akane
Well-Known Member
You don't need to do much extra for a pregnant doe until day 28. If she starts to lose condition up her pellets or add oats or BOSS but most will hold condition on the same feed. The only thing I would do is switch to alfalfa if you are feeding grass hay. You don't want to risk getting them fat because they produce fat tissue internally around their reproductive organs first and can cause pregnancy complications. If she's not pregnant you'll have to get all that weight back off her too which can be very difficult.
Buy or build a nestbox that fits the size of your rabbit. You can use weighted down cardboard boxes or plastic storage containers but these do not have a covered area for the kits and the doe may jump on them by accident squishing some. Since you have a month to worry about it you should be able to do a proper nestbox.
Add the nestbox on day 28 from now or at the first sign of her pulling fur. Most have kits day 29-30 and it's rare they get ready more than a couple days ahead of time. They'll just pee in the box instead. However I had one who would build her nest 2 weeks early and then leave it alone until she had kits so watch closely. Fill the box with kiln dried pine or pine pellets to absorb urine and then hay or straw. If she digs it out refill it. First time does sometimes don't know what they are doing and their instinct is to dig so they can be annoying. Wild rabbits dig 8' or more long tunnels to put their kits in.
After kits are born distract the doe and remove the box. Check for any dead or injured kits and if they have round tummies meaning they've been fed or flat. Do this every day to make sure they are being fed daily. They should also develop shiny coats and if they are shiny they are getting enough milk even if their tummies aren't round. It just means you are missing when they are fed. If their coats are dull or raggedy they aren't getting enough milk. At 10 days their eyes should open and they will start eating the hay or straw around them. They may try to leave the box at that age but it's best to keep the front low and try to keep them in another 2 days until they are used to seeing and walking. Any that don't open their eyes within 24hrs may have nestbox eye and need help opening it. Take a damp qtip or paper towel corner and wipe the eye gently until it opens.
At 2 weeks we turn our boxes on their sides or put a brick in front of it because kits will climb out and won't be able to climb back in so they freeze to death or get trampled by the doe. They will eat pellets at this point and you should start feeding unlimited.
Remove the box by 4 weeks or it will be a mess making sick kits. Continue to feed unlimited pellets and alfalfa hay until 8 weeks when they can go to homes.
Some clean the box at 10 days and 2 weeks but with pine pellets I've found it uneccessary and just loses needed fur. I've only had 1 case of nestbox eye and I don't clean my boxes except between litters.
Buy or build a nestbox that fits the size of your rabbit. You can use weighted down cardboard boxes or plastic storage containers but these do not have a covered area for the kits and the doe may jump on them by accident squishing some. Since you have a month to worry about it you should be able to do a proper nestbox.
Add the nestbox on day 28 from now or at the first sign of her pulling fur. Most have kits day 29-30 and it's rare they get ready more than a couple days ahead of time. They'll just pee in the box instead. However I had one who would build her nest 2 weeks early and then leave it alone until she had kits so watch closely. Fill the box with kiln dried pine or pine pellets to absorb urine and then hay or straw. If she digs it out refill it. First time does sometimes don't know what they are doing and their instinct is to dig so they can be annoying. Wild rabbits dig 8' or more long tunnels to put their kits in.
After kits are born distract the doe and remove the box. Check for any dead or injured kits and if they have round tummies meaning they've been fed or flat. Do this every day to make sure they are being fed daily. They should also develop shiny coats and if they are shiny they are getting enough milk even if their tummies aren't round. It just means you are missing when they are fed. If their coats are dull or raggedy they aren't getting enough milk. At 10 days their eyes should open and they will start eating the hay or straw around them. They may try to leave the box at that age but it's best to keep the front low and try to keep them in another 2 days until they are used to seeing and walking. Any that don't open their eyes within 24hrs may have nestbox eye and need help opening it. Take a damp qtip or paper towel corner and wipe the eye gently until it opens.
At 2 weeks we turn our boxes on their sides or put a brick in front of it because kits will climb out and won't be able to climb back in so they freeze to death or get trampled by the doe. They will eat pellets at this point and you should start feeding unlimited.
Remove the box by 4 weeks or it will be a mess making sick kits. Continue to feed unlimited pellets and alfalfa hay until 8 weeks when they can go to homes.
Some clean the box at 10 days and 2 weeks but with pine pellets I've found it uneccessary and just loses needed fur. I've only had 1 case of nestbox eye and I don't clean my boxes except between litters.
