Nymph's Popple Watch 2018

[Nymphadora]

Hey guys!

I figured it'd be easier for me to track this year's new litters all in one post that I can keep updating, so there will be multiple litters shared on this thread. I’ll update with each new litter.

Judy had her first litter (of the new year) yesterday, on February 12, 2018! A total of 7 warm and wiggly little popples! Her last two litters were 5 and 4, respectively, so this litter’s size is making me over-the-moon happy! Since she carries for dilute and otter, it’s likely we have a mix of castor, black otter, opal, and blue otters. If anyone has a trick to tell otters apart from agoutis this early on, I’m all ears! And photo as evidence:

Such tiny, wiggly little things!

Valley was technically due yesterday, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she goes a day or so over… maybe I’ll come home to more kits tonight! And Jane is due later this week. They both have nice little nests made, and I am doing my best not to hover (good thing I have work all this week).

I’ll let y’all know how it goes!

 

[MaggieJ]

Very nice plump lil popples, Nymph! Seven is the perfect size for a litter in my books.

Nyah, nyah, Homer! :nana: So much for your okeeye: in the chatbox.

 

[Homer]

Very nice plump lil popples, Nymph! Seven is the perfect size for a litter in my books.

Nyah, nyah, Homer! :nana: So much for your okeeye: in the chatbox.

Really? You don't think I'm done do you? You should know me better than that by now Maggie. :roll:

Starting up the greenhouses and have to go right now but..."I'll be back". :twisted:

 

[MaggieJ]

"I'll be back".

Oh. good! I can hardly wait.

 

[Nymphadora]

Starting up the greenhouses and have to go right now but..."I'll be back". :twisted:

Bwahaha, don't worry, Homer, we'll be ready... :mrgreen: :twisted: :gettowork:

 

[Homer]

I figured it'd be easier for me...

For heaven's sake, we want to keep it easy for you. There's a reason your name turned green ya know.

... over-the-moon ...

Lets try to keep it on the ground will ya? You're not getting anything done up there.

Oh. good! I can hardly wait.

Back in the truck. Don't you have something better to do than hijack threads?

Sorry I didn't make it back yesterday. This working on the greenhouse startups kicked my rear and will again today. Working on getting four, 6,000 sq. ft. greenhouses ready for a semi-truck of plants (plugs) Saturday. I was pooped last night after feeding my own "little pigs" and fell asleep before getting here. Probably wont make it tonight either but I'm sure you're both still in bed making up sleep for me...

Happy Valentines Day ladies!

 

[Nymphadora]

I figured it'd be easier for me...

For heaven's sake, we want to keep it easy for you. There's a reason your name turned green ya know.

Well seeing as no one else has been giving me any trouble around here...

Sorry I didn't make it back yesterday. This working on the greenhouse startups kicked my rear and will again today. Working on getting four, 6,000 sq. ft. greenhouses ready for a semi-truck of plants (plugs) Saturday. I was pooped last night after feeding my own "little pigs" and fell asleep before getting here. Probably wont make it tonight either but I'm sure you're both still in bed making up sleep for me...

Congrats on the greenhouse plans, wish our garden was ready this year! We just added some herbs to the planters around the front of the house, I don't have the time (or funds, more importantly) to get our raised beds set up the way I'd like before probably May... so for now we've got herbs, and two little canes of raspberries that I'm hoping will take off this year.

Happy Valentines Day ladies!

Thanks, Homer, you too!!!
------------
UPDATE on the rabbitry: Valley had her babies very very early this morning by the looks of it! And 7 seems to be our lucky number! She pulled a ton of fur for the nest, and all the kits were tucked into the hollow where it was nice and warm. I am super proud of our little first time mama, I was preparing myself for a bumpier road. But the mothering instincts are strong in this one!

 

[MaggieJ]

Congrats, Nymph, on your new "lucky seven" litter! Your little first timer sounds like a star! Or maybe that should be a seeing as it's Valentines Day.

Happy Valentines day to you too, Homer. And thank you for the present -- a box of bunny manure is just what my tomato plants are going to need, now that I no longer have rabbits myself! :lol:

 

[Homer]

Well seeing as no one else has been giving me any trouble around here...

Yeah, the place is getting kind of dull around here isn't it? Go ahead, say yes, I dare you. :laugh2:

Congrats on the greenhouse plans, wish our garden was ready this year!

Maybe you misunderstood, I helped build them over the last several years. I'm just getting them ready for the growing season right now. These are commercial spring growers and I take care of their operation. I winterize the water, heat and ventilation systems in July and bring them back up in Feb. Get starts from a plant grower and you have plenty of time to put in a garden in May. 5/10 or so is usually our last frost around here so greenhouses do pretty good business.

:congratulations: :wbounce: Popples are a good thing! <br /><br /> -- Thu Feb 15, 2018 7:44 am -- <br /><br />

... thank you for the present...

But of course Maggie. Rabbit raisins are important for a good garden. Wish you were closer, I'd bring you a truck load.

 

[Nymphadora]

Maybe you misunderstood, I helped build them over the last several years. I'm just getting them ready for the growing season right now. These are commercial spring growers and I take care of their operation. I winterize the water, heat and ventilation systems in July and bring them back up in Feb. Get starts from a plant grower and you have plenty of time to put in a garden in May. 5/10 or so is usually our last frost around here so greenhouses do pretty good business.

I think I did misunderstand, a bit. I understood that the greenhouses were established, but I thought you were planting for yourself! It sounds like a tough job, but fulfilling nonetheless (working with my plants always puts me in a good mood, even if it's weeding).

Congrats, Nymph, on your new "lucky seven" litter!

:congratulations: :wbounce: Popples are a good thing!

Thanks, guys! They're really darling! Here's Valley's babies from yesterday:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but dark/colored ears means self, right? If so, I've got some self blacks and a blue!

And here's an update of Judy's kits (I'm thinking majority castor for the dark ones):

There's two little ones in this litter that might benefit from an extra feeding, what's the best time to take out the larger ones to give these guys a chance to get more milk? I wouldn't want to deprive the healthy kits from mama's milk too soon...

 

[MaggieJ]

If you have the time to stand there while the two undersized ones get a head start, you can likely slip the larger ones in towards the end of the feeding. Usually if the doe is feeding twice a day, missing one feeding will not harm healthy, good-sized kits, but I do understand your concern.

 

[Homer]

Supplemental feed them with hand feedings. http://rabbittalk.com/updated-hand-feeding-formula-t27372.html

 

[Nymphadora]

Well, we lost the two runts in the first litter... couldn't get them to feed, no matter what we tried. I've read about failure to thrive on so many other threads, but it was still sad.

The rest of the litter is (thankfully) super chubby and doing fantastic! Going back over my notes, I also realized that since the buck must have carried self to produce self blacks and blues with Valley, I must have all castors and opals in Judy's litter (she carries otter). The two opals are the biggest in the litter, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how they turn out!

Valley's litter of 7 is still growing strong, and the little self kits are kind of cute (I still prefer agoutis, but hey, happy with what I've got!).

Still waiting on our third girl, Jane, but she's overdue by 4 days now and I'm wondering if maybe she didn't take after all. She was with a buck for a two week period, though (running around on the barn floor), so I'm gonna leave the nest box in. :?

 

[Homer]

Sorry you lost the little guys. Always seems harder when they're young like that. :encourage:

 

[Nymphadora]

Update time!

The first litter is starting to open their little peepers (not fully yet, but I can see their little eyes through the slits)! And they absolutely will not sit still… so sorry for the blurry photo.


The younger kits are all still a mass of wiggly bodies, any time I stick my hand into their nest they pop all over the place. But if I can get them all in one area, they’ll huddle together and calm down…


I’m happy these little guys are doing so well, I’m really looking forward to seeing them grow some more (DH finds the 3-4 week old phase the cutest, too)! :in_love:

 

[MaggieJ]

They're lovely, Nymph! And they look so soft!

I think they are at their most adorable when their eyes are open and they can hop -- but only just! They look like real little bunnies then, but still so tiny and sweet.

 

[Nymphadora]

They're lovely, Nymph! And they look so soft!

I'll pass the adoration on to the mama buns, they're both doing such a good job! And yes, soft as velvet! :in_love:

Here's a pic of the older ones yesterday (we had a slight case of nestbox eye, or what might have become nestbox eye if I hadn't caught it, so I changed out all the bedding for both litters):

DH was sitting on the couch while I fussed with the nests, so I passed the kits on to him for "baby-sitting duty" while I changed the bedding.


All cuddled together! :in_love: Those opals are getting huge, they're definitely the biggest in the litter.

And the younger ones are getting all kinds of love from us, too! They settle down and relax more quickly than the older kits... I'm guessing because the older kits' mom is a bit of a spazz!

Hey look, one of the buns even matches our couch!


I love how the castor baby is all sprawled out like a day at the beach! Weather's still too cold for that, little one... (but I guess the house is cozy)! :lol:

Have a great Monday! <br /><br /> -- Tue Feb 27, 2018 9:08 am -- <br /><br /> Hooo boy! Yesterday was a doozy!

Came home late from work to find that our girl Jane had her babies while I was at work! Yay, go Jane! Let me walk you guys through this, though: I am exhausted from a long day at the office. I go out to the rabbitry with my feed bucket as usual; everyone’s happy to see me (or food, anyway). I see fur in Jane’s nest. Lots of fur. And then it moves! Aaaand I hit the ground. :lol:

I actually had to sit down because I was so shocked! Yes, I’d left the next box in there, because she’d been with the buck for a while, but I had honestly begun to accept the fact that she probably hadn’t taken (and this was kind of her 3rd/last chance). And looking back at the calendar, it looks like she got preggers the very last day or two that she was with the buck (over a two-week period!). :roll:

Ok, so we’ve got babies… feed the rest of the rabbits, make sure everyone’s got water, and then I take the nest inside to the kitchen (because it was cold outside!). Sitting on the floor with the nest in front of me, I start pulling apart the fur gently, and picking out the kits one by one. She had EIGHT kits in the litter! :shock:

Here they are, all warm and wiggly:


Talk about a nice surprise!
Happy Tuesday!

 

[MaggieJ]

:congratulations: :mbounce:

Eight is a lovely litter! And all your kits look plump and healthy. Yippee! :bouncy:

And now you know why I'm always saying leave that nest box in . . .

 

[Nymphadora]

And now you know why I'm always saying leave that nest box in . . .

I will never doubt your sage advice!

 

[Homer]

Good for you Nymph! Your feed bill just went up again. lol

Hope you have grow out space for everybunny! opcorn: