Some General Questions

medlefang · Jul 9, 2014

Ok, so me and my brother had bred our rabbits 31 days ago today. They both had their babies yesterday, and we think the orange doe had 5, and the tort had 5. Now I say we think because the orange doe, who is a first time mother, has pulled out all the hair on her underside and filled the box with hair. You cant even see the babies, I only had one good look at them yesterday when there was a small hole in the fluff. Does that need to be fixed? Can she not see the babies? Can they not find her? I am trying to stay away from them as much as possible. But on to the tort rabbit. This is her second time, and she has no hair in the box at all. The babies were born on the shavings we put in the box. Do they need more? Or will they be fine?(I think they will be fine, but my brother wanted me to ask) Also, do I need to check and see if the orange one is feeding her babies? And if she isnt, should I take action?(I dont think that any action is a good idea because the rabbits cannot learn from their mothers) But if they do die, when can I breed the orange doe again, I want her to get a little bit of rest from her last set. And last question, if I have to handle the babies at all, or if I have to change something, how can I do that by not getting my smell on the kits or my smell in the box? And can I get step by step instructions if there is something wrong?

Oh! The rabbits are Netherland Dwarfs, I dont know if that makes a difference or not, babies are babies... Right?

Bandits Bunny Farm · Jul 9, 2014

medlefang":26vkcdui said:
Ok, so me and my brother had bred our rabbits 31 days ago today. They both had their babies yesterday, and we think the orange doe had 5, and the tort had 5.

:congratulations:

medlefang":26vkcdui said:
Now I say we think because the orange doe, who is a first time mother, has pulled out all the hair on her underside and filled the box with hair. You cant even see the babies, I only had one good look at them yesterday when there was a small hole in the fluff. Does that need to be fixed? Can she not see the babies? Can they not find her?

nope, its perfectly fine. Shes keeping them nice and snuggly

[quout="medlefang"] I am trying to stay away from them as much as possible.[/quote]

[Quote"medelfang"]But on to the tort rabbit. This is her second time, and she has no hair in the box at all. The babies were born on the shavings we put in the box. Do they need more? Or will they be fine?(I think they will be fine, but my brother wanted me to ask)[/quote]

Don't quote me on this, but i think you can donate some of the orange doe's fur to the tort nestbox

medlefang":26vkcdui said:
Also, do I need to check and see if the orange one is feeding her babies? And if she isnt, should I take action?(I dont think that any action is a good idea because the rabbits cannot learn from their mothers)

you do want to make sure they're getting fed. They don't usually feed the babies until the night they kindled or the next morning. But if they are not getting fed (skinny, shrunken bellies

medlefang said:
But if they do die, when can I breed the orange doe again, I want her to get a little bit of rest from her last set. And last question, if I have to handle the babies at all, or if I have to change something, how can I do that by not getting my smell on the kits or my smell in the box? And can I get step by step instructions if there is something wrong?

Oh! The rabbits are Netherland Dwarfs, I dont know if that makes a difference or not, babies are babies... Right?

I think you can breed her again right away if something happens

Prisma · Jul 9, 2014

Why are you worried about handling? Nervous/new does? I handle from day one, no matter breed. There are too many good moms to fight with bad ones, plus need to check for kit problems/dead/dying/underfed/deformed/ect. If a doe kills because of me for sure, she is stew IMO no matter how much time/resources I have in her. I know may not sit well, but it is some of the less than nice things breeders of any age have to face at some point I think.

MamaSheepdog · Jul 9, 2014

Congratulations on the litters, Medlefang!

You don't need to worry about handling the kits. It is an "old wives tale" that rabbits (and birds or other animals, for that matter) will abandon their young if the scent of humans is on them. Your scent is already all over the doe's cage, her food, her, and even her nest since you handled it to get it ready for her.

I always check the nest and kits right after they are born. Giving the doe a tasty treat to munch on while you remove the nest and look over the kits will teach her that it is a good thing and nothing for her to worry about.

Sometimes there will be a dead kit, uneaten afterbirth, or some of the nesting material may be soaked with blood or amniotic fluid and will need to be removed. I also like to add a handful of pine pellets to the nest hollow (covered by shavings and fur) to absorb urine from the kits so the nest stays dry.

In hot weather I check nests twice daily for the first few days to a week. It is not uncommon to lose a couple of kits in those first days and they will quickly start to rot (and smell!) in the heat so you want to remove them quickly.

As for all of the fur in the one nest; the doe knows where the kits are and they can't see anyway so find her by smell and body heat. But since it is so warm you may want to remove some of it so the kits don't overheat. They will usually push it aside to get some fresh air, but if there is too much in there they might not be as able to. Kits that are too hot will spread out in the box as opposed to all being in one big pile.

In my experience most does will accept fur from another rabbit being put in their nest, but my friend who raises Satins says hers wont. You might want to rub handfuls of the fur on the tort before placing it in her box just to be safe.

An even better option would be to pull fur from the tort herself. I usually pull from the lower sides of the rump and belly. Just pinch a bit of fur between your thumb and forefinger and pull. It should come out easily. Doing this will also stimulate her milk to come in, and may also cause her to start pulling fur herself.

If any of the kits look underfed you can place a towel on your lap and set the kits on it and then hold the doe over them to nurse. Another option is to have the other doe (if she is nursing well) feed them once a day by swapping nest boxes.

If you lose either litter you can rebreed the doe(s) right away. Nursing the kits is the hard part, not growing them inside her.

Have fun with the kits, and don't be afraid of handling them. I find that it makes for much tamer adult rabbits, and with Nethies you want them to be sweet since they will be pets. So... :gettowork: and start socializing those adorable babies!

medlefang · Jul 9, 2014

So I checked both sets, the babies are so freaking cute

but they all looked healthy and plump. Everything looked ok in both boxes, they appeared dry, the one that didnt have hair in her box, her babies were doing fine, and we will pull hair from her tonight. Thanks for the help!