Nesting Problem

[matt77]

I'm new to raising rabbits, I'm only about six months in, I bought a book and built building and put some nice wire hutches in there, it is bright, clean and safe (with power). I have 2 NZ white does, 1 NZ red doe and 1 NZ white buck. I bred my does and they both had their kits on the 31st day. The hutches are all wire and have drop nest boxes, they are used cages.

The first doe had 5 kits last week, 3 died, two are doing fine.

My other doe had a litter of 11 yesterday - all dead (very sad). Here's what happened, a few days before I got her drop nest box ready, I lined it with cardboard, than put maybe an inch of pine shavings (not sawdust) in the bottom, then filled it with straw and made a nice cozy hole in the straw for her (per my books instructions). The day prior to giving birth I found some of her fur in there, not much, just a small blob.

Last night she had all 11 kits right on the wire hutch floor, all 11 died, I'm not sure what went wrong. All I can think of is maybe the straw was two course? Do you have any ideas of what I did wrong? Maybe I should've used hay? What alternative nesting material could I have used?

Thanks so much for your advice,

Matt

 

[Secuono]

First time moms tend to do terribly. They should do better next time and be pros by the 3rd. If not, replace them.

 

[matt77]

Ok, thanks. If I caught it sooner I would've moved them to the nest myself, unfortunately it occurred overnight. So saw straw is acceptable nest material, even if it's coarse?

Matt

 

[3mina]

I prefer straw over hay, it absorbs moisture better than hay and it blends well with rabbit fur.

 

[Miss M]

:welcomewagon:

Welcome to RabbitTalk, Matt77!

I'm so sorry to hear you lost almost all of your kits! Just like ChickiesnBunnies said, it can take several tries for them to get it all right. You can go ahead and rebreed the one that lost all of her kits, as she should be very receptive now.

Straw and hay are both fine nesting materials. I actually can't get straw, so I use hay, as do many members here. Like 3mina said, though, straw is more absorbent, and there are members who use that as well.

If a doe does not pull enough fur for her babies, you can supplement with any of all sorts of things you might have on hand. Teased cotton balls, short fabric strips, dryer lint, feathers, and even fur from another rabbit can be used, and it doesn't need to be washed first. Just don't use fur from a sick rabbit, but I'm sure that goes without saying!

One more thing -- there's a saying on here: A baby isn't dead until it's warm and dead. If you have something similar happen next time, or if a kit or two gets dragged out of the nest because it wouldn't let go when feeding time was over, gently warm them up before giving up on them. You can lay them on a baggie of warm water, with a rag on top. I just had two kits that were dragged out and got chilled. Warming them up did not revive them, but others have saved their kits this way.

 

[matt77]

Thank you very much for all the excellent advice. Miss M - I appreciate all the time you took to write that. My other doe put almost no fur in her nest until the babies were a few days old, then she pulled all her fur and made them a nice nest! I have a lot of fur in my shed from the other rabbits I was just afraid to use it in case the smell made the expecting doe nervous, now I know it will not.

I look forward to seeing her next set of kits and hopefully it goes better next time.

 

[Dood]

Many rabbits do not like pine shavings as the smell/ off gas/fumes can irritate their sinuses and lungs. Next time try without and see if she prefers the box.

 

[AnnClaire]

Sorry about the loss. As said, they sometimes need a couple of times to get it right.

Also, do you know what style of nest boxes the breeder used? That may be the style of boxes the does are "looking" for.

Another FYI, some folks line the wire bottom/sides of a nest box with cardboard in the winter to help insulate the nest.

To also give a doe the maximum chance of getting a successful litter kindled and nursing, some folks will line the whole bottom of the cage with a thick layer of hay/straw so wherever the doe makes a nest, she has a good chance of the kits surviving until you get back around.

Good luck!

 

[BroodCoop]

Must have protection from the wind.