Kits Urinating

[Cedar House Bunnies]

I am wondering how to tell if the kits are urinating or not because a few of our newest liter look very plump like they r going to explode and I tried to stimulate them and got a little bit of urine but not much.

 

[Zass]

I am wondering how to tell if the kits are urinating or not because a few of our newest liter look very plump like they r going to explode and I tried to stimulate them and got a little bit of urine but not much.

Chances are, they are urinating just fine.

This thread has LOTS of pictures of normal kits, some plumper than others:

newborn-bunnies-picture-thread-t22498.html

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Since none of us have ever seen a rabbit cleaning its kits like a cat or dog mother will do, we have a theory that it is actually stimulation from the other kits and/or the nesting material in the box that causes them to potty.

Nice fat bellies are usually a very good sign, but they should go down a bit during the day between feedings. I would check them again in a few hours and see how they look then.

 

[Susie570]

Since none of us have ever seen a rabbit cleaning its kits like a cat or dog mother will do, we have a theory that it is actually stimulation from the other kits and/or the nesting material in the box that causes them to potty.

Ummm.... actually I have observed River doing that, when the kits were just a day or two old. She was cleaning their bottoms when I held them. Whether or not that's actually necessary, I don't know... but she was definitely doing it. I just thought it was something people see on a regular basis. I do, however, think that as you say, kits gain the ability to use the bathroom on their own very early, since after just a couple of days they started peeing on me when I would pick them up. I guessed it was the stimulation of my hand against their genitals.

 

[Zass]

Since none of us have ever seen a rabbit cleaning its kits like a cat or dog mother will do, we have a theory that it is actually stimulation from the other kits and/or the nesting material in the box that causes them to potty.

Ummm.... actually I have observed River doing that, when the kits were just a day or two old. She was cleaning their bottoms when I held them. Whether or not that's actually necessary, I don't know... but she was definitely doing it. I just thought it was something people see on a regular basis. I do, however, think that as you say, kits gain the ability to use the bathroom on their own very early, since after just a couple of days they started peeing on me when I would pick them up. I guessed it was the stimulation of my hand against their genitals.

River sounds like a really special doe. Reminds me of Mucky.
Some are just a lot more affectionate to their babies than others are.

I've also seen them do a bit of cleaning when they nurse, but not enough to stimulate each and every kit every time they need to potty. I can use my two current litters for example, since I've been keeping them inside. They have only seen their mothers for about 5 min/day since birth. They all potty just fine on their own. I agree that it's probably the kits wiggling together that stimulates them, or perhaps they just have the ability to do it on their own, like human offspring.

I lean towards the kit wiggle stimulus theory, because they tend to pee when picked up...

 

[Susie570]

River sounds like a really special doe. Reminds me of Mucky.
Some are just a lot more affectionate to their babies than others are.

She IS pretty special... thanks for the additional info though.
She's SUCH a good momma, and makes such pretty babies, it feels like kind of a shame not to get more babies from her.... :hmm: :angel: