Two Pairs Two Colors! (Maybe)

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Back on Sunday one of my Does had two babies!
I think they're a Siamese Smoke Pearl and a Himi



And over night one of my other Does had her babies!
Two alive ones and a stillborn Peanut
I think they're a Siamese Smoke Pearl and either a Himi or a REW



(They're really bossy)


The mother to the first pair is a Black Himi and the mother to the three is a REW
Father to both is a Siamese Smoke Pearl

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

The lighter one of the REW's Kits is gone
I didn't find the body in the nestbox or on the wire

 

[judymac]

The lighter one of the REW's Kits is gone

So sorry to hear of your loss. When there is no body, I usually suspect either that the kit died and is crumpled somewhere in the nest; fell through the side wire of the pen, and is either in the floor litter or lost through predation; or was directly removed from the pen. Snakes, rodents & weasels can get into 2" x 1" wire pens, cats and raccoon can reach in and pull the babies through the wire (I've walked in and seen them fishing for babies, it's heartbreaking).

My first thing is to look all around under the pen to be sure it didn't somehow come out of the nest on mom's nipple and then scampered out of the pen. I love baby-saver or 1/2" x 1" sides to avoid this, or use the snap-in solid metal urine guards. Next, I completely dismantle the nest and be sure there is no body felted into the wool or hiding in the hay/straw. If there is still a missing baby, I suspect predators. To avoid this, I slip in pegboard flooring panels over the floor wire, so nothing can get pulled through, and put wood panels over the sides and 1/2" hardware cloth over the door and front of the pen. I already have feed sacks or plywood on the roof, to avoid poultry droppings in the pen should a bird decide to roost on top of the pen. So far, it seems to be helping.

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

So sorry to hear of your loss. When there is no body, I usually suspect either that the kit died and is crumpled somewhere in the nest; fell through the side wire of the pen, and is either in the floor litter or lost through predation; or was directly removed from the pen. Snakes, rodents & weasels can get into 2" x 1" wire pens, cats and raccoon can reach in and pull the babies through the wire (I've walked in and seen them fishing for babies, it's heartbreaking).

My first thing is to look all around under the pen to be sure it didn't somehow come out of the nest on mom's nipple and then scampered out of the pen. I love baby-saver or 1/2" x 1" sides to avoid this, or use the snap-in solid metal urine guards. Next, I completely dismantle the nest and be sure there is no body felted into the wool or hiding in the hay/straw. If there is still a missing baby, I suspect predators. To avoid this, I slip in pegboard flooring panels over the floor wire, so nothing can get pulled through, and put wood panels over the sides and 1/2" hardware cloth over the door and front of the pen. I already have feed sacks or plywood on the roof, to avoid poultry droppings in the pen should a bird decide to roost on top of the pen. So far, it seems to be helping.

Searched the whole nest and couldn't find anything, and I don't think he was small enough to get though the cage wire gaps at the front but even if he did, we have two cats that roam [almost all] the house freely

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

All the Kits are doing well
The Himi has a dark tail + face already and one of the "Siamese Smoke Pearls" turned into a Sable

(That's not the Sable)

Just now realizing I don't have a very recent picture of them

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Not only did I watch her climb into the empty hay roll, but after getting her out (and laughing a ton at her), I turn around, turn back, and she's already in the hay wheel!

 

[Cotton Rabbitry]

Have to love kits, My youngest buck wasn't so much a get-stuck kind of Kit but an escape artist. I think that might be one of the many reasons we have kept him for breeding. He is my icon pic with my daughter. Brusier can get out of just about everything. He caught our hearts and got out of being butchered...LOL

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

So far the Sable and Himi look like Bucks and the Smoke Pearl looks like a Doe

I'll be trying to sell the Doe taking care of them next weekend (not this weekend) at a show, so they'll get their own cage within the next week or so

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

They're in their own cage!
It's smaller than I thought it would be, but they're still tiny

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Something happened and we're not able to go to the show

 

[jani]

So sorry to hear of your loss. When there is no body, I usually suspect either that the kit died and is crumpled somewhere in the nest; fell through the side wire of the pen, and is either in the floor litter or lost through predation; or was directly removed from the pen. Snakes, rodents & weasels can get into 2" x 1" wire pens, cats and raccoon can reach in and pull the babies through the wire (I've walked in and seen them fishing for babies, it's heartbreaking).

My first thing is to look all around under the pen to be sure it didn't somehow come out of the nest on mom's nipple and then scampered out of the pen. I love baby-saver or 1/2" x 1" sides to avoid this, or use the snap-in solid metal urine guards. Next, I completely dismantle the nest and be sure there is no body felted into the wool or hiding in the hay/straw. If there is still a missing baby, I suspect predators. To avoid this, I slip in pegboard flooring panels over the floor wire, so nothing can get pulled through, and put wood panels over the sides and 1/2" hardware cloth over the door and front of the pen. I already have feed sacks or plywood on the roof, to avoid poultry droppings in the pen should a bird decide to roost on top of the pen. So far, it seems to be helping.

yup, correct... that is why my cages are like fort knox! top and 4 sides are all 1/4 hardware cloth (keeps mice out of the feed too) and i use dog crates not cages, take the trays out and line floor with 14G 1/2x1 but I put resting pads (the plastic mesh ones so poop drops through and I can clean them easy) on the floors once the babies start getting out of the nest box. I like the dog crates, rabbits all have hanging resting shelves and lots of room to stand up and hop about. I can also double up does when not expecting and put quite a few kits in one depending on their ages.

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

yup, correct... that is why my cages are like fort knox! top and 4 sides are all 1/4 hardware cloth (keeps mice out of the feed too) and i use dog crates not cages, take the trays out and line floor with 14G 1/2x1 but I put resting pads (the plastic mesh ones so poop drops through and I can clean them easy) on the floors once the babies start getting out of the nest box. I like the dog crates, rabbits all have hanging resting shelves and lots of room to stand up and hop about. I can also double up does when not expecting and put quite a few kits in one depending on their ages.

(I think you're on the wrong thread)

 

[jani]

No I don’t think so I was commenting on how preditor can steal kits

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

I already knew parts of them weren't very good but yikes