Homicidal Doe Buries Babies Alive!!

[Stormy]

I was trusting her instincts were telling her what to do. We didn't know she was pregnant (she got out one day for 20 minutes when a 4 month old fryer had escaped for a couple days) and the moment we let her into her day run she dug a deep burrow, pulled fur, had babies, all in one day - wow. I think the teenage girl does must have helped that was a lot of work but it had just rained and the ground was soft. So the babies were out of reach for us.
That night, I put a 5-sided day run over the top of her and her nest while I put the rest of the girls to bed in their large colony cage. The next morning, there was no burrow!! I got a trowel and unearthed the burrow - she had carefully packed a ball of grass into the burrow, then a couple of inches of dirt pushed over and patted down - really brilliant and I was surprised. I have never heard of rabbits doing this - has anyone else?
She seemed really annoyed I dug up her hole. So I didn't bother it again, when she buried it back up. I kept checking - it was always sealed up. Her paws seemed real dirty the first day or two. But my partner noticed, that the earth never seems disturbed. After a few days of worry, I unearthed the burrow. I did not hear any peeps of distressed kits. She also did not seem interested in going down there at all. We never saw her visit her burrow again, and none of the other rabbits would go down there either, after checking out the entrance, whereas in the past they did. I can only assume it didn't smell too good.

WT?? She is an excellent mother who usually produces happy fat babies, above ground. I am wondering if she forgot them, being underground? Or was somehow distressed to have babies again and decided she was done with them? She is a young doe, and just had a litter about 3 months prior. We're very concerned for her intelligence and/or instincts. Otherwise, she is a sweet rabbit.

 

[Bad Habit]

Huh, that's really weird. I don't really have any answers for you, but I'll be following this thread.

My doe Hannah has been digging all the litter in her box over to the side closest to the nest box, and then patting it down with her forefeet. Now I'm wondering if she's trying to "bury" her kits as well.

 

[DanaYares]

When my colony does have their babies underground they always close up the burrow with dirt and hay so that it looks concealed. I never see the does unearthing the burrow, but 4 weeks later little furry babies appear as healthy as ever.

I would leave the burrow alone and wait to see what happens.

 

[ladysown]

that's a normal colony type behaviour. Don't sweat it.

 

[Secuono]

I always close up burrows and move litters into diy nests, so can't help with the covering back up.
But, as for one rabbit digging a huge hole in one day...I have two does that in just a few hours can dig a 2.5ft long hole. Luckily, they dig inside the fence and I've never fallen through one of these sudden traps of theirs. =D

 

[Stormy]

Thanks DY & LS - I have never heard of this behavior! It really looks like she abandoned them though, there really hasn't been any digging. I don't understand if we confused her by putting the day pen over the top of it - changing her surroundings - opening it, closing it, or what. Super bummed. She does not seem to be nursing at all.
On another note, how do you keep their burrows contained? The teenage does were all digging a big burrow aiming to connect with this other one. We buried it, as we figured we'd lose all ability to manage these rabbits by letting them go underground. Do you have a really large enclosed pasture or something?

 

[akane]

You can do an outdoor colony with a big pen and a structure to dig around with skirting or buried perimeter fencing or if you just want exercise pens lay down wire so they can eat but not dig. Something heavy or it will rust quickly though. Definitely not something like chicken wire.

 

[velacreations]

Ours always do that. I have 3 out there with burrows filled with kits. If I didn't tell you where the burrows are, you would never find them. They only open the burrow once per day, usually at night. You won't see them do it.

If you start digging around the burrow, she'll probably take notice. I have one doe that if I even go near her burrow, she attacks me.

Don't worry about it, she knows what she is doing. She'll open it up when they are 3-4 weeks old.

I am a firm believer that rabbits need contact with the ground for temperature control. Preventing them from digging or entering underground shelters is bad.

 

[Stormy]

Wow Velacreations - that's amazing. Well we screwed up I guess? We locked her up at night into the secure pen, away from her burrow after awhile. The ground really went undisturbed for a long time. She got really sick we brought her inside the house for a few days. She recovered with fluids Sub-Q, thank goddess. But she never did dig up those babies. We wonder if she went temporarily insane. She was an excellent mother for all 3 previous litters.

If this happens again, we are not sure what to do. We tried to keep her safe by putting a day-run enclosure her over her, separate from the rest of the colony. We thought maybe she got confused. We wanted to keep her safe. We're rather scarred from the experience, I don't know if we'll let her dig more burrows. She totally forgot about them its been a month, no babies...

 

[a7736100]

It's regular behavior for mothers. They plug up the hole so preditors like snakes and rats don't have easy access to the kits. By constantly checking you probably made her kill the litter as she thinks it's an unsafe nest.

Once I had a doe who would go down the burrow each morning at 10 to nurse. She would then repack the hole when she came out. It probably also keeps out rain water during a downpour.

 

[DanaYares]

I agree with velacreations... Burrowing is a rabbit natural behavior.

Here is a picture of our rabbit colony

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 650&type=3

They are allowed to burrow, and I've also built some kindling tunnels which they also use.

 

[Stormy]

I agree with velacreations... Burrowing is a rabbit natural behavior.

Here is a picture of our rabbit colony

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 650&type=3

They are allowed to burrow, and I've also built some kindling tunnels which they also use.

Hi Dana- WOW that is a GREAT setup!! I am having total colony envy right now. My bunnies are getting wet in my set up its not working.
Where are the burrows? I didn't see them.

Did you build that all yourself? Are you for hire? I'm in Occidental I am starting to think a permanent dry place might be better for the bunnies than a mobile colony pen. I like them to be able to graze the fields but I think I'm trying to accomplish too much in one structure.

Am contemplating putting up fencing and subdividing the pasture so I can move them to a new field when they graze it down. I'm concerned how expensive that will be though... and then they will burrow freely which makes me wonder if I'll ever be able to catch the kits!

 

[Amy]

Dana, I was so excited to see the pic's, but they weren't there??? Maybe I'll try again later.

 

[velacreations]

disturbing the burrow and taking her away probably made her abandon the nest. You have to just trust their instincts, they know more about raising baby rabbits than you.

Mine keep their burrows covered all the time, they look like no one has ever dug in that space, you would not be able to find them on your own. I don't disturb them at all, I leave them to it, and 3-4 weeks later, out pops the litter, eyes open, ready to go.

I watched a doe last night open up her burrow, she didn't realize I was watching. Her kits are 3 weeks old, now, almost ready to come out. When I made a bit of a noise, she kinda freaked out, and started covering the burrow back up. They don't like you (a predator) spying on them.

If it happens again, just leave it alone, don't bother them.

 

[Stormy]

Thanks Velacreations - I am really bummed out. For her and for us and for all those little babies, it just makes me sick. We watched and watched and the more days that went by... the ground seriously looked like she never dug it up ever again, it was practically lost. I actually dug out the hole for her and she expressed no interest in it, didn't cover it up or anything. She was acting kind of strange at that point and she did fall rather ill.
If we let her do it again, we just don't have a safe option for her - if we leave her in the daypen unprotected at night I'm afraid an owl or fox might get her.
How do you catch your babies? I imagine they would be wild and run down that burrow whenever you come by.

 

[velacreations]

I have an outdoor pen and an indoor one. when it is time to catch babies, weigh and breed and check on everyone (once a week), I herd everyone inside, and shut the door. Then, it is pretty easy to just catch the babies by hand. Their indoor area is about 10 ft by 10ft, outside area is probably 15 by 30 or a bit bigger.

They are used to the routine, so it goes pretty easy. I just walk out in the pen, and they naturally meander inside.

Occasionally, a kit will go down a burrow, and I just reach in and pull it out. We feed in the inside part, so the kits are used to coming to the sound of the feed can, and if some are being a bit stubborn, I pour out some feed, and they all come in.

Ours tend to be pretty tame, anyway. I don't handle the kits much, but I feed theme everyday, so they get used to me being around.

In your case, if you see one making a burrow, you might pull her into a closed cage with a nestbox to let her have the kits there. I breed one doe a week, and have everything on a schedule, so I know when each doe is due. When a doe is due, I keep an eye out for new burrows.

I have had a few cases where a more dominate doe will kick out a lesser doe's kits. It has only happened maybe 2 or 3 times in several years, but it can happen. When it does, I take all the kits and their mom inside in a nest box, and shut them in there. To get out of the nest box, the doe has to dig out (they are open bottom boxes on the ground with a lid). By the time she digs out (usually in 15-20 minutes), her scent is on everything, and she knows that is her new burrow. She will promptly cover her exit hole and treat the nest box as a new burrow.

 

[Stormy]

Dana, I was so excited to see the pic's, but they weren't there??? Maybe I'll try again later.

Amy - you probably have to "like" her page Urban Farm to see the pictures maybe? They are great!

Seriously, Dana, talk to me if you are available for hire, since I'm your neighbor... and not a carpenter... that's a rockin' setup<br /><br />__________ Sat Dec 08, 2012 7:27 pm __________<br /><br />Velacreations- is your indoor pen like a shed or something? That's a terrific idea with the moving of the nest!! wow!!
So here are my questions:
1) how is your arm long enough to reach the kits? My rabbits made crazy deep burrows
2) the teenagers started digging burrows for fun, I presume - and looked like they were aiming to connect them. Do you find you just have nest burrows, or have they dug a maze to live in underground?

I have a fear of losing all my rabbits in the earth...