starting to panic...litter due tomorrow and NO nest built

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wendymac

wendymac

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McVeytown, Pennsylvania, USA
My doe, Adeline, should be kindling tomorrow. She has NOT made any attempt to make a nest in the nest box. What if she doesn't? Should I move her inside, so it's easier to monitor? And if she never pulls hair, what should I put in the nest for the kits?
 
I've read and have talked to breeders who say first time Mom's might wait for the very last moment to pull hair or not at all. You might have to pull the hair for her.

How's the weather there? It's a bit windy here and very chilly. If you are worried about her, being her and your first time, maybe bringing her in somewhere inside quiet and out of the way. I know it's hard to catch a birth because they give birth really early in the morning some times. I'd be real cautious, which I know you will, of her being frightened. Enough stress giving birth.

Cotton balls are very good to help build a nest as well if you can't get hair from her. If it should stress her out anyway. I hear to watch straw because it could hurt little eyes.

I hate to say this, but welcome to the "First Time Rabbit Mom" experience. You can tell me this when I go through this with Luna one day.

Please keep us posted.

K :)
 
One more thing about "First Time Mom Rabbits". They don't go by calculations or calendars. It could be Monday, like you thought. Or Tuesday.

K :)
 
It's windy and cold here, too. I could bring her in and put her in the back room in the basement. She'll still hear noise, but it'll be muffled a bit. And she's used to the dogs barking in the barn, so the house shouldn't be much different.

I really think she's going to kindle soon, because she hasn't been eating as much as normal and acts all uncomfortable.

Thanks for the cotton ball tip!

She was in a wire cage. Because I knew it was going to be cold, and I wanted her to be super comfortable, I had my son cut a piece of plywood. We stuck that in the bottom of the cage, giving it a solid floor. Then I took some of that plastic sign stuff (can't remember the name. lol) and put that on the sides. Then I put a nice layer of shavings in, with a lot of hay on top. I thought, "There, if she doesn't like the nest box, she can make a nest in the back corner." Well, this morning she had taken ALL the shavings and hay and piled them toward the front, leaving the back just wood. I think she's planning on just dumping them onto the wood.

Once we get the rabbitry done (milk house, attached to the barn), I'm having hubby run me a dsl line from the barn to the house. Then I can monitor them from the inside, with a cam.
 
Sounds like you and your Son fortified her enclosure so no wind would get in. And putting down the wood was really a smart move. Gets her off the wire. And if she did plan to have them there, because of her inexperience, the babies would be on the wood, not the wire. But wood or wire, if it's cold, babies do freeze. Especially if she kindles very early in the morning.

If it was me, she be spending her days until babies in the basement. I'd definitely be getting a DSL line if I had a set up like your future one.

K:)
 
My poor son is going to kill me when I tell him, at midnight, that we're going down to unstack the cages and bring Adeline up. LOL But I'm not going to sleep tonight anyway, and it'll be easier to go down to the basement to check on her than it is running down to the barn. Plus the horses will think I'm feeding them every time I come in, making a lot of racket.

Thanks so much for the help!
 
My poor son is going to kill me when I tell him, at midnight, that we're going down to unstack the cages and bring Adeline up. LOL But I'm not going to sleep tonight anyway, and it'll be easier to go down to the basement to check on her than it is running down to the barn. Plus the horses will think I'm feeding them every time I come in, making a lot of racket.

Thanks so much for the help!
 
I had a doe that would pull hair and build her nest moments before kindling every time. It is pretty normal for them to wait especially first time moms. Good luck!
 
Darn doe...she pushed all the shavings/hay in the nest box to the front, too. Still no babies, and I decided to leave her where she was so as not to cause her more stress. I hope she waits until Monday, when it's supposed to warm up again.
 
I wouldn't have moved her from where she is that close to kindling either since you want to minimize the stress, more so with a first time mom. I hope she has them in the nestbox rather than out in the cage. I don't know if all the hay and shavings in the cage would make her more inclined to have them outside the box, which doesn't protect them as well from the cold or being stepped on. We have does who will pull fur a day or so before they kindle and some who won't pull fur until they do kindle. We've only had 1 who didn't pull any fur. For that reason, I keep extra fur, just in case.
 
There wasn't as of 5 this morning, and I just woke up. LOL She did start pulling a teeny tiny bit of fur yesterday, and made somewhat of a nest. Outside the nest box, of course, but it'll work. I'm about to go down in a few minutes to check again. :)
 
I need to print her off some information, because she hasn't heard all the dates. LOL She's still just laying around, just nibbled on her oatmeal, not touching hay...spread all out, looking mighty uncomfortable. And I swear I can see them rolling around in there, but probably just my imagination. haha Now to find my copy of "The Pregnant Doe: What to Expect When You're Expecting." LOL
 
Wow still nothing? Weather change coming should help...they are like cattle in that sense. How many days is she now? I have one doe that goes 33 days every time. She drives me nuts because I forget and have to look back at my records.
 
Good luck! I am in the same situation as you right now! My girl still hasn't had her babies, but she just flops around and the movement in her belly seems like a lot!! No nest as of yet either! Again, good luck! :)
 
Thanks, Ashley! Good luck to you, too! She finally made a nest, sort of. I'm going down to check here in a few minutes to see if we have babies yet or not. She might need "Kindling 101" printed out for her. haha
 
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