nestbox cleaning

shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Shop deals on ebay
Rabbit Talk Forum

Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
S

SUNSET

Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2013
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Hello everyone....new guy here.

I tried to search but did not find this.

Regarding the nestbox, is it necessary to clean them out before they are weaned? I notice that it is sometimes damp in there. With it being cold now, I was concerned. I did find one of the kits that did not make it and may have been there for a couple days since I was not checking them daily. I don't take them all out so it is also possible I miscounted. I ended up changing out the bedding for this nestbox but seemed to lose a good part of the fur that was covering them in the process.

Is it better to change the nextbox material out occasionally or just leave it alone til they are weaned?


Thanks everyone! I have been going through all the old posts and have picked up a lot.
 
Certainly change out damp bedding, saving as much of the fur as you can. Most breeders I know keep extra pulled hair for such occasions. I use clipped down angora wool (cut into short lengths) and I know there are other replacement materials I've heard breeders on here mention, but I'm hesitant to recommend them due to a lack of personal experience.
Perhaps someone with more experience with those will speak up.

I do know that the biggest danger is long fibers that can wrap around little legs, cutting off circulation.
 
I think it will really depend on what size breed and how many babies.
You will never want to leave babies in a damp or dirty nestbox.

When I had Netherland Dwarfs and they only had a couple babies at a time, I almost never replaced the nestbox material before they were weaned, however, with the much larger English Lops and bigger litters - usually over 8 - I find myself needing to replace the material at about 2 weeks old. They usually begin coming out of the nestbox shortly after that and I almost always completely remove the nestbox between 3-4 weeks.

I don't keep any extra fuzz onhand. I save what I can, and if Mama hasn't pulled enough, I pull it from her. It is very loose around the haunches, even if the babies are a couple weeks old. I have a couple of Mama's that will pull fur still for their 3-4 week old babies, if they feel the babies are too cool.

So, yes, there is a good possibility that the nestbox will need cleaned before the bunnies are out of it.
 
Thanks for the replies. They are new zealand whites. One doe had 8 kits and the other had 7.
 
You should always make it your practice to change nestbox material (saving the clean fur) at about 9 days old (before they open their eyes @ 10 days old). You don't want them to get nestbox eye from a dirty environment. Then clean again when/if needed.
 
Generally that's what I do for the larger litters, right before they open their eyes 9-10 days, and right after they start eating, 14-21. I don't usually save extra fur, generally there is so much in the box, and I just have to replace the bottom layer. This time around I had a doe that peed to box, more changing and had to use clipped wooly fluff. This doe also pulled very little fur, and I could not get anything off her body.
 
DEEALL Goat Sheep Pig Hoof Trimmer Multipurpose Twig and Floral Trimming Shears for Garden with 2-inch Twin-Blade
-10%
$8.99 $9.99
DEEALL Goat Sheep Pig Hoof Trimmer Multipurpose Twig and Floral Trimming Shears for Garden with 2-inch Twin-Blade Yubin
today I noticed that the older kits (around the 17 day old age) were chomping down on the hay in the nestbox. So that settled it for me. I cleaned out all the old hay and stuffed it with fresh hay. The little poppers were quite excited when I put them back, bouncing all around and chomping down like mad. So for me, I plan to change out nesting material at least every 10-14 days til they are weaned from now on. I did not want them chomping down on dirty stuff. I don't like the idea of them chomping on their nesting material at all though.
 
Always take a small handful of the old nesting material
and mix it in with the new bedding.
The smell settles the youngsters into their new digs.

Once they've left the box entirely, I'll scrape the box,
let it stand and air out for a couple of days, then I'll
torch it completely inside and out.

In this cold weather, I like to add an inch or two of
wood chips before stuffing the box full of straw.

grumpy.
 
It's not unusual for youngsters to eat stuff from their nest-box.
It actually helps colonize their lower gut with beneficial bacteria.
Of course, you need to keep it relatively clean, but don't be
exceptionally worried if you see them munching a little.
They'll be more apt to eat hay, rather than straw.

Nest box eye is your biggest concern. Changing the material
8-10 days post kindling will minimize the problem.

grumpy.
 
I make it a policy to touch each kit at least once a day so that a dead one does not linger long in the box. If I were to notice dampness in the box, I'd first check all kit butts to make sure they weren't having messy poops and then clean up the box. I make sure the nest is clean about the time their eyes should start opening but I'm not overly fastidious about it as I know that doe is trying to populate their guts with her beneficial bacteria. Same reason she begins making "poop pancakes" on the cage wire about when they are due to start wandering from the nest. Though one of mine starts the poop pancake early and I make her mad by removing it until the kits actually start leaving the nest.
 
Jessykah":tnvtkac1 said:
You should always make it your practice to change nestbox material (saving the clean fur) at about 9 days old (before they open their eyes @ 10 days old). You don't want them to get nestbox eye from a dirty environment. Then clean again when/if needed.
Click to expand...

Absolutely! I remove all dirty/damp bedding as I notice it, and I completely change it out at 9 days to help prevent nest box eye.
 
Hi Sunset!

:hi: to RT!

I check my nests immediately after the doe kindles to remove wet bedding from the birth and any uneaten placentas or dead kits. I then put a handful of pine pellets (either horse stall pellets or stove pellets without accelerants, whichever is less expensive at the time) in the "nest hollow" below the kits and cover with a bit of bedding. I rarely have to clean my nests before the kits leave the box.

For the first week, I do daily checks on the kits in the cold months and at least twice daily in the hot months to remove any dead kits.

My kits eat the hay as well, and I will also pour a bit of feed into the nest when I see them starting to nibble. Rolled oats are a good starter food for them.
 
Frecs":ysjiyhih said:
I make it a policy to touch each kit at least once a day so that a dead one does not linger long in the box. If I were to notice dampness in the box, I'd first check all kit butts to make sure they weren't having messy poops and then clean up the box. I make sure the nest is clean about the time their eyes should start opening but I'm not overly fastidious about it as I know that doe is trying to populate their guts with her beneficial bacteria. Same reason she begins making "poop pancakes" on the cage wire about when they are due to start wandering from the nest. Though one of mine starts the poop pancake early and I make her mad by removing it until the kits actually start leaving the nest.
Click to expand...


Aha! Thanks for this. Momma was mad when I was trying to clean up some of her poop off the cage wire the other day and I was not sure why.
 
Oh, yeah, it is still amazing to see a doe make a poop pancake in a cage suspended 3' above the soil LOL

As for the nest box material, you can save any of the dry fur/hay ball that gets mixed up from them moving around for use if a doe doesn't pull enough fur.

I do find that by bringing the nestboxes into the house (and only take out for feeding 2x per day) and holding the babies in clothes baskets lined with towels helps to keep the nextboxes fairly clean. I still change out the bedding every 7 days.

Remember, what goes in must come out :p

I also handle the babies daily and check they are eliminating correctly ... sometimes their little pooper gets clogged up in the first few days and you need to clean it so they can poop.
 
None of my does have ever made a "poop pancake". My first thought would be they were producing too many cecals or had some form of digestive upset. :?
 
MamaSheepdog":1gcwoewa said:
None of my does have ever made a "poop pancake". My first thought would be they were producing too many cecals or had some form of digestive upset. :?
Click to expand...

Really?

Nope to the digestive issues idea. My does start collecting bunny berries on a layer of hay and after there is "just the right amount", they smash it! And, they get very upset with me for "stealing their poop pancake"! :x :p
 
In order to avoid damp nestboxes and having to clean them before weaning I put down a layer of pine pellets, a layer of shavings, and a small amount of hay or straw. The pine pellets are extremely absorbent and usually I had no issues and didn't need to change out my boxes. When I used just shavings in the winter ice would collect on the inside of the top and then drip back down on the kits as they heated it up only to evaporate and collect on the roof again. It wiped out several litters. Most people seem to change it by 10days and just save as much fur as possible and add extra hay or straw. The kits are at least lightly furred by then so they can survive with less nestbox fur.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top