My doe was due today. I gave her her box monday with shavings and brome hay. Now she just made her nest last night and was restless and never touched her pellets today. She started spotting blood around 7:30 tonight. I've been peeking in on her every hour or 2 and as of 30 mins ago (11:15pm) no babies. Is this going to be as bad as I'm dreading? O, I also sliped her a crumbled slice of bread, soaked in milk, and warmed up a little at about 9:30 thinking she would have them soon and had heard it's a good "recovery meal".
HELP does and my first litter
- Thread starter rittert3
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Relax. All this sounds perfectly normal to me. There are never any guarantees, but I would expect to find kits in the nest box within the next 24 hours. Most rabbits kindle at 30-31 days, but later kindling is quite common. Go get some sleep! :zzz:
SatinsRule
Well-known member
Maggie is right. Sounds to me like you'll wake one morning in the near future to a bumbling box of bunnies.
ZRabbits
Well-known member
Wishing you luck with your first litter. Glad to see you have other experienced breeders letting you know that all seems normal. I know I will be just as nervous the first time I experience a litter.
K
K
skysthelimit
Well-known member
rittert3":24ltf70w said:
plenty. my rex doe tends to kindle at 34 days.
rittert3, calm down ... if it is her first time, she may be frightened/annoyed by your hovering and delaying delivery 
Of course, we were "all" where you are, so we know just how you feel right now :bunnyhop:
Of course, we were "all" where you are, so we know just how you feel right now :bunnyhop:
day 32, blood a couple days ago. I'd check to see if those kits are still alive but holding your hand on her tummy or just stand there and watch her while she's at rest. If the tummy had a rolling motion all is good. I would keep a decent eye on her. Check her every four hours or so and just keep a general watch. If you want to encourage her to kindle... Tums and Lavender can help.
SterlingSatin
Well-known member
sounds fine to me. does kindle late all the time. and does often bleed a little, especially in the days leading up to kindling. give her at least until day 35. she just sounds like a late birther to me. nothing there that is worth worrying about.
Ladysown, have you had occasion to try the lavender to start kindling? I've read about it but have never had the need to try it out. I'd love to be able to verify its effectiveness from someone's first hand experience.
She seems to be having a tough time, but she may not be finished yet. There could be more kits - alive or dead - overnight.
well..it's a hard one to quantify right? did a late kindler start to kindle due to the lavender given (a sprig) .. OR was it just that the timing was right? Hard to say Maggie. All I know is day 34 I gave a spring, that night she gave me four kits alive and two kits dead (very large those two) and the kits were furred.
All I know is day 34 I gave a spring, that night she gave me four kits alive and two kits dead (very large those two) and the kits were furred. I got discouraged and took her box away, after I checked it for live babies, when I cleaned out the still borns at 7:30. I wasn't around from noon to 7 so it's hard telling when she kindled. I'm trying to decide if I want to breed her or another doe (she won't quit riding her bred sister around) next thurs. I've got a weird operation I only have enough holes and nests to have 1 bred, 1 nursing, and 1 weaned litter at a time.
Uh... you should always leave the nest box for longer than you think necessary. What harm can it do? And it can prevent losses if the doe kindles more kits in the following hours.
Ladysown, thank you for the information about using lavender. You are the first person I know of who has actually reported on its use. I'm glad to know that it is apparently safe. I would think the two large dead kits were suffocated in the birth canal, as so often happens with oversized kits.
Ladysown, thank you for the information about using lavender. You are the first person I know of who has actually reported on its use. I'm glad to know that it is apparently safe. I would think the two large dead kits were suffocated in the birth canal, as so often happens with oversized kits.
