Removing Newborn Kits at Night

[Therese]

In the winter, we will leave a banana box with hay in each cage in case a rabbit wants to have a bit of warmth. I am not sure they really need it, but it makes me feel better. ;-)

And one more thing: we put duck tape on the holes/handles so that the kits can't stick their heads out. The plentiful hay prevents the tape stickiness from hurting the kits.

God bless you!

 

[HTAcres]

I had to bring kits in some this summer due to extreme heat - my experience is still the same - no problem with moms, or feeding or kits. I did lose some the day I thought it was okay and I didn't bring them in. Sigh. It is more labor but also fun as pointed out.

 

[BunnyG]

I had to bring kits in some this summer due to extreme heat - my experience is still the same - no problem with moms, or feeding or kits. I did lose some the day I thought it was okay and I didn't bring them in. Sigh. It is more labor but also fun as pointed out.

I will make sure I remember that, I think I will stay clear of summer breedings though, I had a doe about 4 days from kidding and we had a heat wave high 90s for a solid week. I lost her to heat stroke, because of the random weather I think im going to stick to the cooler months.

I appreciate your response, thank you

 

[Estrella]

What are you using for fur replacements if mama isn’t pulling fur or when you clean the boxes there isn’t enough clean fur to transfer to clean boxes?
Since they are in a barn I’m sure that there is a great advantage! Mine are out in hutches but we need to transition from tarps for summer storms to more walls that we can swap with for winter

 

[Therese]

What are you using for fur replacements if mama isn’t pulling fur or when you clean the boxes there isn’t enough clean fur to transfer to clean boxes?
Since they are in a barn I’m sure that there is a great advantage! Mine are out in hutches but we need to transition from tarps for summer storms to more walls that we can swap with for winter

I tan the hides. When I brush them out, I get a decent quantity of soft fur which I save for such occasions.

 

[Estrella]

I tan the hides. When I brush them out, I get a decent quantity of soft fur which I save for such occasions.

So the mothers are ok with fur not from themselves? I wondered about them attacking and or eating their kits if I used fur from another doe

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

So the mothers are ok with fur not from themselves? I wondered about them attacking and or eating their kits if I used fur from another doe

I haven't used another Doe's fur, but when the kits get a little bit of fur I start taking them all out at the same time, and the scent of the other litter + Doe doesn't affect their actual mother

 

[Therese]

So the mothers are ok with fur not from themselves? I wondered about them attacking and or eating their kits if I used fur from another doe

After the furs are tanned, they have been pickled and washed pretty thoroughly. Maybe the fur doesn't smell like another rabbit? So far, no trouble using it!

I have thought of brushing the rabbits when they are molting, putting the brushed out fur in a pillow case, tying it shut and washing it in the regular wash machine to remove any special scents. I think it would probably need to be washed on "cold" and spread out to air dry--or it might "felt" into a ball. Haven't tried it yet because I have enough fur so far. God bless you!

 

[BunnyG]

After the furs are tanned, they have been pickled and washed pretty thoroughly. Maybe the fur doesn't smell like another rabbit? So far, no trouble using it!

I have thought of brushing the rabbits when they are molting, putting the brushed out fur in a pillow case, tying it shut and washing it in the regular wash machine to remove any special scents. I think it would probably need to be washed on "cold" and spread out to air dry--or it might "felt" into a ball. Haven't tried it yet because I have enough fur so far. God bless you!

What are you using for fur replacements if mama isn’t pulling fur or when you clean the boxes there isn’t enough clean fur to transfer to clean boxes?
Since they are in a barn I’m sure that there is a great advantage! Mine are out in hutches but we need to transition from tarps for summer storms to more walls that we can swap with for winter

I use a cotton cloth under the kits, then hay then dryer lint or cotton balls pulled apart so its like cobwebs

 

[HTAcres]

So the mothers are ok with fur not from themselves? I wondered about them attacking and or eating their kits if I used fur from another doe

I have used fur from other moms a number of times. I also bought some cotton batting and that worked as well. It is nice to have the fur/hay mix saved from your moms that pull a lot of fur and if it doesn't get yucky. Sometimes there is just too much and that is a great time to squirrel some away.

I have also fostered kits a number of times (putting kits of similar age/size in with another doe for various reasons). Once I even had a friend bring me 3 10 day old kits that were a giant breed where mine are not. Neither of us knew if that would work. But it did! Beautifully! I have not observed rabbits rejecting other babies or other fur at all. The good moms really don't seem to mind.

 

[HTAcres]

I will make sure I remember that, I think I will stay clear of summer breedings though, I had a doe about 4 days from kidding and we had a heat wave high 90s for a solid week. I lost her to heat stroke, because of the random weather I think im going to stick to the cooler months.

I appreciate your response, thank you

I think we will be taking breaks in summer as well from now on. Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you have to or that it is truly productive. Losing kits, and sometimes moms, that also happened to us, is not fun at all. We know it is part of it but unless there is a need, why risk it?

 

[Alaska Satin]

So the mothers are ok with fur not from themselves? I wondered about them attacking and or eating their kits if I used fur from another doe

I keep clean fur/hay from boxes that have too much or from does that did not use it, e.g. false pregnancies, to use to supplement other does' boxes. I also collect fur when I brush rabbits out to help with their molts. I keep the fur in a paper bag (in plastic it will mold) and by the time it gets used, I don't think it has enough of a smell to bother the does. Just in case a doe is unusually picky, though, I usually pull the whole box out in the mid-morning, mix the new nest material with the old, and let the kits dig around and distribute it for a few hours. That way it probably all smells about the same by the time I put the box back in with the doe. I've never had any troubles with rejection.

Incidentally, I do the same thing when I'm adding foster bunnies: pull the box after the morning feeding, add the fosters, and let them all root around together for several hours until I put it back that evening or even the next morning. I've never had a doe reject fosters, though a couple of times I have noticed what I think is the original litter rejecting newbies - I found the newbies at the front of the box and not with the litter. (It could also have been the newbies were looking for their "home" or for food.) I put the newbies back into the nest bowl, a couple of times in one case, and it turned out fine.

 

[Rosey1]

Thank you, i will look into banana boxes as i found a kit on the wire at morning check, it was about 53° in the barn, i quickly put the kit down my top to warm him/her up i think it will make a full recovery thank god, i tried to warm it up gradually so it doesn't go into shock.

I am currently using plastic pet carriers seperating top and bottom and putting the top in one cage and bottom in another, then filling full of hay, i guess this one got dragged out through the door opening. I will have to look into getting some banana boxes, where do you get yours? Somewhere like sams/Walmart?

I use wooden boxes that my husband built. He just added a lip across the front that acts like a baby scraper. The bottom of the box has 1/2 by 1/2 in wire on it so the pee and poo goes through. I put hay thick in the bottom and mom can add more and her fur and she will snuggle them up under the lip of wood. They usually don’t try to come out till they are 2 weeks old. Then they hop back in if they want when it’s cold. I will put them back for the first day or 2 to show them how. Sometimes I add extra sweet hay to give them some to eat on when they are young, or block the wind. They do well. Not as cheap as a banana box, but I just clean in between batches.

 

[Alaska Satin]

I use wooden boxes that my husband built. He just added a lip across the front that acts like a baby scraper. The bottom of the box has 1/2 by 1/2 in wire on it so the pee and poo goes through. I put hay thick in the bottom and mom can add more and her fur and she will snuggle them up under the lip of wood. They usually don’t try to come out till they are 2 weeks old. Then they hop back in if they want when it’s cold. I will put them back for the first day or 2 to show them how. Sometimes I add extra sweet hay to give them some to eat on when they are young, or block the wind. They do well. Not as cheap as a banana box, but I just clean in between batches.

Yes! A 1 to 1-1/2 inch lip on the box is good! It also acts as a "landing pad" when little ones are trying to get back into the box.

My clever husband came up with an even better way to keep bunnies in the box: a slanted bottom! He builds the boxes to have an incline from front to back - the back of the box is at cage-floor-level, while the floor at the front of the box is lifted about 1-1/2 to 2 inches (for a big Satin nest box). Gravity keeps the little ones in the back of the box until they're old and strong enough to not only walk up to the front of the box, but also hop back in. The combination of a slanted floor and a lip has resulted in *no* pop-outs for several seasons now. (Yippee!)

 

[Rosey1]

Yes! A 1 to 1-1/2 inch lip on the box is good! It also acts as a "landing pad" when little ones are trying to get back into the box.

My clever husband came up with an even better way to keep bunnies in the box: a slanted bottom! He builds the boxes to have an incline from front to back - the back of the box is at cage-floor-level, while the floor at the front of the box is lifted about 1-1/2 to 2 inches (for a big Satin nest box). Gravity keeps the little ones in the back of the box until they're old and strong enough to not only walk up to the front of the box, but also hop back in. The combination of a slanted floor and a lip has resulted in *no* pop-outs for several seasons now. (Yippee!)

That’s a good idea. Mine will peek and look around, but unless it’s really hot out, usually stay put till 2 weeks old.

 

[ivybearfarms]

Thank you, i will look into banana boxes as i found a kit on the wire at morning check, it was about 53° in the barn, i quickly put the kit down my top to warm him/her up i think it will make a full recovery thank god, i tried to warm it up gradually so it doesn't go into shock.

I am currently using plastic pet carriers seperating top and bottom and putting the top in one cage and bottom in another, then filling full of hay, i guess this one got dragged out through the door opening. I will have to look into getting some banana boxes, where do you get yours? Somewhere like sams/Walmart?

I use 5 gallon plastic tubs for mini lops (SUPER CHEAP). Take the lid off - cut a U shaped hole about 3 inches from the bottom using a box cutter. and cut the lid in half -put it over the back half away from the opening. Drill a few holes to be able to zip tie it to the side or bottom of the cage so they don't knock it over. put cardboard in the bottom and whatever you use for nesting material. They are super easy to clean, change out, and bring inside when needed. I have a bunch of them! For my French Lops I use the good old fashioned wood nesting boxes....only because I can't find a tub the right dimensions to fit their big buts that also would fit in their cage!

 

[BunnyG]

I use 5 gallon plastic tubs for mini lops (SUPER CHEAP). Take the lid off - cut a U shaped hole about 3 inches from the bottom using a box cutter. and cut the lid in half -put it over the back half away from the opening. Drill a few holes to be able to zip tie it to the side or bottom of the cage so they don't knock it over. put cardboard in the bottom and whatever you use for nesting material. They are super easy to clean, change out, and bring inside when needed. I have a bunch of them! For my French Lops I use the good old fashioned wood nesting boxes....only because I can't find a tub the right dimensions to fit their big buts that also would fit in their cage!

I like that idea. I will definitely keep that in mind i am using plastic tubs for my HL but didn't think about cutting the lid and putting it back on. Thats a great idea

 

[HTAcres]

I use wooden boxes that my husband built. He just added a lip across the front that acts like a baby scraper. The bottom of the box has 1/2 by 1/2 in wire on it so the pee and poo goes through. I put hay thick in the bottom and mom can add more and her fur and she will snuggle them up under the lip of wood. They usually don’t try to come out till they are 2 weeks old. Then they hop back in if they want when it’s cold. I will put them back for the first day or 2 to show them how. Sometimes I add extra sweet hay to give them some to eat on when they are young, or block the wind. They do well. Not as cheap as a banana box, but I just clean in between batches.

I love those kinds of boxes and wish I had some! So many different things can work.

 

[Therese]

I like that idea. I will definitely keep that in mind i am using plastic tubs for my HL but didn't think about cutting the lid and putting it back on. Thats a great idea

I use 5 gallon plastic tubs for mini lops (SUPER CHEAP). Take the lid off - cut a U shaped hole about 3 inches from the bottom using a box cutter. and cut the lid in half -put it over the back half away from the opening. Drill a few holes to be able to zip tie it to the side or bottom of the cage so they don't knock it over. put cardboard in the bottom and whatever you use for nesting material. They are super easy to clean, change out, and bring inside when needed. I have a bunch of them! For my French Lops I use the good old fashioned wood nesting boxes....only because I can't find a tub the right dimensions to fit their big buts that also would fit in their cage!

I tried plastic tubs and had a problem with condensation. Might just be my location (SW New Hampshire). I think this area is the Northeastern Rain Forest! Hemlock trees grow here (they need lots of water). I even tried drilling extra holes in the plastic for ventilation without success. Glad it works for most!
God bless you!

 

[ivybearfarms]

I tried plastic tubs and had a problem with condensation. Might just be my location (SW New Hampshire). I think this area is the Northeastern Rain Forest! Hemlock trees grow here (they need lots of water). I even tried drilling extra holes in the plastic for ventilation without success. Glad it works for most!
God bless you!

Yeah we are in North Dakota and have humidifiers running probably 3/4 of the year so I haven't had a problem with moisture. I drill a couple of holes in the bottom and put a resting mat on top.