Kits moving around so much they uncover themselves

[SleepyhollowRabbitry]

I have the doe and the kits in the house. They have been in the house since last Tuesday (1.19.16) She gave birth to them that night, i noticed them around 6:30pm (est) they will be a week old this Tuesday and within the last 2 days they just keep uncovering the fur from them. Its about 72* in my house. Will it be fine? I would attach a photo but its saying its too big. I dont use Photobucket or anything like that for photo storage. I use Facebook or Instagram. So if you'd like to see the photos please go to my IG Sleepyhollowrabbitry. Thank you

 

[Knacker]

Yes.

Our house is cooler than yours during the day, and goes down to 16.5 C (61.7 F) at night. We only bring in the kits for the first 2 weeks (minus the doe) before making their journey to the "barn". I do however each day if necessary fix their nest but your homes temp is fine if you are dealing with a litter and not a single kit.

As the kits hair grows they will need less ambient temps., the kits might be getting slightly too warm. Also, if they are not getting fed enough they will be moving around a lot and squeaking. Are they being fed properly? Round tummies?

 

[SleepyhollowRabbitry]

Yes they are getting fed, i did have to hold mom i noticed a couple this morning not with round bellys so i let those feed for 3 minutes then i put them back in the nest. Mom didnt make their nest in the box she made it next to the box. Shes also in a plastic bottom cage. I only have a few with wire cages the rest are plastic bottom. like right now our temp is 73.6 *F and i just checked on the kits and some are under the fur some are not. They feel more fuzzier now that they are almost a week old. They are purebred mini lops...next week we will have dwarf hotots.

 

[akane]

As long as there is enough bedding material around them they will burrow so they are covered or wiggle until they are uncovered as they need. They are quite good at regulating their temp in a proper nest.

 

[michaels4gardens]

As long as there is enough bedding material around them they will burrow so they are covered or wiggle until they are uncovered as they need. They are quite good at regulating their temp in a proper nest.

I agree with "akane" , -it is easy for kits to become too warm in a good nest with lots of fur, , this causes as much trouble as being too cold, -[so don't keep covering them back up] - if they seem content, and they are being fed, let them regulate their own temperature .

and-- check the nesting material under the kits every few days, replace this material when it begins to feel damp.

 

[Miss M]

I agree with the others. The only thing to really look out for is newborns wandering too far away from their siblings. If they get far enough away, they may chill and not get back. If I've got one that I put back and it immediately starts crawling away again, I put it at the bottom of the popple pile so it has to work to get away again.

 

[akane]

I think when you put them back chilled sometimes they don't feel the warmth around them is enough so they go looking for more. If you warm them a little they tend to stay put better. The making it harder for them to get out of the pile would also help heat them up before they had a chance to try leaving.

 

[Miss M]

Makes sense, Akane! Thanks!

 

[SleepyhollowRabbitry]

Well, I removed their nest box today... since they all keep coming out of it, They will be 21 days old on Tuesday 7 babies all lively ones... Lots of Fur. I dont know how to share a photo on here

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I dont know how to share a photo on here

We have two different tutorials on methods to post photos:

attachment-tutorial-t5.html

picture-tutorial-t6003.html

Congratulations on the healthy litter! Hopefully we will "see" them shortly!