What do I do now?

[birdlover]

This is my first experience and I wondered, once the buns open their eyes, do I still keep them in the box? Should I clean the litter now? If not, when? When do I begin to offer timothy hay? What else should I offer? 3 of the 4 babies are HUGE now and seem to weigh a ton. That's because the 4th, little Tinkerbell is malnourished and is still teeny weeny. I started handfeeding her yesterday and noticed, this a.m., her energy level has gone up. Is it possible for her to get squished under the others. They look to be about the size of a chipmunk but Tinkerbell is more like a grown mouse!

Also, my daughter is getting married next Sat. and I need to be out of town Fri. - Sun. Should I take Tinkerbell with me? What about boarding her at a vet's? I'm worried to leave her in the hands of an inexperienced person (even though that's just what I am!!).

Thank you. Everyone here has been soo helpful to me. Don't know what I would have done if you weren't here! (I had no idea Annabel was pregnant and...SURPRISE!!!) :shock2:

 

[Flashy]

I've moved this to the Rabbitry for you (my first modly duty, I sure hope I did right, but I'm sure someone will tell me if I didn't, lol) because you'll probably get more responses there.

What is their current set up with mum? can you describe it?

 

[birdlover]

Congratulations on your promotion!! They are in a box with shavings, newspaper shreds and bunny fur. They are moving all over now so there isn't really a distinct nest. The box is within the dog crate but I've been leaving the door open for her to come and go. Mr. Shredder has been staying out on the balcony during the day and just coming in and staying in a corner of the tv room until morning when I let him out again so he hasn't been around Annabel in almost a week. Saw him running around on the balcony and doing lots of binkies this morning so I don't think he misses her!

 

[Sweetie]

The babies will come out of the box when they are two weeks old. That is when you can remove the box.

Sounds like Mr. Shredder is a happy bun having little ones in the house.

 

[birdlover]

LOL I doubt he even knows (or remembers?). hee hee

 

[BlueGiants]

Once the babies eyes are are totally open and they are moving around the crate, (2 weeks old) you can take the nestbox away. You might want to give Anabel a shelf or someplace she can get away from the babies for short periods of time. If you are going to keep the crate door open, you will need to "fence" off the area where the babies can run, but not get into "trouble". No carpet to chew, no walls to damage, no wires to cut....

Now the fun begins!!!! LOL!

 

[anneq]

Baby buns generally open their eyes around 10-14 days - if any eyelids seem to be stuck, make sure to gently wipe with a slightly moist rag to help remove any eye crusties (one of mine had to have this done, but she is fine). They can generally take hay around the same time (2-3 weeks) and will start to nibble on that if it's made available. If you can also make a water-bottle available to them around that time, it will also help accustom them from drinking from that (if that's the set-up for your bunnies).

 

[aurora369]

I always have hay in the nest box as part of the bedding material. I find the babies will start taste-testing the hay before they even leave the box. It doesn't hurt to have hay available to them, they will only start eating it when they are ready.

I would always give the nest box a clean but leave it in the cage once the babies start hoping out and exploring. Another option is to turn it on it's side so the babies can still have a hide out.

You should also check the bars of the cage to make sure the babies won't squeeze through. Most cages have spacing big enough for the babies to squeeze through. If the spaces are too wide, you'll have to make up some "baby bumpers" to keep them in. Even use lining the bottom 6" of the bars with cardboard will work wonderfully. Some people have used wire mesh or flexible cutting boards to make barriers.

As for the wedding, I'm not sure. I would see how she's doing closer to the week end. Hopefully she'll start picking up in size. Once she's starting solid food, that should help her to gain some weight as well.

--Dawn