Question about rabbit and possible pregnancy problem

[Athena2344]

After pulling hair, it took my doe another 3 days before she kitted, if you can, cover her cage to calm her down, i wouldnt mess with her again until those 3 days are up, if you go to touch the nest, put baby powder ALL OVER your hands, it masks your scent, if need be, put a dollop on her nose to confuse her.

 

[Bunnylady]

if you go to touch the nest, put baby powder ALL OVER your hands, it masks your scent, if need be, put a dollop on her nose to confuse her.

DO NOT do this. Firstly, because the doe definitely does not need to be inhaling powder (whether corn starch or talc), and secondly, because it is unnecessary.

I've been breeding rabbits for over 30 years, and from my observation, the vast majority of does could hardly care less if you handle the nest box. If they have a litter in there, they may get anxious and protective about the babies, but you just touching a box is not a problem. If you have been feeding, etc, this rabbit for any length of time at all, she already knows what you smell like, so she isn't worried about you.

Of the hundreds of does I have worked with over the years, I had exactly one deliberately savage her litter after I handled them, but since she did it with subsequent litters in spite of my going to great lengths to avoid disturbing her, she was removed from the breeding program.

Generations ago, perhaps breeders did have to worry about does destroying/abandoning their litters, but the breeder of today is generally much more hands-on, particularly with pet breeds. When a litter is born, you should be able to check the litter in the box, and remove any dead ones that could be a source of infection for the remaining live kits. Baby rabbits will starve to death in 3 days or less, so you need to check the nest every day to make sure all are getting fed.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I handled my kits from day one. My doe didn't mind one bit.

 

[Athena2344]

I'm not saying shove baby powder up the does nose, just put a small dab, and if she is freaking out about the humans scent ( being incredibly aggressive) and if masking your scent keeps her calm, i dont see what the problem is, i do it every time i handle my kits

 

[Bunnylady]

I'm not saying shove baby powder up the does nose, just put a small dab, and if she is freaking out about the humans scent ( being incredibly aggressive) and if masking your scent keeps her calm, i dont see what the problem is, i do it every time i handle my kits

She's not freaking out about a scent, she is trying to tell the human (who really should be dominant in this situation, but that is something that should have been established before the doe was bred in the first place) to get out of her space. HER space. It has nothing to do with a smell - from the rabbit's perspective, everything in her world already reeks of her owner.

Ask anyone who trains drug-sniffing dogs - it is practically impossible to mask a scent. Humans, who invest relatively little of our brains in olfaction, may be distracted by smells, but animals are not. Unless you bury the scent beneath something that is so suffocatingly strong that the animal almost can't breathe, they can still detect it.

The issue is, does the rabbit care if your hands are in her cage? If she does, she isn't going to be bothering about what they smell like, she wants them out of her cage. If she doesn't care, it's a waste of time to get slathered up with something before you handle the babies, or the nest box, or the food dish, or whatever.

 

[BantamLover21]

I have always handled kits soon after they were born (often mere minutes), and have never had a doe reject babies or act concerned about the human scent. Yes, a protective doe may not like you sticking your hands in her cage and pulling out her nest box, but that has nothing to do with scent.