and left. She got use to this routine and now I think she looks forward to being told what a good momma she is...and she really is an excellent, attentive mom. Jumpp, my other proven doe, was not quite that defensive with her first but close. She also got used to my daily checks.

I will not keep a doe that bites me or intentionally kills her kits (unless I can see a "reason" she did it).

 

[Zass]

Your smell is on mom's water bottle, on her food dish, it was on the nest box and the bedding before she ever kindled in it

I handle mine from day one. If me messing around seems to be stressing the doe, I just give her a treat to work on, and remove the whole nest box to play with the kits where she can't watch!

Mostly, the does don't mind at all though. I have one who interferes because she wants head pats! She will wedge her head under my hand while I'm poking around in the nestbox, and then snuggle down and get comfortable when I scratch her.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

You have to check on them daily for the first 4 days.. the first day , for any dead kits and mess left behind.. and for any nesting building you might have to do if she dosnt do it. Then you have to check to make sure she is feeding them all.. then you have to check days later to make sure none is tanged in the fur .. like mine does. There is lots of reason to handle and to be in the box..

 

[Northwinds Rabbitry]

I handle mine daily for sure!!! LOL I can't let them sit there and not see them and hold them lol.
I do find they turn out better and all my does seem fine with it

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I didn't handle my first litters since I was breeding for meat and didn't want to get attached. BIG MISTAKE. I kept back the does for breeding, and it took me forever to get them to warm up to me.

I check the kits daily for the first few days to a week. Twice or more daily if the weather is hot, since a dead kit can get nasty pretty quickly.

The more you handle them as babies, the better. I usually have quite a few litters at a time, so they don't get handled as much as when my operation was smaller.

As others have already said, giving the doe a treat is a good way to make her associate your checks with positive things.

The first few days after the doe gives birth is also a great opportunity to tame a shy or aggressive doe since they produce the hormone prolactin (often called the "feel good" hormone, because it causes a loving euphoria which helps mothers bond to their young), and will associate your attention with that feeling.

Congratulations on your impending popples!

 

[Mickey328]

I handle them daily as well. Does haven't ever objected although they sometimes keep an eye on me.

 

[PSFAngoras]

I can't imagine not playing with the popples!

Just like everyone above said, mine are checked and typically handled daily. If momma doesn't want me nosing in the nest I just take the box out. Most does won't mind, but the few that do will stand at the door and stare at me til I put the nest back, and then they hop in to make sure I didn't do anything awful to the kits. Even the more defensive does usually stop caring by about the second week or so, so it doesn't last long.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Handle daily for sure. The old notion that a mother rabbit will reject them is a myth.

I occasionally stuff popples in the pockets of my cargo pants and just tote them around while I do other stuff. I had the popples from a litter inside once, and my dad needed help with something, so I tucked them into pockets and helped out. He had two other guys over to help (MAJOR problem needed lots of people) and at one point, I brushed up against something and some popples "popped" and made that beep-y noise, and the one guy was so startled...it was hilarious!!! :lol:

 

[CarsLops]

I play with them daily Mom hating them after you touch them is just a wives tale. If I had a doe that did have a problem, they would earn a one way ticket to the freezer!

:yeahthat:

If this is your first litter, be prepared for one of the coolest experiences of your life. I've been raising rabbits for about ten years and reaching into the box to check on a new litter is better than Christmas! It's a wonderful surprise, getting to see what colors you got and how many. It's a miracle and a joy every time. It never gets old and I get ridiculously excited whenever I have a doe due. Watching them grow from little hairless rat-y things to adorable little bunny bundle of joy is awesome as well.

But also, as everyone else has said, checking for dead and deformed kits, as well as getting them used to handling, is very important.

 

[LilacGal]

Thanks everyone, sorry my response was late had to replace a computer part.... I'm glad to know that handling them will do no harm. And there shouldn't be any color surprises in this batch. They're only allowed to be one color!

 

[Ramjet]

Ive got a litter about 5 weeks old , out of the nest box eating pellets & hay but still with their mother.

My kids want to play with them constantly.


How much is too much ??

 

[Wheels]

Ive got a litter about 5 weeks old , out of the nest box eating pellets & hay but still with their mother.

My kids want to play with them constantly.


How much is too much ??

My girls who are 5 and 8 play with our bunnies a lot as well - from about 2.5 weeks to 8 weeks those bunnies get 'mauled' by my girls. I supervise them and remind my girls constantly about them being babies and not toys. They are gentle and if the bunnies start to scratch or such I step in... So far I haven't had any deaths or other issues because of the constant attention.

 

[skysthelimit]

You will have the friendliest bunnies ever