Second litter.

[Truckinguy]

Well, Morgan gave birth to a second litter of six on Thursday so it seems they've settled in to the colony nicely. I could swear this litter is only three weeks from the last one but I could be wrong. With my Dad's illness and passing I haven't been keeping track of things like I should have been. One died so there are five left, one is a peanut so I'm not sure how it will make out but the nest is really snug and warm so temperature shouldn't be an issue. The two survivors of the last litter made it through -23c temperatures just fine so these five should be ok.

I started off with Fred, Morgan and their one year old daughter but when Morgan had her first litter, the daughter dug into the nestbox and sat in it so she is in jail in the garage for now. Not sure why she did that but I'm guessing maternal jealousy or something like that. I guess I'll go with just the pair of them for now as they seem to be getting along well. So far I"m very happy with my new colony!

 

[siddsaysgimmie]

Sounds fun, congrats on the new babies!

 

[Truckinguy]

It's amazing how warm the nest is. When I stick my hand into the straw it's cold up to an inch from where the kits are and when I reach them it's hot. It's about -12c here and the kits are warm and dry.

The rabbits love the snow, even the four week old kits. Each time I'm out there I put a chunk of snow inside the enclosure and they're all over it like ice cream until it's gone. They lick the snow off my boots when I go in there and I have to be careful not to step on them.

It's a whole different experience from the cages...

 

[Marinea]

Congrats on the babies! Hope they continue to do well for you

 

[MaggieJ]

Glad your rabbits have settled in and are working for you, Truckinguy. You might want to keep a doe from one of these litters as a breeder. Usually rabbits born in the colony learn their place as they grow, so they are less likely to cause the problems that your "jail bunny" did. Incidentally... did you give jail bunny a nest box? She could be pregnant.

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

Congrats on the popples!

 

[Truckinguy]

Maggie, I gave "jail bunny" (lol) a nestbox just in case, nothing yet. I will save a doe from one of these litters and hopefully she will work out better although Morgan is being very aggressive toward the two older kits who were born around Jan. 13. I'm assuming she is keeping them from nursing due to her nursing the new litter but I have seen the older ones eating pellets for some time now and I assume they are pretty much fully weaned at this point. I"m also assuming Morgan is pregnant again based on the immediate pregnancy after the last litter so I might have to take Fred out of there for a bit to give her a break although she seems healthy enough at the moment.

There's a whole lot more assuming going on with a colony than with the cages...

 

[MaggieJ]

There's a whole lot more assuming going on with a colony than with the cages...

There certainly is!

Morgan may be just asserting herself with the older youngsters, making sure they know the pecking order. It may sort itself out given a little time. Colony kits tend to be weaned earlier, by four weeks at most if momma is pregnant again.

If you decide to cage Fred for awhile, see if there is a way to do it within the colony. It will make it easier to reintroduce him. Morgan sounds very dominant and might cause problems for him if he is gone and then comes back. How were they when you first started the colony?

 

[Truckinguy]

They were fine. I put Fred in the colony first and then Morgan and "jail bunny" in the next day. Fred chased them around and mounted both of them within the first couple of hours and then things settled down. I would see the three of them lying together in the straw and didn't see any fights. The only problem started when Morgan had her first litter and "JB" started digging in the nestbox and sitting in it.

I have been thinking of partitioning off a section inside the colony for just this type of situation. I also intend to add an 8 foot section on it in the spring where I can put the second doe so each doe has her own area and moving Fred between the two does as necessary. There will be a mesh divider between the two so he can be seen from both sides so as not to make him strange to either one.

The second litter is doing well. One is a peanut, about half the size of the others but is doing well, full fur and wiggly and has opened it's eyes about a day behind the others. I check them twice a day due to the weather and both litters have come through this winter so far with no problem.

Did I mention I love my colony??