Switching cages and nest boxes

[Desert Rose Rabbits]

Is there, generally, any problem with switching a doe to a new cage just a few days before she kindles? I'm in the process of building/acquiring new cages since I have a couple of new rabbits coming in at the beginning of next month.

Also, when it comes to nest boxes, what do you guys suggest? Right now, I anticipate that the nest boxes will be coming inside unless they need to fed. We have some horrible forest fires going on right now that have us trapped inside the house due to air quality, and the temp difference between day (90+F)/night (40F +/-) is crazy. I was thinking some modified plastic storage boxes where I've removed the 'bottom' and replaced it with wire since it's so much more affordable than the metal, or even homemade, wood boxes. Any other suggestions?

 

[akane]

So long as your doe isn't an early nester or first time doe she should be fine with moving. Experienced does zero in on that box no matter where it is when it comes time for kits. I've seen them do it in colony right after I cleaned and rearranged everything. If they've had a litter before good does know what that box is for and don't care what goes on around them.

Problem with plastic storage boxes is there is no covered area for the kits. This can lead to the doe landing on them when she jumps in and clawing some (I had one slit the throat, instant death) or squishing them. The fur can also get scattered to the other side of the container freezing the kits in cooler weather. I'd use low sided bins and cut (I actually melt with a soldering iron) the top in half so half the box is covered and hope she puts the kits there. Keep the other half in case chewing occurs.

Personally my best breeding does would hate storage bins. 3 like to board up the covered part with bedding and 1 likes to dig down so she wouldn't jump in bins that have higher sides than the 4" of a wood nestbox and then she has a need to empty all the bedding out repeatedly until she's ready to give birth. Otherwise she starts chewing and digging against everything in reach. She'd destroy the box.

 

[Desert Rose Rabbits]

Yeah... both of my does are experienced moms, but new for me. My thought behind the tubs is that I could flip them over, too. Drill some holes for ventilation and then cover the 'bottom' in wire, then finally cut a hole for rabbit entry. Or, if it's long enough, flip it over, put wire along the bottom, and then cut out the 'top' to replicate the shape of the wooden/metal boxes.

 

[ladysown]

i find does move just fine regardless of where they are in the nesting process. Day of, day before, nest made, nest not made. Mind... I move all my rabbits around ALL THE TIME. This morning I rearranged cages for eight of my rabbits... only one because I had a real reason to do so, the rest I moved because HEY.. I was moving rabbits around and this way I can mess with my students mind a bit.

It keeps me from having cage aggressive rabbits (though I may simply have bred that out) and it tells me which rabbits do and do not get along with other rabbits. Many I can move no problems, but some of my does throw hissy fits when placed next to other does... so it helps me reduce stress in the rabbitry knowing which does handle what.

 

[ckcs]

I think moving the doe will be ok. I have a first time doe due on the 20th that I moved a few days ago. I wasn't going to move her but she was in a store bought cage with a very tiny door. I realized that I wouldn't be able to get a nestbox in through the door. I opted to move her to a much larger cage with plenty of access. She seems to have adjusted fine and I hope all goes well on the 20th.

 

[hoodat]

I think moving her inside might be a good idea if there is a lot of smoke in the air. Rabbits have very sensitive respiratory systems.

 

[skysthelimit]

I move my pregnant does around as well, except for ones that had a hard time putting the nest in the box to begin with. I use plastic nest boxes in the winter, but I don't leave those in with does. Most of the wood ones are open top, I haven't had a doe trample a kit that way yet.

 

[JessiL]

Hey there, Jessi down in SW Reno...

We haven't been having smoke issues with the buns here, no special precautions taken. Perhaps the smoke is thicker up in the North Valleys? We're only seeing some confusion amongst the chickens, they considered roosting a few hours early yesterday due to the unusually early "twilight!" And don't worry about the temperature swings for the kits, as long as the mothers provide adequate fur when they build their nests, even day old kits have the ability to work their way up above the fur during the hot part of the day, and burrow down during the night. I only have once taken a nest box inside, that was when a single kit was born 18 hours ahead of his siblings. He came inside in a cardboard box since I wasn't convinced he could maintain body temperature alone, while I left the main nest box with the dam hoping she would complete her litter (she did, and the first kit rejoined them).

I use wooden nest boxes with wire bottoms, lots of straw and dried grasses for bedding. In a month or two I'll start providing a cardboard liner, but only once overnight temps are approaching freezing. I think wood has better insulating properties than thin plastic, and so slows down the effect of ambient air temperature swings.

I have no experience with moving does near kindling date, but it sounds like most people think it's fine. It probably helps when you have experienced ones. Anyway, we're planning on doing the same thing in a week or two when I shuffle a bred doe to a pasture cage at the same time I plan to wean her current litter (14 days gestation). I don't expect any trouble at all.<br /><br />__________ Mon Aug 19, 2013 4:12 pm __________<br /><br />Oh, and BTW, I do think nest box design is very, very important. I lost several kits from each of my first litters before I went back to a box design that I had used earlier when I was in 4H - a wooden box with a partial cover for mom to sit on, and a baby scraper lip. The baby scraper lip seems to be key to keeping the little kits in where they are supposed to be. With our cold nights in northern Nevada, little guys just won't make it alone out on the wire!

I found this blog page that has a photo of the design (the first photo) that I use. I have an ever bigger lip on mine, I think it's a 2x4.
blogs/athomepets/2011/04/12/nestboxes-for-rabbits/ . I made mine myself with just scrap OSB and 2x2s or 2x4s, 1/2" hardware cloth for the floor.

 

[Desert Rose Rabbits]

Hey Jessi!

Thanks for the link, I'll take a look at it later tonight. The smoke up here has been crazy. It's been getting caught in the Valley up here and it's so thick you can almost feel the density of it in the air. It's been crazy. Today hasn't been so bad, thankfully. It's done a number on my husband's allergies, though. We'll be moving down to Sparks in the next couple of weeks (after everyone has kindled) so I'm hoping everything'll be better there as far as the smoke/temps go.

Both of my Does are experienced, so I'm going to do my best to leave everything up to them and have them 'teach' me what needs to be done. I'm just in awe over how much nest boxes are 'retail'. We looked into making our own, the same style you're using, and it worked out to be roughly 10-12 a box. If my husband would let me use plywood (he's concerned about chemicals/glue/etc.) I'm sure it'd be cheaper. It's just crazy, though.