Pregnant bunny eats nesting materials including wool

[Bike guy]

One of my rabbits is pregnant and it's her first birth. It seems the birth is today or tomorrow. At first I used shredded papers as nesting material but she started to eat them. So I took the papers back and put some shredded cardboards. She also started to eat them, so I put a pillow instead. It worked the last time, the previous bunny liked the pillow and gave birth on it, and didn't tear the pillow apart. But this bunny get started to tear pillow apart and instictively put the wools in the pillow everywhere. I said OK, insticts always know the best, wool is a common nesting material after all. But yesterday I saw her literally eating a part of the wool. (I saw her eating the wool just one time). And today I saw another rabbit eating a part of wool that he stole from her through the chicken wire.

I know wool might be fatal for bunnies. I will go out to find some hay and dried leaves. Will she eat the wool again or was it for just tasting? Do I have to took the wool right now?

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Why didn't you just start with hay?

 

[Bike guy]

Why didn't you just start with hay?

I do not hay at the moment and can't buy anywhere nearby. My rabbits never eat hay. I get a bag of dried leaves and will use it. But I still want to learn whether they eat wool or not, because unlike hay wool is a reusable nesting material.

 

[Preitler]

For nesting material you can gather dead, dry grass, it doesn't need to be good hay like it is used for feeding. Or dry grass yourself if you have access to any.

Mine aren't picky when it comes to nesting material, it just should be reasonable dry.

 

[arachyd]

They may have a nutritional deficiency. Are they getting a good pelleted feed?

 

[Bike guy]

They may have a nutritional deficiency. Are they getting a good pelleted feed?

No they only feed on the plants that I forage; herbs, wild vegatables, tree barks and leaves, fruits etc. Their diet is highly diverse. There are hundreds of different edible plants and herbs to forage here. No pellets at all. Also no health issues. They look very healthy and energetic. The only thing I buy for them is grains, because protein content of the greens falls down in winter.

They are very selective about foods, they never eat diried leaves, grass, hay or anything dried, only fresh cutted greens and so on. I've never seen them eating something inedible, they never eats plastic, cotton etc. The wool is the only inedible thing that they ate so far.

 

[arachyd]

From what I've read over the years eating hair clan indicate a lack of protein. Can you increase what you are giving them to boost protein and see if it helps?

 

[ladysown]

REMOVE the wool. Seriously, you don't want her eating that!

Some rabbits will eat and eat and eat stuff. Sometimes that means you are giving the nestbox too early, sometimes that they aren't bred (though their eating is NO guarantee of not being pregnant), and sometimes they just want to munch so you give them WAY WAY more than what they need to eat OR nest.

Generally eating paper won't hurt them, unless they go overboard.
Leaves, hay, straw, pine shavings, etc... they all make for good bedding.

 

[BuffBrahmaBantam]

Like arachyd, my first thought is that this points to a nutrient imbalance. Can you get access to alfalfa pellets or clover or alfalfa hay for a short time and see if it helps? Do they have a mineral or salt lick in their cage?.

 

[Bike guy]

From what I've read over the years eating hair clan indicate a lack of protein. Can you increase what you are giving them to boost protein and see if it helps?

That is highly possible, protein difficiency is my nightmare since I begin "forage for rabbits" project. Crude protein content of the leaves, herbs and weeds dramatically drops down and I can feel it because they tend to need more grains during the last weeks.

 

[Bike guy]

REMOVE the wool. Seriously, you don't want her eating that!

Some rabbits will eat and eat and eat stuff. Sometimes that means you are giving the nestbox too early, sometimes that they aren't bred (though their eating is NO guarantee of not being pregnant), and sometimes they just want to munch so you give them WAY WAY more than what they need to eat OR nest.

Generally eating paper won't hurt them, unless they go overboard.
Leaves, hay, straw, pine shavings, etc... they all make for good bedding.

I found a dead leyland cypress yesterday and made a nest out of it's leaves. The leaves are very soft just like hays, and she doesn't eat them. She was urinating in the nest box so I made a smaller box but it didn't work, she keeps defecating and urinating in it. Worst than that she keeps putting her fur everywhere but inside the box. I think she thinks the box is her toilet and everywhere but the box is her nest (facepalm)

 

[Bike guy]

Like arachyd, my first thought is that this points to a nutrient imbalance. Can you get access to alfalfa pellets or clover or alfalfa hay for a short time and see if it helps? Do they have a mineral or salt lick in their cage?.

There are both clovers and alfalfa plants growing in my area, different types of trifollium, medicago, you name it. But I have to confess that I was too lazy to forage them. Because according to some studies that I read, in winter the only clovers and alfalfa that high in protein is the ones that newly sprouted. In this part of the year the older the clover means lower the protein and it is so hard and time consuming to forage little clowers. I might buy some commercial clover hays as you suggested.

It is the first time I hear about mineral licks, I will search about it, thank you.

 

[Bike guy]

Does rabbits have labor pain? This is the 3th rabbit that giving birth with me and I've never seen something like this; she literaly grunts in pain while she breath very fast, jumps in the cage and then calms down. She is just 6 month old, I hope everything is OK.

 

[Scooter1A]

Like arachyd, my first thought is that this points to a nutrient imbalance. Can you get access to alfalfa pellets or clover or alfalfa hay for a short time and see if it helps? Do they have a mineral or salt lick in their cage?.

my bunnies don't have a mineral or salt lick. with high grade pellets and hay and occasional fresh greens do they need it? I've been wondering about salt.

 

[Scooter1A]

One of my rabbits is pregnant and it's her first birth. It seems the birth is today or tomorrow. At first I used shredded papers as nesting material but she started to eat them. So I took the papers back and put some shredded cardboards. She also started to eat them, so I put a pillow instead. It worked the last time, the previous bunny liked the pillow and gave birth on it, and didn't tear the pillow apart. But this bunny get started to tear pillow apart and instictively put the wools in the pillow everywhere. I said OK, insticts always know the best, wool is a common nesting material after all. But yesterday I saw her literally eating a part of the wool. (I saw her eating the wool just one time). And today I saw another rabbit eating a part of wool that he stole from her through the chicken wire.

I know wool might be fatal for bunnies. I will go out to find some hay and dried leaves. Will she eat the wool again or was it for just tasting? Do I have to took the wool right now?

i would go with hay and maybe some pine wood shavings if she is outside. she will pull fur when needed but eating that is totally weird. i think she's hungry.

 

[Scooter1A]

Does rabbits have labor pain? This is the 3th rabbit that giving birth with me and I've never seen something like this; she literaly grunts in pain while she breath very fast, jumps in the cage and then calms down. She is just 6 month old, I hope everything is OK.

she is a little young. sounds like she has one stuck doesn't it, good luck, hang in there.

 

[Scooter1A]

I found a dead leyland cypress yesterday and made a nest out of it's leaves. The leaves are very soft just like hays, and she doesn't eat them. She was urinating in the nest box so I made a smaller box but it didn't work, she keeps defecating and urinating in it. Worst than that she keeps putting her fur everywhere but inside the box. I think she thinks the box is her toilet and everywhere but the box is her nest (facepalm)

i would let her nest wherever she wants and I would also give her hay to make a nest if she wants.

 

[Scooter1A]

There are both clovers and alfalfa plants growing in my area, different types of trifollium, medicago, you name it. But I have to confess that I was too lazy to forage them. Because according to some studies that I read, in winter the only clovers and alfalfa that high in protein is the ones that newly sprouted. In this part of the year the older the clover means lower the protein and it is so hard and time consuming to forage little clowers. I might buy some commercial clover hays as you suggested.

It is the first time I hear about mineral licks, I will search about it, thank you.

if she has babies she is going to need alot of protein to feed them. i think if you don't start giving her pellets and hay you won't have any babies for long.

 

[Bike guy]

15 minutes ago she just gave birth to 8 bunnies outside the box. They all look healthy. I carried them inside the box because it is much more safe and soft. I put extra leaves at the outside of the box in case she carry them back.

She kept groaning before and after the birth but she looks fine now. I usualy keep my rabbits in colony (except the male) but she is in a separate cage for the last 5 days. I call it a birth cage, but this birth cage and birth box stuff didn't work at all. The main problem was she ddin't put her fur inside the box. Maybe I should try another nest style the next time.

 

[Scooter1A]

congratulations on your babies.