My adventures in rabbit breeding

[DutchBunny03]

Rabbits usually haystache less than a couple days before they kindle, so you dont have very long to wait!

 

[balloonflower]

I built wood nest boxes that have pegboard bottoms. Apple is definitely messing with her nest, hollowing out a hole after I added more hay this morn. But she digs the hole down to the pegboard. Is this something that I should be concerned for keeping kits warm? This weekend will be in the 60s, but next week will be highs of 20, so the garage will cool off. I could use a chick brooder lamp and seedling mat thermostats to provide supplemental heat if that would be better, or bring the nest inside except for feeding times.

 

[DancingWthDucks]

I built wood nest boxes that have pegboard bottoms. Apple is definitely messing with her nest, hollowing out a hole after I added more hay this morn. But she digs the hole down to the pegboard. Is this something that I should be concerned for keeping kits warm? This weekend will be in the 60s, but next week will be highs of 20, so the garage will cool off. I could use a chick brooder lamp and seedling mat thermostats to provide supplemental heat if that would be better, or bring the nest inside except for feeding times.

Maybe use the heat lamp if the temps drop low, but make sure that the nest doesn't get too hot.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I built wood nest boxes that have pegboard bottoms. Apple is definitely messing with her nest, hollowing out a hole after I added more hay this morn. But she digs the hole down to the pegboard. Is this something that I should be concerned for keeping kits warm? This weekend will be in the 60s, but next week will be highs of 20, so the garage will cool off. I could use a chick brooder lamp and seedling mat thermostats to provide supplemental heat if that would be better, or bring the nest inside except for feeding times.

Some of my does like to dig like that, too - it's their burrowing instinct. I try to fill the holes back in so that the kits aren't born on wood (my does kindle indoors, so I use metal nest boxes with wood bottoms of the nest box), but sometimes the does are really determined and the kits are just born in the holes they make. With good (pulled) fur covering and being sheltered from wind chills, they should do fine, but I also keep a ceramic heater in the garage so that it can't get too cold; I don't want it to be "warm", but I wouldn't let it get too chilly, either.

Like @chickygirl7 said, I'd be concerned about the kits possibly becoming too warm and unable to get away from the heat if you use a chick brooder lamp..how would you set it up and monitor the temperature?

I would try to avoid moving the nest boxes so the doe doesn't get upset - I've found that keeping the environment fairly quiet and undisturbed as much as possible seems to keep the does calm and focused on mothering their kits.

 

[balloonflower]

I have two sensors that are used for reptile cages or seedling heat mats. They have a digital readout, and a little probe thermometer on a wire that monitors heat, and then I set the temp I want the heat source to turn off at--you just plug the light or heat mat into the sensor, kind of how a timer works. I thought I could work the little probe up to just poke through the pegboard bottom during the first week--I would worry about it getting dug up and chewed on if exposed.

My other option as I see it would be to use the probe completely external to the cage and just maintain the temp maybe around 40-50, figuring the nest box would provide the needed heat on top of that. I don't want to make myself more work than needed, but also don't want to neglect something if I can do different.

 

[Bunnylady]

Babies all the way down against the bottom of the box is normal; the metal boxes one can buy have floors made of a similar material to pegboard, just maybe with fewer holes. If you are concerned about losing too much heat through the bottom of the box, you could put an additional board under the box, or maybe a layer of hay (can't guarantee the doe won't pull that out, though).

 

[balloonflower]

Thank you all for your replies and assistance. It is really appreciated. Today, it is obvious that Apple is still nesting, though I haven't seen any signs of her pulling fur to add to what I put in there. The box looks better, but I think I'll add some more, figuring she can pull it out if she wants. There are some piles of hay in her cage she can add too.

 

[Bunnylady]

Most of my does pull little, if any, fur before the day on which they kindle. There might be a few mouthfuls here and there, but if I see a mound of fur in a nest box, I expect to find babies under it. There are exceptions, of course, but so far, what you have described sounds right-down-the-middle-of-the-road normal.

 

[balloonflower]

Still no little bun-buns, but it's only day 31. I will have the larger cage finished this afternoon, but I'm guessing that it will probably be more stressful to move her to it along with the nest box than is worth it for more space and easier nest box access?

 

[DancingWthDucks]

Still no little bun-buns, but it's only day 31. I will have the larger cage finished this afternoon, but I'm guessing that it will probably be more stressful to move her to it along with the nest box than is worth it for more space and easier nest box access?

It's probally best not to disturb her by moving her to a new cage. I hope that she kindles soon, but has a healthy litter.