Ready to pull out my hair...

[miss_thenorth]

Hi Anthony. I had responded to you on BYH. Rabbits dont like to have their area messed around with. If you are putting the nest boxes in where the bunns like to lay down, that might be an issue. also, being prey animals, if they sense any danger at all, they will eat their young. Could this be an issue?
I have had great success with my nest box set up. I will take some pics and get them uploaded to you.

I understand your frustration. But don't give up. As many have said, first litters are usually a write-off for bunns. Hopefully it will work itself out. FWIW, my sil puts a nest box in her cages also, and she has had problems with births on the wire. I truly believe that this is your issue. I'll try to get pics uploaded tonight.

Also, last fall, one of my does must have been caught by surprise, and had one bunn on the wire while the other 8 were in the nest box. I thought it was dead. I stuck it in my bra (don't laugh, it was the warmest place I coul dput it until I got it back to the house. ) It survived.

<<<off to take pics>>>>

 

[cassie]

It has been years since I have raised rabbits, but I was successful when I did. I found that the mothering instinct is hereditary to some extent. You can breed for it. You need to buy some good New Zealand breeding stock. That should take care of most of your problems. Also the Storey book on raising rabbits by Bob Bennet is very helpful.

When I was raising rabbits if a doe had her babies on the wire or ate the litter I would rebreed her at once. If she did it again she found herself in pieces in a 325 degree oven inside a covered baking pan with a can of cream of mushroom soup, some peas, and some cut up potatoes. Sure cure!!

 

[anthonyjames]

Miss the_north,

I can't wait to see what you have for images.

I will try rebreeding my 2 does tonight/tomorrow to keep them on schedule with my others.

I will give them all one more chance. The I guess I will be doing some line breeding with Doe 1 kits and look for some new rabbits if this next one does not work

 

[Ibicella]

I think you're definitely having a problem with young and inexperienced mothers along with way too much stress going on around your hutches with the storms, cold, and whatnot. Rabbits will spontaneously abort, abandon, or reabsorb the offspring if they don't feel the conditions are right.

Give them all another chance, and hope for better luck next time. So sorry you're having this trouble.

 

[anthonyjames]

So the doe that had the babies this am is still pulling fur and building a huge nest. I am pretty sure she is done. I counted 11 kits from her tonight before I disposed of them. I will the nest box in with her until tomorrow. I went in to take it out the nest box and sure basically built a burrow and all I can see is her eyes.

 

[Kittymomma]

She may have one or two more, but she is probably done and was just a a confused first time mom. I think it does bode well for her getting with the program on future litters though.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Quote:
I'm having tehnical difficulties with the pics.DD loaded them on to a program, but when I go to retrieve them to post here, I can't find them. Hubby will be home tomorrow, and he'll fix it. Eleven kits is promising, if she acn do it successfully.

 

[anthonyjames]

Miss_TheNorth,

You can email the images to me as well. 11 does sound good. That makes 29 kits lost in 6 days from Does 2, 3, & 4. I hope 5, 6 & 7 get it right. I am glad the storms are gone and weather is supposed to get up to 60's from now til Monday. I will be on hourly patrol it sounds like.

If I check on the doe and she has them on wire while checking should I wear rubber gloves (latex, I have a box) and put the babies in or should I try to put the mom in the nest box?

 

[miss_thenorth]

I wold email them if I could find them. When I click on the program, I can see them but when I try to put them on an email, then I can't find them. If she has them on the wire again, I think it depends on you and your relationship with the doe. When my doe's have their babes, I just use my hand, but my doe's know me. IDK if that makes a difference or not.I suppose it wouldn't hurt to use gloves, but I never have. the jury is still out on that. I have never had an issue with handling the kits. Hopefully whe will give birth in the nest box. when hubby has time tomorrow, I will get him to fix the pic mixup.

 

[terri9630]

Bassequipment.com has the under cage nest boxes. http://www.bassequipment.com/Miscellaneous/Rabbit+Nesting+Equipment/default.aspx They are about mid way down the page.


We've never had a problem with bringing in the nest boxes at night and taking them back out in the morning. The does have always taken the kits back. We use old dog kennels for cages and they are sized for 100lb dogs and our does use a covered cat box as a nest box. That gives her a covered/sheltered place that is like their natural underground dens and also gives her something to jump up onto to hide from the kits when they start mauling her for a mid day meal when they are older. I leave the cat boxes in the cages year round to give extra shelter during storms since my cages are outside and open to the north/south. They love them but I keep loosing the door flaps to our wind storms so I go through quite a bit of plexiglass replacing them.