Update on my situation

[MKirst]

I am not off to a good start with breeding rabbits. :?

The only baby of John and Jill's who survived is the 3rd baby that was never sick. He is doing very well and 7 weeks old now.

After Jill died her hutch was vacant and so I put Joe in there by himself. He completely stopped eating on the first day and died on the second night. I'm having terrible bad luck over here. I have no idea what happened to him. I'm thinking maybe because the hutch is painted and he chewed on it ? I just don't know.

Splash had 3 kits. They were doing great up until the second day. I brought the nest box in the house and kept it on the kitchen counter. When I took the dog for a walk, evidently one of the neighbors cats came in threw the dog door and ate all 3 of them. Blood in 3 different spots on the counter. When I walked in the door with the dog - my dog chased the cat with a 1/2 eaten baby bunny hanging from it's mouth. The dog chased the cat under my china closet and I had to listen to that damn cat chew the rest of the baby bunny. I felt like killing that cat right where it was hiding.

I called the neighbor over to get her cat out of my house and she did. She said she was sorry but she didn't believe her cat ate my bunnies. GRRR :evil:

Just wanted to let ya'll know.

CupCake is due any day now, she already made her nest. I hope I have a turning point to better days here shortly.

I named John and Jill's surviving bunny Jade. Here is a picture.

 

[Mickey328]

I'm so sorry! What a horrible situation. Seriously hoping all the bad luck is over and the next litter is hale and hearty. Jade is beautiful!

 

[skysthelimit]

:grouphug: I'm terribly sorry. Here's to brighter bunny days for both of us

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I'm sorry to hear that you lost Joe also. At least you have pretty little Jade to remember them by.

What a terrible incident with the cat! :x I am not sure what type of nests you use, but perhaps you could make a removable lid out of hardware cloth to keep them safe.

I hope Cupcake gives you a nice litter of kits and that they thrive for you! :clover:

 

[Miss M]

So sorry to hear about Joe! I wouldn't think it would be paint... house rabbits commonly munch on painted or varnished furniture and baseboards.

It was so fast, it sounds like something was wrong before you moved him. Wool block, maybe?

 

[ZRabbits]

So sorry to hear of your troubles. I don't think Joe died because of the hutch. Sounds like he was already sick before you put him in it. Rabbits truly hide their illnesses well. And the cat wouldn't have made it out alive if it was me after entering the house and killing those sweet babies.

Jade is turning out to be such a lovely rabbit. Fingers crossed that Cupcake has an easy delivery and healthy kits.

Hoping this is the time that it all turns for the best for you and your Rabbitry.

Karen

 

[MKirst]

Thanks for the replies.

There was nothing wrong with Joe that I could see. He was always happy, active and great eater. Came to the door every time I'd walk past for a sniff and pet like they all do. He was acting normal the day I switched cages on him. But I could see right away he didn't want to be in the new cage.+

The only things I can think of is stress maybe or chewing on the hutch. Then again I wouldn't know a wool block when it happened either. I just don't know, it was sudden. He didn't eat like he used to since I put him in Jill's hutch. I was thinking maybe he was just mad I switched cages on him or something and he would eventually eat better. But the second day night feeding he was dead. He died exactly 34 hours after I switched cages. It's like he went from one extreme to the other, then dead.

Can stress do this ? Like switching rabbits around to different cages ? I had a lady here to buy some plants from me last week and she told me it's stress. I took him out of the only cage he knew since being here with all his toys, marked territory and what not, and he died of stress and depression. Is that possible ? Because if it is, now I know when I switch rabbits into different cages - everything in that cage goes with the switch.

I dunno, but my son was extremely unhappy, Joe was his adventure and fishing buddy. I think he might think I'm doing something not right because of all these problems I'm having in such a short time. Although I hope this isn't so.

Breeding rabbits is an experience not just a hobby, I'm learning this.

 

[ZRabbits]

Stress has a big effect on rabbits. And I can see how Joe could have been stressed out with that big change. Not feeling secure = stress. Stress brings on illness and rabbits go down hill real fast. Been there. I found with rabbits, I can read all I want, but until I experienced I really didn't honestly know. Rabbits are an every day education. And sometimes honest mistakes have sad outcomes. My heartfelt condolences for your Son's loss of his buddy. Honest mistakes happen. But when you don't learn from those honest mistakes, then they are not honest mistakes, and the innocent suffer.

I hope he finds another buddy. Sounds like he learned a lot (compassion, responsibility, friendship) from Joe and could use the experience with a new. That way, Joe lives on. Rabbits, I have found, can be a good life lesson for anyone, young and old.

Fingers crossed for Cupcake.

BTW, Regarding wool block, found this when I first started to learn about rabbit. Hope this helps. Ingesting fur can also become a big problem for a rabbit.
http://www.threelittleladiesrabbitry.com/woolblock.php


Karen

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

Like switching rabbits around to different cages

some rabbits can take that.. And other cant... WHen i have babies. I move the mother instead of the babies. Because weaning form mom is stress , plus a new cage and area is another stress. So i decided to move the doe instead...

 

[ZRabbits]

Like switching rabbits around to different cages

some rabbits can take that.. And other cant... WHen i have babies. I move the mother instead of the babies. Because weaning form mom is stress , plus a new cage and area is another stress. So i decided to move the doe instead...

Knew it would be stressful when weaning, but never occurred to me about moving the doe. You know your doe and what stresses her, but you don't know the kits yet to understand their stress level. Something to try in the future.

Karen.

 

[MKirst]

CupCake had her babies.

There is at least 4 - 5 in there. It's so cold outside I did a super fast check .. but CupCake did a great job with pulling fur when I reached my hand down into the hole it is very warm. So I'm going to let those babies outside with mom. I'm not going to disturb them at all. Just let mom deal with everything. I'm not going to mess with them or play with them or everything that I did with John and Jills kits. Just let them be. :roll:

When I took a quick peak and feel they are very warm, tummies full and poppin around. I even seen one that looks like a possible red. Can I get red from Castor x Opal ? I seen possible blue or opal colors too. I'm not used to seeing different colors. John and Jill's kits were solid black and Splashes were all white with dark dots. I'll post pictures of CupCakes kits in a couple weeks.

I hope all goes well, I'd like to show one of my own bunnies, darn it.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Can stress do this ? Like switching rabbits around to different cages ? I had a lady here to buy some plants from me last week and she told me it's stress. I took him out of the only cage he knew since being here with all his toys, marked territory and what not, and he died of stress and depression. Is that possible ? Because if it is, now I know when I switch rabbits into different cages - everything in that cage goes with the switch.

Adult rabbits are not so fragile that moving him from one cage on your property to another would kill him from stress and depression. The only way to try to find out what happened when a rabbit dies suddenly is to necropsy...open them up and take a look. Wool block looks like a stomach full of fur. I would be sanitizing the HECK out of that hutch....actually, I would burn it and get a different one. But then, I tend to err on the side of caution...

 

[3mina]

If just switching cages was what killed your rabbit he should have died at the time you brought him home, that's a far greater stress than just switching cages. I agree with OAF, I would burn that hutch to get rid of whatever is on it.

 

[skysthelimit]

If just switching cages was what killed your rabbit he should have died at the time you brought him home, that's a far greater stress than just switching cages. I agree with OAF, I would burn that hutch to get rid of whatever is on it.

I agree too. Rabbits get switched around all of the time, especially show rabbits, put on top of tables, handled by unfamiliar people, etc. If a rabbits does die from getting switched around, it may have been a sign of some type of immune instability.

 

[MKirst]

The hutch that everything is dieing in is brand new custom built.

I ordered it in September and brought it home in October.

Is there anyway I can sanitize it and let it sit vacant for a period of time ? I really don't want to have to burn it. There has to be a way to sanitize it. No ?

 

[Miss M]

I'm not going to mess with them or play with them or everything that I did with John and Jills kits. Just let them be. :roll:

Feel free to play with them. Pulling out the nest is a wise thing to do, because you can remove any dead kits or placenta or wet hay and fur that is in there before it endangers the babies. Pulling it out every day or two after that allows you to check for weak kits, dead kits, etc. playing with them gets them used to being handled. <br /><br />__________ Mon Nov 26, 2012 6:00 pm __________<br /><br />

The hutch that everything is dieing in is brand new custom built.

Brand new?

Is it cedar? Cedar is toxic to rabbits.

Wood is difficult to sanitize. You can go over it with a torch without really burning it, but I don't know how much that kills. I don't know beyond that. I don't know if exposing all the surfaces to sunlight for a while sanitizes wood.

 

[MKirst]

No not cedar. It's made with oak wood. But it is painted red and blue.

 

[ZRabbits]

Is the paint latex or enamal. Either way, I would hand sand the paint off. Do not use a stripper. Maybe it is the paint that is making your rabbits sick. Some people, with good intentions, to make something attractive will not think of what could happen.

Congratulations on Cupcakes kits! Glad all went well. Don't be afraid to touch them or check them. Know you are worried because of what happened prior. But checking on them every day will make sure all are getting what they need and are keeping warm. I only took the nestbox out once a day for the first two weeks to make sure all was well.

Karen

 

[MKirst]

Ok, ya I'm going to keep that hutch vacant for now. My brother said he can sand blast it. I'll give it a good cleaning then let it sit till spring, then let my brother blast it.

I just ordered another hutch from the same place with instructions not to paint or coat with anything. Just wood and wire. I did also mention spruce, hopefully I can get a hutch made of spruce. That would be nice. Spruce lasts decades without being treated.

This morning I broke down and went out to gather up all the babies so I could get a good look. Cupcake had 7 popples !!!!

Now that I got a good look at them, I think they are chocolate instead of red. They kinda look chocolatee. :x

The hutch that Cupcake is in she built her nest in the housing part, so I can't remove the whole nest without ruining it. The nest is deep - she built the nest from the top of the house area all the way to the bottom with straw, hay and fur. When I reached in 1/2 my arm was in the hole to get the bunnies and it's very warm with lots of fur down there and it's snowing. She did good. So I just scooped the bunnies out loading them in my beanie till I got in the house - then put them in a shoe box with shavings to get some pictures.

How do they look ? What colors do they look like ?