Why didn't my new zealand make a nest?

[Twobirdsflying]

I have a new zealand black that we recently got from a friend that moved. She bred with a mini lop. We have been anxiously awaiting kindling. Yesterday i want to the hutch, to find six babies all over the place. She had never made a nest, and never even pulled fur. This is her first litter. Six of the kits were what i believe to be stillborn and two survived intially, (one passed shortly after) So we have one kit left out of eight and she is a BAD mom. I tried to build a nest and tuck the baby in there, she dug the hay and trampled the baby. SO i quickly too the remaining baby and brought him inside to warm up. Why do you thing she is such a bad mama?
Heres our story:
About a week or two before kindling she had gotten out of the cage and spent about a week hopping about the yard (and some time unknowingly trapped in our basement without food or water *GASP*)
Once we found her in the basement we brought her back to the hutch knowing the big day was comign soon. it was obvious at first she was very hungry and thirsty.
After a day or two she did try to burrow in the ground. I didn't want the kits born underground so i confined her to the hutch where i thought i could safely monitor her kits after birth.
and then after the confinement, she never showed any sign of nesting..only ate the hay provided. She never gathered it or anything. Never pulled ANY fur.
So here is my guilt ridden question..Did i cause this? Did i stress her out by confining her to her top floor of the hutch. Should I have let her burrow in the ground like rabbits do? Did the basement starvation cause the stillborns? What could i have done better? This is mine and her first litter.
Thanks for any help -Stacey

 

[ckcs]

First time moms often do not get it right. I think sometimes they are surprised by the birth and their instinct don't kick in right away. The hunger and stress could have caused problems but so could many other things. Don't beat yourself over it. Are you planning on trying to breed rabbits again?

 

[Twobirdsflying]

I would like to breed her again. Do you think she is worthy of another try? I totally love her, she is a sweetie.

 

[Cottie]

One of my doe's kind of did this with her first litter. Day 1: AWESOME NEST. Night 1: scattered kits. It happens, unfortunately. She was a great mama with her second litter.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Hi Twobirdsflying,

and :welcome: to RabbitTalk!

Many of our members have a "three strikes rule" for their does. Often times they don't figure out all the steps in the right sequence the first couple of times they kindle.

We also have a saying here that kits are not dead until they are warm and dead. They can be ice cold when you find them, but when warmed up they often start moving around. I like to warm up towels in the dryer, make a little hollow, and place the kits in there with the door closed.

The scratching in the nest is because her nesting instinct kicked in late. She was trying to dig a burrow and build a nest. She may still pull fur. You can try returning the kit to the nest late this afternoon or early evening if she has stopped digging in the nest.

Small litters often have trouble keeping warm, so I would suggest bringing the nest and kit inside at night until it gets some fur. Most does feed only once or twice daily, at dusk and dawn, and ignore the kits the rest of the time. My does will usually hop right into the nest to feed when I bring it out to them.

Nursing one kit will not cause her to lose condition, so if you have a buck, I would breed her back now or in the next day or so. Does are very receptive right after kindling, and the kit will be weaned by the time the next litter is born.

Better luck next time! :clover:

 

[Twobirdsflying]

Thanks all for the responses. I am so excited by the optimism and experience on this site. I will keep the kit inside and continue to give her chances to feed on her own. Last night we held her down and let the kit eat. Both did very well with this. Thanks for any help! I think i will let the buck and her hand out again, and see how we do the next time around!

 

[PSFAngoras]

My first time rex doe just did something similar. Nice hay nest, but no fur. Two large kits. I pulled the fur around her nipples so the kits could nurse better, but she didn't feed them. I ended up flipping the doe and letting them nurse, but I left the nest and kits I the cage. Lo and behold, I went out on the third morning, and not only did she pull the fur around her nipples so they could nurse (not enough for a nest, but angoras are happy to donate) and the kits bellies were so full they looked like they would pop. ( over feeding could be a bad thing too, so here's a fine line). Now she's got the hang of it and she's got two of the biggest kits I've ever seen.

Hang in there. Momma Sheepdog is right about the three strikes rule. Mother rabbits have no 'what to expect' book so they have to figure it out on their own. Most come around quickly, but its always smart to expect that you will loose the first litter and just rejoice if you don't. Good luck with the remaining kit and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you for better luck next time