First time rabbit parents. Eep!

[sfgwife]

We are gonna be first timers very soon now. Chickens and turkeys.. we got those down pat the buns... why am i so stinkin nervous right now?!?!?!?!!! Lol! One of the ladies has exploded all the fur from her belly and has her spot under the dogloo evidentally (we are tryin colony since when we got these buns that is how they were raised). Everyone has been eatin and drinkin just fine even yesterday i saw both ladies come out. So. Is there anything i need do but wait and make sure she comes out of her hole for food and water? Should i put her separate food and water right outside her spot just so she doesnt have go farther out for food? They get of a mornin blueberries, some kind of green things and sometime carrots and water, food and hay always available. Of a night we add a bit of alfalfa hay out for them. Yea we have researched and watched countless videos but now that it is gonna happen i am nervous all of a sudden... and feel like the dolt for it. I know to leave her alone and not try messin with her or babies. So just call me nervous nellie right now.

 

[Higher Ground Rabbitry]

My New Zealand's are caged for their protection, but our does have acted pretty normal the whole time they were pregnant and nursing. Some does can get crankier when pregnant, so a little extra caution is wise. But if they don't mind you handling them, they shouldn't mind you handling their kits. There might be stillborn kits you ought to remove before the flies find it. The kits might be in two piles instead of one - bad because Mom might only feed one pile instead of both. I think the warning about making sure rabbit babies don't smell like people is for wild rabbits, not domesticated. They're used to our smell. I'm sure I've gotten the dog's smell on babies before, and not one doe has minded.

Chances are your does will eat what they need, but I don't blame you for trying to make sure. Apparently some does go off their feed a few hours before kindling, but not all. Ours always eat pretty normally.

We provide a nest box with pine shavings, but if she can dig her own nest I'm not sure if she would want anything else. Maybe some extra hay she can take to line it? I keep an eye on my does' nests, but if she's already pulled a bunch of fur it sounds like sounds like she'll be a great mom.

 

[sfgwife]

I think she was a mom BEFORE she pulled te fur this mornin. We took out a box a lil bit after we saw her and the kits were very dry. There was a small amount of fur under the babies but not as much as was onto. We just picked the whole pile up and transferred. She had a nice lil spot under the dogloo and we put her and the kits in the nest box. Might have been a mistake but i dunno. She has left them in there all day and we have seen her checkin on them several times. We are lookin from afar not near them to give space. We just didnt want them under the loo cause we are supposed to get a lot of rain this week. Been tellin my mister a week he needed make his nest boxes cuse most likely we be havin em soon. O well. So now we watch her and learn.

 

[Higher Ground Rabbitry]

I'm glad she's doing good. The fur on top keeps them toasty warm until their own fur grows in. And I'm sure she will appreciate the flood free nest if she ever understands the danger! Since she seems to be a good momma, and knows where her babies are, it should be smooth sailing. Rabbits may only feed their babies once or twice a day, and then it's pretty quick. So don't worry if you never see her actually in the nest box. You can always check for fat little bunny tummies to make sure they're being fed if you want to.