A Merry Miracle.

Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

ShaunaDarling

Active Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2018
Messages
28
Reaction score
9
Location
Niagara Ontario
We have been trying to breed our dwarf buns for about 20 days now with no luck. she has had very odd behavior since we got her. i have posted on this forum a few times now regarding help and reaching out for advice with our buns and why they might not want to breed. upon getting home today and going to say hello to my buns i noticed the small hidey hole she has was full of her fur, my first thought was literally why does it look like your nesting my love? i scooped a handful of fur out of her blanket and thought maybe she is stressed because we are trying to breed her and she doesn't want to so shes plucking and maybe over grooming? that was when i yelped as i ever so lightly had unearthed little wiggly pink ones ones.... i immediately covered them back up and my husband and i started freaking out. we had absolutely no idea when we got her that she was already preggers. we have owned her for a total for 31 days today. these kits are very obviously a day or two old maximum. she had to have been impregnated by a buck at her old farm before we got her. we are so happy to have this Christmas miracle and we are really hoping that these babies survive. there were three of them and one looked to be a still born possibly. we now knowing she is nursing, have given her an abundance of hay and pellets, the kits seem to be plump so i think she is caring for them and feeding them. if we had known she was pregnant we wanted to have given her a nesting box, increase her protein and vitamins. but we are doing everything we can now to make sure she is good and extra healthy and taking care of her kits. is there any suggestions or possible opinions that can be shared. we would love some feedback! we are feeling so guilty for not knowing she was pregnant. all of her odd behavior has been explained, everything that she does now makes sense, we thought she was just a weird little girl, we expect she will be a bit different after this experience. we have her secluded and away from noise, letting her rest stress free. we feel guilty for even giving her trouble for the bad behavior she was exhibiting. we are trying to make it up to her. please let me know if there is anything it sounds like we need to know!!! if you even remotely think it may be helpful hints for us please do share!!! thanks! and wish us luck with our new surprise additions to the fur family. (even though these lil guys are still too small for their fur yet. lol)
 
Congratulations! That certainly explains why she wasn't interested in mating/breeding, lol.

It's not too late to give her a nesting box; you just need to gently transfer the material from her nest and the kits to the box. Rabbits don't care if they can smell you on their kits so it's safe to touch them, but you might move her out of the cage briefly so she doesn't see you transferring them since some does get protective of their nest area. The nest box prevents them from wriggling all over or getting drug out of the nest if mom leaves while someone's still nursing - pretty important, since mom has no way to move a stray kit back to the nest.

Oh, and pics please (especially as they get older and cuter)! Hehe.
 
Okay I was watching some videos last night about exactly that funny enough. I think I want to transfer them into a nest box for her, because she had nested under a blanket, and the babies are very warm down there, they are technically on the bottom of the cage floor just laying on lots of her fur. Since we didn't get the chance to get prepared and have a nesting box ready for her, how do you suggest I makeshift one? She is a dwarf and her cage isn't huge, but it's a good 5 feet long, could I use a cardboard box with one side cut lower for her or something?
 
Here is the best picture I have of them right now. We busted out my DSLR to take a few good ones. Lol excuse that it's a picture of a picture. LMFAO

IMG_20190101_012929_709.jpg
 
Yes, that does explain her behavior! The kits will pee and poop in the box, and cardboard will absorb it. If you have nothing else you could use it until you find something better. Typical nestboxes are made of wood. Put a layer of good hay on the bottom and then mom’s hair, and put the kits towards the back of the box with more of mom’s hair over them. If they’re towards the back then mom won’t accidentally step on them when she gets in. The hair is a good insulator from cool temps. Congrats! Don’t let your buck with the doe because he can get her pregnant. You don’t want back to back litters.
 
I moved her babes to a nest box of thick cardboard yesterday morning, she took to it very well, she re arranged it the way she likes it, and the babes are slowly getting their peach fuzzz and have nice plump bellies. Mommy is being such a good mommy. Lol
 

Latest posts

Back
Top