Well... I now believe...

[Bad Habit]

Well then, I now believe that rabbits can breed through a cage, and I think I owe some little girls an apology.

I didn't initially believe, you see. I thought it was one of those house rabbit myths. But Hannah delivered 8 babies last night. I didn't put her with a buck. All the buck's cages were locked with combination locks. The girls were over exactly once, and the bucks were locked up then. I did let them take Hannah into the other room, since they wanted a bunny to play with, though. Snow's cage was a NIC cube one, on the floor in that room. It was definitely locked.

Also, Hannah's last litter. It was supposed to be all from Firecracker, however 5 of the kits look remarkably like what I would have expected with Dobby. I hadn't bred her to Dobby, but they had shared a cage wall without a blocker for a few days.

When Star kindled, she delivered a number of things that looked like placentas, but felt like they had bones. Someone told me that was a double pregnancy. I had not put her in with any other bucks after Firecracker, but she was let out to play in the same room as Snow's cage.

I have seen bucks try, but didn't think it would work. I am no longer keeping a buck on floor level.

I don't know if I should cull these babies, because Hannah is supposed to be resting, or just thin them out, or what.

I feel like a total idiot

 

[Zab]

Aww.. I've had my doubts about that 'myth' as well.
Does Hanna need a rest or could she take care of the litter and rest later?

 

[Bad Habit]

I think she can do it. Maybe not all 8, but some of them are super tiny, so I don't know if they'll all make it anyway. I can supplement her and give her longer off. I just feel badly for her, and for the babies. It's a hard choice. The babies all look fat and healthy, and I won't lie and say that I couldn't use the money I'd get for selling them. I just don't know.

This is why I hate that there's 2 completely separate "systems" for taking care of rabbits. How many other things that I brush off as myth could actually be true?

 

[Zab]

If she's in a good enough shape to pull it off I'd let her keep them for now

We'll learn, I guess.. I still believe my colony rabbits will suddenly kill each other because that's what I've learnt that they always do, or the space isn't enough, or...

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

Myhsh and legends ALWAYS have a starting point--

 

[Bad Habit]

I think the ones that are super tiny are ones that got the dwarf gene. I think I've decided to pull the largest kits, and keep the tiny ones. That will give Hannah a smaller litter, at least.

 

[Zab]

Wait..what? You're keeping the dwarfes and killing the healthy? Or what do you mean with ''pull''? A typo or a phrase I don't know?

Edit: Or do you mean small rabbits and not peanuts?

 

[MaggieJ]

My experience is that a doe won't breed if she is too run-down to raise the kits. Why not wait a bit and see how she does? And buy her a chastity belt so she doesn't have another oops litter next month.

 

[LeAnn24]

I think since the kits are already here let her raise them. Give her as much hay and pellets are she can eat. The strong will survive and then if you think she needs a longer break you can giver her one. In my experience the ones with a true peanut gene wouldn't make it and if you cull the larger ones you might just end up losing them all. Hoping for the best for all of them.

 

[Bad Habit]

They are dwarfs, not peanuts. Peanuts have 2 copies of the dwarf gene, these ones I think just have one... I guess I'm experiencing the dwarf gene for the first time. They look completely normal, but are smaller than the others.

I made a change today, and the "chastity belt" is in place... Snow is in a plastic bottomed cage, on a shelf, three feet above the floor, with duct tape holding the cage closed, and a lock on the door. If I have another unexpected litter after this, I am going to fund research to find out if rabbits can shoot sperm missiles.

 

[Heritage Homestead]

Ummm... It is not a myth? :x
My doe and buck are right next to each other. :shock: Course they are not old enough yet.
Think I work on that tomorrow.

Don't feel bad Bad Habit. One bright side is that you saved some of us (I won't mention names ) from the same mistake.

 

[LeAnn24]

They are dwarfs, not peanuts. Peanuts have 2 copies of the dwarf gene, these ones I think just have one... I guess I'm experiencing the dwarf gene for the first time. They look completely normal, but are smaller than the others.

Oh I see. I misunderstood when you were talking about very tiny kits in a small breeds litter. Just made me think of a peanut.

 

[MamaMandy]

If you're not POSITIVE they're not peanuts I'd hold off. I've had some that look totally normal but then just don't grow and then die. I think I'd let her try and raise them all. You can always flip her and let the smaller ones nurse if you think some are not getting fed.

 

[Bad Habit]

I don't know that peanuts are actually smaller than the regular kits, I thought they were just deformed? I'm pretty positive they aren't peanuts, everything looks normal, just smaller than I'm used to. I'm guessing both the buck and the doe I started with were false dwarfs

 

[Oceanrose]

Peanuts will be much smaller, have a weirdly shaped head, very little ear and a shrunken hind quarter. If you keep them alive they shrivel up from the hindquarters forward, and normally die by the time the litter is furring out.

 

[Bad Habit]

Well, everything is exactly normal, just slightly smaller. Will try to take photos in a bit.

 

[Zab]

Well, good luck either way

 

[Bad Habit]

Thanks, but I don't need it, Hannah does. I know she is going to do her absolute very best to take care of these babies, regardless of the impact on her health. I don't care if they all die, provided she remains healthy.

Hannah, of course, is as happy as a pig in mud, she got TWO helpings of grain today.

She's a robust, easy keeper though. A little thinner than I'd like, but she's only been weaned about a week from her litter of 6. If she doesn't bounce back quickly, I will pull kits off her.<br /><br />__________ Sun Feb 17, 2013 5:35 pm __________<br /><br />Hannah is doing well. Her poops were a bit soft today, but not runny. She's been eating like a champ, of course. I've decided to give her half her normal grain ration, but increase it from once a day to three times a day. So she's getting an extra half helping of grains, I'm just spreading it out a bit more.