How many days before kindling...

[Desert Rose Rabbits]

How may days before kindling do does usually start to go off their food? Mama is due for her nestbox tomorrow and then due to kindle somewhere around Sunday (if she took, don't trust my palpation skills). She usually eats about a cup of pellets a day, a handful of greens, and a few handfuls of hay each day. She didn't finish her pellets from yesterday so I left them in her cage and gave her her daily greens which she nommed up quickly. Went out to check on the garage bunnies this afternoon and she still hasn't touched pellets but she's laying much more sprawled out than usual (temp in there is fine). I went ahead and put her nestbox in there just in case she's looking to kindle early, but there's been no signs of nest building. Just a rabbit who seems happy to have a box to chill in. *shrug*

One other question... Kitty is due to kindle a week from today, and was wondering if I end up having to foster some kits would it be ok to foster some of Kitty's kits with Mama even though they'll be roughly 4ish (give or take) days younger? In the future, I'll be running two does each breeding cycle so they'll be bred the same day, unfortunately, it just didn't work out that way this time.

EDIT:

OOOOPS!!! Didn't realize I was still in this forum! Not sure how to move it!

 

[stone soup farm]

Only some of my does lighten their feed load but it is anywhere from one to two days. I have tried to schedule matched up breeding but sometimes a doe will go early or late and that messes it us. I have fostered kits that were 2 days apart but they were from a litter of 13 so were extra small compared to the ones that were 2 days older. Some worked out and others were just too small to compete.

My palpation skills are a bust too so I am in that same boat. After a few kindlings you get to know what each doe looks like when pregos and can tell. Any hay mustaches...that is always a good sign to me.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

How may days before kindling do does usually start to go off their food?

They are all different. It has been so hot here lately that most of my rabbits are lacking their normal appetite.

I wouldn't worry. Just make sure she has hay and give her extra greens.

Now might be a good time to give her a Tums just in case she is going to kindle early.

OOOOPS!!! Didn't realize I was still in this forum! Not sure how to move it!

You can't move it- only Mods and Admin can. Did you want it moved to Rabbit Care?

 

[skysthelimit]

Mine do not go off there food at all. Greedy buns. I have only tried to foster once, when I had the disaster with Bai, and the other does did not take too well to the new kits. I've bred three does at one time, and all kindled different days 2-3 days apart, so I still don't have that one insync. I just breed and hope for the best.

 

[Dood]

Some of mine go off feed, others don't.

The ones who do stop eating usually do so a couple days before. I notice they don't finish their pellets but they still do eat about 1/2

 

[flipp]

Hello, my doe went off her pellets for about 4 days before she kindled. She greedily ate her greens and ate loads of hay but wasn't interested in her pellets, it took her another couple of days after kindling to return to eating them but she was still at least eating hay and drinking. I believe it is quite common but scary for the owners!!