Rabbit Nesting without Nest Box

[Farmboy101]

Hi, my doe is pregnant and I am supposed to give her the nest box saturday. We were on vacation and came back Tuesday and I had someone stay and watch over them. For some reason they gave them wheat straw instead of timothy hay and now the doe started making the base of the nest inside her little house. I took it out, but she still tries to make one when i give her the timothy hay in the morning. This is her third litter; this happened with her first litter and they all died.

 

[BantamLover21]

I would give her a nest box now. Put the nest box in the place where she keeps trying to make a nest. When does get the "idea" to build a nest, it is difficult to convince them not to. As long as she doesn't soil the nest box, there isn't anything wrong with giving her a nest a few days early.

If she builds a nest somewhere other than in the nest box, move what she has built into the nest box and place the nest box where she was building the nest. The important thing is that she has her kits in a safe nest, not in a flimsy nest on the wire that they can crawl away from and chill.

 

[Bunnylady]

If, in spite of everything you do, it still seems that the doe is determined not to have her litter in the box, one thing I have done is to put a huge amount of hay in the cage - enough to make a layer 6 inches deep all over the floor. That way, if the doe does make her nest somewhere else, hopefully there will be enough material to keep the kits together and warm so they will still be alive when you find them.

 

[Farmboy101]

Thanks for the information!

 

[Farmboy101]

She had the babies last night. She had four, but three of them were dead with only one alive. Should I be concerned; I have read where it could get overfeed. Is there anything I could do to help it.

 

[BantamLover21]

I'm sorry most of kits were dead. Assuming the doe takes good care of the kit (feeds it, keeps it clean and in a safe nest), the single kit should do well. Some people have had problems with overfed kits, but I think this is less common than not. Often, the doe's milk supply will simply adjust to a single feeder.

 

[Farmboy101]

Ok. She seems to be feeding it and keeping it clean. It seems very healthy with a full stomach.

Thanks!!

 

[Farmboy101]

Is there any way that i could put something in front of the nest. She made the nest outside the nestbox and just a little bit ago the baby was out on the wire walking around.

 

[21hens-incharge]

When I had bunnies we had nest boxes with a V shape for the doe to hop in and out of. If she went to leave while a kit was still feeding it would get scraped off landing back in the nest.

Bunnies do not fetch the young back to the nest like cats would. I would add a board with a V cut into it. Keep an eye on the kit since it was already out of the nest.

 

[Farmboy101]

Update: the baby rabbit I saw doing amazing!