Litter problems with New Does

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is it normal to wean the kits at 4 weeks? Would it be better for the kits to stay with her another couple of weeks? Since she lost so many I thought it would be better to wait and let her recoup.
 
Only two kits won't tax her at all. Wild and feral rabbits routinely wean/abandon their litters at four weeks since they kindle at four weeks, it's built into the animal.
 
The doe was unreceptive to the bucks advances yesterday so I tried again today and they mated. Will see how she does with her next delivery.

The two kits from the first litter are very large....I guess due to their not having to share the milk but with one other kit. They certainly are adorable with their eyes open, jumping around and exploring. They've been out of the nest box for three days now so I removed it.
 
Being pregnant is not as taxing on a doe as making milk to feed them. If one of my does (12 lb American Chinchilla's) have less than 5 kits I breed her back a couple days later. If they have 8 or less, I re-breed a week or two after they are fully weaned, and if they have more than 8 I let them rest 4 weeks after weaning before placing with the buck.
 
Supposedly you are supposed to bred before a feeding, because feeding suppresses the desire to breed for a while.
 
I am a little confused as to when to remove the kits. They were kindled on Nov 27 so they are 16 days old. The doe is due to kindle again on Jan 10. When do I remove the first kits? Do I need to sanitize the cage where she had the first litter before the second litter is due?

I have hay, timothy and alfalfa along with pellets in the cage. Do I need anything else for the doe and kits to eat?9
 
Depending on their breed back schedule, some people wean as early as 28 days. Most like to give the doe a few days or a week without kits before her due date.

If any of the kits from this litter had "nestbox eye" or any other issues then I would suggest disinfecting the cage before the next litter is due. I don't normally sanitize the cages between litters, but my cages stay pretty clean. When I notice any stuck bunny-berries, I have a little brush and take care of it right away. I do thoroughly disinfect the nests after each use.
 
I had does kindle 11/26 and 11/28. We have finally worked out a schedule. We have 4 does and try to have 2 of them kindle at the same time. When the first does kindled, we bred the other set. Now when they kindle (around 12/27), we move the older kits to a grow-out cage and re-breed their dams. The does will stay in the grow-out cage for about a week with the kits and then I will move the doe back to her normal cage. Hopefully it helps the kits with their transition. It will also give me a week to be able to clean out the doe cage before I move her back, and give her a bit of time without kits.

This means that we move the whole group when the kits are 4 wks old and re-breed. Then we take her out at 5 weeks, and she will kindle about 3 weeks later. Gives us time to get her condition back up again if needed. We'll have to see if we are getting enough on this schedule. We may have to bump it up to 6 weeks in between litters.

You can also feed the kits oats. If you start noticing messy butts on the kits, oats and hay only. No pellets. We've had problems with enteritis in one of our lines.
 
Binky,

I would suggest that you have all the kits weaned by the end of 4 weeks ... you are half way there :cheesysmile: Just remove 1 or 2 kits per day the last week, starting with the largest ones. This will help the doe to dry up, give the smaller kits a chance to get a bit more nursing.

I would also suggest that you move the kits to the growout cage (next to mom if possible) the 3rd week (next week) so they can get used to being seperated from mom, still be able to see and smell her, and just return them to her cage for nursing in the early morning and evening. In the growout cage, you will want to provide a hidy hole for them to snuggle into for warmth, oats (start these now ... sprinkle some in the nest), pellets, hay and fresh water in a crock (even if you want them using a waterbottle later.) Don't forget to provide the kits with a mineral block :D

This will give you handling time 2x per day for the kits, get them to looking to you as the provider, and you will be able to spot any issues early and take steps to correct it.
 
AnnClaire,

Thanks! Great advice. The doe only has two kits out of eight so it should be easy to transition.<br /><br />__________ Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:50 am __________<br /><br />The doe is having her litter today (day 32) and is pulling out fur and building a nest outside of the nest box. This is her second litter and I am wondering why the doe doesn't use the nest box? She did the same with the first litter. The nest box has clean unprinted newspaper on the bottom, then some pine shavings with Bermuda grass on top. I even add some cotton balls that I have pulled apart.
 
I would try a different box with her, it doesn't look like she approves of the one you gave her.
I use 3 gallon Rubbermaid totes for my Rex and FW. They're still short enough to fit through my doors and while they've been tasted they haven't been chewed.
 
Many rabbits dont like she smell of pine and it can irritate their sinuses and lungs. Many people wont use pine because of this.

Remove the pine and give her lots of hay or straw or shredded newspaper, put her nest in the box and see if she changes her mind.
 
Try putting more nests in the cage so she has no choice but to build in one.
 
binky":y99nih51 said:
AnnClaire,

Thanks! Great advice. The doe only has two kits out of eight so it should be easy to transition.

__________ Fri Jan 11, 2013 9:50 am __________

The doe is having her litter today (day 32) and is pulling out fur and building a nest outside of the nest box. This is her second litter and I am wondering why the doe doesn't use the nest box? She did the same with the first litter. The nest box has clean unprinted newspaper on the bottom, then some pine shavings with Bermuda grass on top. I even add some cotton balls that I have pulled apart.
Click to expand...

Bermuda grass or hay? Where is the box? Is it in her "potty corner?" Put the box where she is building her nest and put all the fur in it, and see what she does.
 
What is the difference between Bermuda grass and hay? The box is on the right side of the cage and her potty area is on the very corner on the back left side. She made her nest next to the nest box but I was afraid the kits would start crawling out of the nest. Checked on the kits this am and all seem very well in the nest box...squirming and making little noises to get mama to feed them. Thanks for all the advice...next litter I won't use pine shavings!
 
Bermuda grass is a fine bladed grass. As hay, it just has a finer texture than other hays like fescue. Works great as nest box material. And of course the rabbits love to eat it. :)
 
Sooooo, HOW MANY DID SHE HAVE????? Geesh, ya gotta pull details from some :p
 
Sorry AnnClaire and thanks for asking...the doe is half Himalayan and Black New Zealand and the buck is a black New Zealand. She had 9...4 black NZ, 4 sable and 1 very pink kit that I'm not sure what it could be? One of the sable kits is a bit smaller than the others and I will keep a close eye on it. Have to report all kits have nice rounded bellies and doing well.

Since she only has 8 nipples can she give enough milk for all 9? I guess if she feeds twice a day then some will get two feedings and others only one. She has turned out to be a GREAT mom.

Her first litter of kits are 6 weeks and the male is trying to mate the little female...at what age is he fertile? I thought it was around 4-6 months. Do I have to separate these two?<br /><br />__________ Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:19 am __________<br /><br />The doe doesn't seem to be eating the pellets instead she loves oats that I was feeding the kits from her last litter. How much oats should she be eating since she is nursing 9 kits from this litter?
 
LOL - 9? Nice big litter. She will be able to nurse the kits ... if you get a chance, when they are older, you will see the kits move from teat to teat as they nurse ... wriggling about on their backs.

In the first litter, the buckling probably isn't fertile yet, but this is dominance behavior and shouldn't result in an oopsie litter. However, if it is this precocious at this age, I think you will want to consider seperating him to his very own cage by 12 weeks. An oopsie litter is definitely possible at that age. You also might want to consider sorting the bucklings and doelings into seperate growout cages about 8-9 weeks of age. If you can do that, the precocious buckling should ease up on dominating the others for a bit.

Well, as for the doe preferring the oats to the pellets, yes, it is like women and chocolate ... a little isn't "bad" for you, but a lot is very bad for the hips :cheesysmile: While my does are nursing a litter, I feed 2/3 cup of oats per day in the winter (sub freezing temps here, so more energy is needed). I also supplement all my rabbits with 1/3 cup of oats in the winter here, but in your neck of the woods, I would think that 1/3 cup to nursing does would be plenty. You are increasing her pellet ration as the kits get bigger and she produces more milk?
 

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