As some of you know I have most of my rabbits in colony situations...some (the bucks) are relegated to life alone but they really don't seem to mind much.
Most of you also know that because I keep breeding the does, and keep finding new breeds to try out...and can't seem to get my rear in gear to sell kits....I'm overloaded. I'm also rapidly running out of room, so some of the pens are smaller than I'd like.
Now...to the story of the day
Bessie, a lovely black American doe (10#6oz) kindled Nov15th with 7 kits. They were cute and happy kits. Hopping around, climbing all over things. Little balls of blue and black fuzz with ears (my GOD..the size of those EARS!!!)
As they grew the kits did not grow out of the happy hoppy climbing thing. For the last couple of weeks poor Bessie has really been put upon She'll lay down to rest and they'll just clamber up on top of her, lay down on her head, pile over her on the way around the race track. :x A couple of times I thought she was dead!...just laying under the feeder and waterers (I had them hanging on the side of the cage...a few inches off the floor) and not moving. Kits standing on her eating or drinking then I'd reach in to take her out and OOOFDA! up she'd spring and hop off to the back of the pen.
Three days ago I decided "enough is enough". I apologized to her as I took her out of the pen "Sorry Bessie about putting you in this dinky cage but it's all I have ready for you right now" then popped her into the 30x36" cage in another room. She's a very loooooong rabbit who was used to the larger pen, so I worried.
WELL! :lol: The first thing she did was sniff all 4 corners, and then FLOPPED DOWN in the middle of the cage, completely stretched out. She looked at me and I SWEAR she smiled. Now she just hops around and lays down, enjoying the quiet.
OH!! interestingly, she is completely litterbox trained now! I put a baking dish (one of the long glass ones) in her cage hoping she'd use it, and immediately it was the ONLY place I find bunny poo :bananadance2:
Most of you also know that because I keep breeding the does, and keep finding new breeds to try out...and can't seem to get my rear in gear to sell kits....I'm overloaded. I'm also rapidly running out of room, so some of the pens are smaller than I'd like.
Now...to the story of the day
Bessie, a lovely black American doe (10#6oz) kindled Nov15th with 7 kits. They were cute and happy kits. Hopping around, climbing all over things. Little balls of blue and black fuzz with ears (my GOD..the size of those EARS!!!)
As they grew the kits did not grow out of the happy hoppy climbing thing. For the last couple of weeks poor Bessie has really been put upon
She'll lay down to rest and they'll just clamber up on top of her, lay down on her head, pile over her on the way around the race track. :x A couple of times I thought she was dead!...just laying under the feeder and waterers (I had them hanging on the side of the cage...a few inches off the floor) and not moving. Kits standing on her eating or drinking then I'd reach in to take her out and OOOFDA! up she'd spring and hop off to the back of the pen.Three days ago I decided "enough is enough". I apologized to her as I took her out of the pen "Sorry Bessie about putting you in this dinky cage but it's all I have ready for you right now" then popped her into the 30x36" cage in another room. She's a very loooooong rabbit who was used to the larger pen, so I worried.
WELL! :lol: The first thing she did was sniff all 4 corners, and then FLOPPED DOWN in the middle of the cage, completely stretched out. She looked at me and I SWEAR she smiled. Now she just hops around and lays down, enjoying the quiet.
OH!! interestingly, she is completely litterbox trained now! I put a baking dish (one of the long glass ones) in her cage hoping she'd use it, and immediately it was the ONLY place I find bunny poo
:bananadance2:
