Share about recent or expected rabbit kindling?

[FoodFreedomNow]

I'm sorry for your loss. I lost a pretty five month old Sable doe last summer to the same thing. When I checked her that night she was fine and bouncy, but in the morning her legs/lower half were completely paralyzed, her back presumably broken. I don't know how she hurt herself in her cage-- I guess she just jumped the wrong way and rammed up against the wire at a bad angle?

Thank you...and sorry for your loss, too. It's tough to lose one to this kind of injury and not really ever knowing what happened just makes it that much worse.

The only (small) comfort is knowing that they're not in pain.

 

[balloonflower]

So sorry to hear of this, but thank you all for sharing your knowledge.

My kits are now 8 days old and just opening eyes and getting more active. What should I expect now? I have noticed that they like poking noses out of the furball they snuggle in and expect they'll be exploring more soon. When they are able to jump out, will they also be able to get back in, or will I need to keep a closer eye on them and help them so they can warm up. I still have the brooder light hanging above the cage, but have been only trying to keep it above freezing and thought to remove it soon.

 

[junebuggena]

By the time they are big enough to leave the nest box, they have enough fur to keep warm. And I've yet to have a kit that wasn't able to figure how to get in and out. Once they are able to get out of the nest box, they begin to eat hay and pellets, so pay special attention to keeping feeders and hay mangers well stocked.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

So sorry to hear of this, but thank you all for sharing your knowledge.

My kits are now 8 days old and just opening eyes and getting more active. What should I expect now? I have noticed that they like poking noses out of the furball they snuggle in and expect they'll be exploring more soon. When they are able to jump out, will they also be able to get back in, or will I need to keep a closer eye on them and help them so they can warm up. I still have the brooder light hanging above the cage, but have been only trying to keep it above freezing and thought to remove it soon.

Thank you.

Your little ones are getting to a fun stage - like @junebuggena said, they'll soon be out and about and nibbling at solid food (still primarily nursing, though). I keep an eye on the kits because sometimes they get themselves stuck in a corner or end up in the food dish - I just scoop them up and put them back in the nest box. Once they can see, they'll constantly be bugging the does for meals...I always feel a bit bad for the moms when that starts. Some litters are worse about it than others - my SFs didn't seem to bother mom much at all, and maybe it'll be that way for yours, too.

 

[balloonflower]

So, I've been wondering and don't recall reading this in any of my pre-bunny research. I know mama doe doesn't hang out with the kits or move them as a cat would. So, are the newborn kits just on their own to get back into the nestbox where it's warmer? One of mine that didn't make it seemed to have burrowed down a bit, but ended up in an outside corner.

 

[junebuggena]

My does are experienced at kindling and always deliver their kits in the nest boxes. First time moms may need a bit of supervision to make sure that if a doe delivers a kit out of the box, you are there to get the kit in the box before the kit chills.

 

[balloonflower]

She did kindle in the box, but toward the front. The four that didn't make it were all exposed, just on top of hay and by the discharge that's where she was. Two I'm pretty sure we're either stillborn or not viable, but I wonder about the other two--whether they just didn't wiggle the right direction. The four that survived are doing great, and they were in the back of the box covered in fur. I suppose she could have moved too.

 

[junebuggena]

She did kindle in the box, but toward the front. The four that didn't make it were all exposed, just on top of hay and by the discharge that's where she was. Two I'm pretty sure we're either stillborn or not viable, but I wonder about the other two--whether they just didn't wiggle the right direction. The four that survived are doing great, and they were in the back of the box covered in fur. I suppose she could have moved too.

They may not have been strong enough. Or, all four could have been still born. It happens sometimes.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

So, I've been wondering and don't recall reading this in any of my pre-bunny research. I know mama doe doesn't hang out with the kits or move them as a cat would. So, are the newborn kits just on their own to get back into the nestbox where it's warmer? One of mine that didn't make it seemed to have burrowed down a bit, but ended up in an outside corner.

Some of them must be able to get back in, but I typically start to find one or two kits outside the nest box in the morning (once their eyes open)...usually snuggled together in a corner or near mom. Since my does only kindle indoors, I can't determine for certain if they stay out because it's warm enough that they don't get dangerously chilled or if they just don't know to get back in; my guess is the latter because there have been a couple of times when the kindling room has gotten chilly even with the heat on and kits have been outside the box in the morning and slightly chilled.

 

[balloonflower]

I did find all four out of their box last night as I checked them on my way to bed. So, I went to put them back in, and Mama objected--first aggression I've seen from her for me messing with the kits. But I distracted her with some oats and got them put back. Didn't see them out today, so either they decided they didn't like it, or can go back and forth.

Tomorrow they will be two weeks old. I think maybe this weekend I'll try moving them all to their new larger cage. Should I just move the stinky nestbox, or go ahead and clean it out and restock with new hay? I could also take the pegboard bottom off and allow it to drain that way.