Is it safe to move a doe with kits?

[Shea]

Is it safe to move a doe with 2 week old kits to a new cage? Or would it stress her out too much?
I have a large meat mutt with litter in my quarentine at the moment, but the hutch needs some work to work right longterm. It was built with 1/4" wire floor which was fine as a quarentine and warmer weather, but with the single digit cold spell we've had clean up has been very difficult/nigh impossible.
I need to replace the floor but in the mean time she and her kits need to be else where, I was thinking a dog kennel in the house until I get it fixed but I dont want to stress her out and risks the kits. . . .

 

[Marinea]

That is about the age when I move litters (and mom) to my larger grow out cages. I have never had a problem.

 

[Shea]

Ok. Thank you! That is what I was thinking but this was my first litter so I keep second guessing myself.

 

[Nymphadora]

I'll second Marinea on this one... one of my does actually traveled half an hour to my home with 5 day-old babies. Granted, she was always a very very calm doe, and the cages and equipment were from the same breeder friend, so the environment probably smelled familiar enough (not to mentioned I borrowed the nest box for a month).

But by comparison, I think your doe and kits will take the move in stride. :lol:

 

[MaggieJ]

I'm wondering what your dog kennel is like. Most of the ones I have seen (and used for rabbits) would be useless for containing kits.

A second consideration is the temperature change. They'll manage the cold to warm all right, but they may not adjust so easily back to the cold temperatures that are likely to prevail for the next couple of months.

I'd like to see opinions from other members on this issue. I've always considered it problematic to move critters outdoors when they have been accustomed to warm house temperatures.

 

[Nymphadora]

I'm wondering what your dog kennel is like. Most of the ones I have seen (and used for rabbits) would be useless for containing kits.

A second consideration is the temperature change. They'll manage the cold to warm all right, but they may not adjust so easily back to the cold temperatures that are likely to prevail for the next couple of months.

Oops... Yeah I didn't factor those points in at all.

I have had kits sprint right through the bars of a puppy play pen before when I thought they might be just big enough not to fit. Consequently, DH had to chase a little bunny down the hallway to catch it (excellent reaction time, given he was still in bed when I called out to let him know I had an escapee).

 

[Shea]

It is a large wire kennel, but I was going to have to block up the sides reguardless to keep my cats out. :roll:

I decided to just finish the growout pen in my main 2 tier hutch and move them there. No temperature shift. All I will need to do is put in a partion against the wall shared with my buck. And cut the door. I was going to need it done anyway within the month.