Rescued pregnant doe

[FindingHapper]

I recently (around 35 days ago) rescued an abandoned, domesticated black doe. I don't know her breed and I don't currently have a picture. Sorry! She was known to roam the downtown streets of a local community with her partner, another black rabbit. I was able to capture her, but not her partner. I brought her home and gave her a newly-built hutch and also plenty of time to roam our fenced in yard and large garden daily. I handle her daily, she's sweet. when I came home from work two days ago, I noticed she'd pulled almost all her fur out on her sides, belly and chest! I am somewhat green at bunny keeping so I thought she was ill. After some quick and easy internet research, I suspected she was pregnant. That evening when given time to roam the yard, she was frantically gathering grass and hay in her mouth, presumably to make a nest. That's how I knew for sure. twelve hours later, we had baby bunnies. I don't know how many, as I have not disturbed her nest. But I see the fur atop the nest moving around back there, and she even brought one baby out in her mouth to literally SHOW ME what she's done, then returned him. Everything I have read states that there isn't much care I can provide to these babies right now. That I should make sure mam is well fed and has plenty of water, and no males come in contact with her. I read that I can clean out any soiled nesting in a few days, replacing with clean and adding back as much clean fur as possible, then putting the babies back in. Does anyone here have any further suggestions or tips for me? I want to make sure I'm taking proper care of this mama and giving all her babies the best chance at survival. Thank you in advance to anyone who takes the time to reply to this. I appreciate you much!

 

[shazza]

does she have a proper nest box area or did she build her nest on the floor of her cage? it's generally better to have them in a box or some other container so they don't roll or wiggle out and chill. you can usually just move the entire nest into the box. it may look beautifully formed now but in a few days they kinda kick it all around and it looks less neat.

it is a good idea to check in on the kits every day. mom will not be bothered by you touching them - she will not abandon the kits because of it. if she gets protective usually a gentle nudge to a corner or some treats can calm her down. you'll need to make sure they're fed (sometimes rabbits can take a couple days to get all their milk, so don't worry if they aren't super fat today,) and that none have died. i usually wait til the eyes open to change the nest out - it depends on your doe if she keeps a messy house.

it's a good idea to give her a handful of black-oil sunflower seeds and some rolled oats with her pellets to keep her condition up and help her produce lots of milk for her babies. but really, after that you just sit back and watch them grow up!

 

[MaggieJ]

Shazza has just about covered it all, but you may want to look at this thread as well . . . a similar situation.
post315465.html#p315465

If you are improvising a nest box with a cardboard carton or plastic bin (or anything else lightweight), it is a good idea to punch or drill a couple of holes in the side and anchor it with wire to the side of the cage. A tipped nest box can spell disaster. If you are using plastic, a few drainage holes are also a good idea.

Please add your location to your profile. We don't need your town, just the province or state or your country if other than Canada or the United States. So many rabbit questions are influenced by climate and weather, so in order to give pertinent answers we need to know about where you are located.

 

[KenoshaRabbits]

Oh it wasn't mentioned, so just in case you didn't come across it in your research: does only feed once or twice a day and normally stay away/outside of the nest. So don't get worried if it seems like she's "ignoring them". Hence the suggestion to check on them daily to see if they are being fed.
Best of luck.

 

[UFCreel]

What i do before touching the kits. Is to run my hand over the doe a few times before i touch the kits. I really only do this with 1st time moms. Has worked so far.

 

[hotzcatz]

If the doe is used to you, she won't mind you around the kits too much, although limited contact is usually best at the beginning. Short visits and giving treats is my usual method.

All the babies get handled here just about as soon as they're born. It seems to make for friendly bunnies later. Usually I'll give the mom bun a bit of calf manna and BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) to distract her while I check out her kits to make sure they've been fed and the nest is clean. If there's a dead kit in the nest, it will usually be pushed to the edges, so check the whole nest area.

In about a week they'll be up and wobbling around, in about ten days, there should be eyeballs opening up.