Please help my Momma bunny

[CrzyChknLdy]

Ok....my hubby and I have decided to try our hand at raising rabbits for meat. We now have two New zealand rabbits.....one doe that is bred to a different buck and one buck. We built hutches ......bought waterers and feeders and feed......did tons of research and now we are stuck. These rabbits are larger then I had in my mind and I am a little concerned about the size of a nesting box for momma. Our original plans were for a nesting box 12"x12"x22" but that seems small for her now that I see her. Anyone with suggestions? I dont' want it too be too large that the babies aren't safe but too small and I am afraid she will squish them!!

Thanks in advance
Kim

 

[obsessed]

I think you want the nests box to be just big enough for the momma to get in and no bigger. You don't want her to sit in and become too comfortable. The bottom should be made out of hardware cloth for the pellets and pee to go through. I will try to get you measurments.

 

[SheriM]

Quote:
I must respectfully disagree. You may want a wire bottom for the main part of the cage, but for the nest box, a solid bottom is necessary. You'll need to line the box with a bit of straw or hay to create a bit of padding before she adds her fur to the nest just before kindling. If you have a wire bottom on the nest box, it will be too drafty for the baby bunnies.

As for the size of the nest box, sit your doe on a flat surface and measure her when she's sitting comfortably, not stretched out or bunched up. You'll want the box to be maybe an inch or two bigger than she is. I put a half top on my boxes, so they were a little bit longer so the opening was still big enough for her to get in and out comfortably. The half top gave her a place to retreat when the kits started getting on her nerves.

 

[cutiepieacres]

yes, SheriM is right you want a solid bottom, and an inch bigger than the bunny on all sides. You want her to be able to get in and turn around but not big enough to be a comfy resting spot or she may decide to stay in it all the time and pee etc. which isnt good for the babies. The mom only needs in to have the babies and then twice a day to feed, otherwsie she should be out of the box and leaving it alone.

Some boxes are made of metal and some made of wood, metal is easier to clean but not as warm. I always line the bottom of my boxes with pine shavings and then hay though some does dig it all out but as long as they pull a good amount of hair the babies are fine.

Good luck I hope you get lots of babies and a great mom bunny to care for them all.

 

[gypsy2621]

here is a good link to help you decide which nest box to use.
I have larger rabbits and use the largets one possible.
the one they have posted instructions for is for med sized
mini lops,Hotot, Rex,
for larger breeds , Chinchilla, Silver fox , New Zeland add 2 to 3 inches per side.Flemish you may want to add 5 inces to all sides.

rhttp://www.rabbitweb.net/nestbox.aspabbits.

 

[CrzyChknLdy]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Once we decide to have an animal my hubby and I tend to obsess on the details. I figure if you take on the responsiblity of caring for something you need to do your best to provide it everything it needs.

I am so excited about the baby bunnies I can hardly stand it!!!

 

[dddCT]

crzy there is nothing better than new kits. I have a new litter of 8 flemish that are 4 days old. We make our nesting boxes just big enough that she can get in and out easily but not linger. Our first nesting box was too big and momma thought of it as a new beach lounge chair and never left it and had the babies in a nest she made along side the box kinda defeating the whole purpose. You definitely want a solid bottom. We line ours with layers of cardboard and straw. As the kits get a little bigger, we can usually slide 1 layer of cardboard out and we ahd straw where we may have removed some of the soiled stuff but basically we leave the nest alone. They won't stay immobile in there for long anyhow.

 

[dddCT]

These are 3 of my new litter at 2 days. I just grabbed the first 3 I could feel just long enough to get a quick pix