Possible Fostering of Mother and Babies

[Kimberly09]

So my local animal shelter has a rabbit that gave birth last Thursday. She was scheduled for a spay on four days later, talk about timing!! They are a wonderful shelter but they don't have much experience with rabbits, let alone with baby rabbits. Currently they have had a hard time finding a rescue to take them. Tomorrow they are going to try to contact the last one and if nothing comes of it I told them I could foster the mother and babies for them.

I have experience with rabbits, but not much with babies. If the last rescue doesn't work out I want to be ready to take them in. You can tell the mother is very stressed and scared, which is understandable, I wouldn't want to be a new mother in an animal shelter!

My main questions are about moving the mother and babies. I was wondering if you guys had any ideas on how to do this in the least stressful way. My house is about a 15 min car ride from the shelter and it is very cold outside.

Currently the "nesting box" that the kits are in is one of those covered cat beds. The cage which the mother and babies are in is way too small in my opinion and so if they come here i was thinking about moving them into a large dog kennel in my laundry room, and the mother could run around the room if she wished. Its a small room, only about 10 feet long by 3 feet wide of open floor space. My other concern is if the normal sounds of washing and drying clothes would be to loud/stressful for the mother?

If anyone has any good websites/articles about caring for mother and babies, i'd love to read them. So if you could also leave some links it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[PaGal]

I don't have any experience with litters or pregnant does but I would think a dog kennel would be good for them. If t is a used dog kennel make sure to clean it well. The mom I would think could get frightened by the smell.

You could also cover the dog kennel with a sheet or similar item so she could feel more secure. Maybe just make sure it doesn't get too warm.

Having free run in the laundry room should be good as well. You may want to make sure that mom and babies once they become mobile cannot get under or behind the washer or dryer. In other words bun proof the room.

Good luck!

 

[Kimberly09]

I just got done cleaning the kennel with vinegar and water, so i'm assuming that would take the other animal scents off it. I was planning on covering the kennel with a sheet just like you mentioned but leaving just the front open.

I was also wondering about the kits getting caught or fitting through the bars when they start moving around. So i was thinking about lining the bottom 6 inches with cardboard just to be on the safe side.

 

[majorv]

Do you have a nestbox you can put the kits in? If/when you transfer them try to keep whatever hay and mom's fur they're using. The least amount of stress on Mom, the better.

 

[Kimberly09]

Do you have a nestbox you can put the kits in? If/when you transfer them try to keep whatever hay and mom's fur they're using. The least amount of stress on Mom, the better.

The shelter provides "everything you need" while fostering. So i was planning on keep the kits in the current 'nesting box' aka the covered cat bed. As least for the first day or two. I was hoping this would make the transfer easier on mom. I could be totally wrong though, because like i said before I have little experience with this sort of thing.

But I did want to transfer them into a more normal nest box after a few days. I might just use a cardboard box since I have no wood ones.

 

[ladysown]

if the covered cat bed is working I'd leave them safe and sound in it until eyes are open.
You'll want to confine momma for the first couple of days after the move to ensure continuity of care for the wee ones.

Check the babies a couple times a day.
Six inches up with the cardboard is an excellent idea until the babies learn to climb that is.

 

[Imbrium]

If you use cardboard to line the walls, I would do it two layers thick in case mom decides to chew away at it... coroplast is a slightly sturdier alternative. Plywood or 1/2'' hardware cloth (wire mesh) would also work well. Regardless of what you use, you definitely need to kit-proof the crate. Depends a bit on the breed/size of the kits, but I'd go with something more like 8-10'' just to be safe.

I've heard that it's better to keep mom somewhat confined early on rather than giving her a lot of running around time, but I'm not 100% sure on that - one of the breeders here would be able to provide more reliable info. I would definitely keep the crate door closed once the babies start getting out of the nest box, though, so that they're confined to the crate. You can always take mom out for some free-run time, close the door on the kits so they stay put and put a litter box out there for her.

I don't know what the covered cat bed looks like... does it have a raised edge that prevents the kits from getting out too young? That's *really* important. Also, if you make a nest box, I wouldn't use cardboard as it's flimsy enough that mom could potentially break/squash the box and it would soak up kit pee like a sponge... it *might* be okay if it's really thick and sturdy cardboard, but it's still not the best choice. If you don't have wood, you could look for an appropriate sized plastic storage box and cut one side down a little bit if needed so that mom can get in easily (make sure to sand away any burrs/pointy bits).

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Most of the time, moving the doe, moving/handling the kits is no big deal because the doe has been "settled in" to her surroundings in your home since even before she was bred.

With moving an already nervous doe from a shelter and your home, keep as many things consistent as possible. I would recommend keeping her in her current enclosure (if they will send it with you). Even if it's a little small, it is not permanent and she will be more comfortable in the environment she has come to know. Keeping her near her babies is best in the first days.

I'd also recommend doing any laundry you need before she arrives. During the first 24-48 hours, leave her alone as much as possible to settle in. This is something you should do with any rabbit, but even more so when she's settling into caring for babies too.

After a day or two, it should be fine to become more involved with handling her and babies, doing laundry, etc.

In general, does and litters aren't particularly "fragile." You don't need to tiptoe around them or be worried about the situation...these things are just an effort to make the doe comfortable.

It only takes about 3 weeks until the babies are up and running around more. At that time, you could transition them to the larger kennel. The cardboard around the bottom is still a good idea until they're weaning age (you would be surprised what kits can fit through). Once the babies are more mobile, it would be fine to allow some outside-of-cage time for everyone to play together.

 

[Kimberly09]

Thank you all for your advise and replies!!

Well its not possible anymore. I'm officially fostering Twix and her 5 babies.

I couldn't take the cage they had with, mainly because it was too tall to fit in my car. But they are now in a large dog kennel with a half second level she can jump onto. Card board lining the edges and a dark sheet over 3 sides and top. I took everything from her old cage and put it in the new one. I am going to keep the babies in their current "nesting box". It is the one in the pictures below.

She has been in her cage for about 20 mins now. I sat near it very quietly because I wanted to see how she would react. Wanting to make sure she didn't turn on her kits or anything. She smelled around for about 10 mins. Ate some lettuce and pellets, then went potty (of course in the opposite corner as her litter box lol) and then did a large flop onto her side. She looks pretty content!

I checked the kits before putting them in the cage. Just wanted to make sure they all looked healthy and to make sure their were only 5. At the humane society I know they didn't check on them at all, so I figured I better.

 

[Imbrium]

Too freaking cute! That's great that she was eating and flopping right away - sounds like she'll make herself at home without issue .

 

[lovelops]

I'm glad to hear that you got Twix and the babies! I'm sure you will do well and did you post a pic of mom? What type of bunnies are they? Good luck and I'm sure everything will go well!

 

[Aubrisita]

Congrats, those kits are way too adorable. Can't wait to see future pictures.

 

[Kimberly09]

Thanks guys! I haven't taken a picture of Twix yet. I plan on taking one later today and then I'll upload it. I am not sure what kind of rabbit she is, i'm not that knowledgeable on breeds. But i'm sure you all with have some guesses!

I have been checking on them often. These little guys do not like to say put that is for sure! I got up in the middle of the night last night to make sure none crawled/fell out of the nesting area. Found three huddled together in front of it. Then this morning I found another little guy.

I am thinking about starting a blog, and then just update the progress and post LOTS of pictures for everyone. Hopefully I will get a start on that sometime today

 

[JBun]

They're sooo cute! And it sounds like the mom has settled right in.

Babies can be little rascals It sounds like you may need to change their nesting set up a little, to better keep them contained. A plastic bin or cardboard box would work. You need something with high enough sides to keep them from crawling out, but low enough that the mom can still get in there. The size needs to be slightly bigger than the mom. You want it small enough that the babies don't have too far that they can wander and get separated and cold. Try and salvage as much of the moms fur as possible too. You want a nice pocket that they can snuggle up in, with the fur over them if they are cold.

 

[cheypuppy]

their so cute :mrsthumper:

 

[Kimberly09]

I don't have anything handy to replace with the current nesting box. I did however re-do the towel in it. The old towel had urine on it, so i figured it would be best to just change it. I had another towel that Twix had laid on a few times, so I used that. I attached a picture below. My only concern is if the "cup" area isn't big enough for them. Any opinions are appreciated!

Oh and you can't really tell in the second picture, But I replaced all the hair from the first blanket and put it on top of the babies before putting them back