Beau

[Jenson]

Congrats, they are lovely! As has been said, I would also take out the fabric, as it gets dirty very quickly and as aurora said kits can get stuck in it. I had a terrible experiance where I had a doe who didn't pull any fur and wouldn't let me pull it, so I put some fabric in the nest and a kit got strangled in a loose thread, so I'd definitly advise against using it.

I would make them a nice hole in a load of fresh hay and line it with the fur and pop them into it, then pull the rest of the fur over them. They'll be cosy and safe in there.

 

[Yourillusion]

Thanks Dawn

Heather

 

[Flashy]

From the bunny mums that I have seen, they are very careful where they tread, how they move and things like that. she is probably more likely to tread on them if they are on a blanket like that, whereas if they can bury themselves down into the hay then they will be more protected.

Like aurora says, check them everyday to make sure they are ok (as in not injured) and also that they are fed, their butts are clean.

 

[Yourillusion]

and Jenson

 

[Yourillusion]

Beau definatly isn't gracefull around the babies. I check them all after she gets out of the box to make sure none is injured. I have another question though, when do moms feed the babies, as far as I can tell she hasn't yet. I'm worried.

 

[Flashy]

Generally the mum will only feed once a day, although sometimes they feed them twice a day or so.

She will stand over the nest for about five minutes or so and that will be enough to feed them all, hopefully.

It sounds like, if mum will let you, the best thing to do would be to check the babies. If the babies look like they have swallowed ping pong balls then they have been fed. You need to see whether or not there are any that have not been fed as much.

Sometimes mums might not feed their baby until 48 hours after birth, but usually it is sooner than that.

If they don't look fed, try standing mum over the nest box and stroking her and maybe giving her a treat to help her relax and stay still and allow the milk to flow. she doesn't need to be there too long because they feed quite quickly. You can also do this if some look fed and some don't. You can put the well fed ones somewhere warm and safe (in a manmade nest tokeep them warm and together) and help her feed the less fed ones.

 

[RAL Rabbitry]

I am a little concerned with the cage that you have the mom and babies in.

If a kit is still feeding when mom decided to jump out of the nestbox they

may get dragged out and they do wander quite far. You may not be able to

find them. You may want to line the perimeter of the cage with something

to keep them in.

Roger

 

[aurora369]

Good point Roger! I forgot about that, a little baby bumper pad around the edge of the cage is a very good idea. Pieces of cardboard would most likely work well.

If mom is going in the nest and standing over the babies, then she is feeding them. The babies feed from underneath mom, arching and jumping up to grab a nipple. So if she's jumping in the nest, staying for a little bit, the babies are most likely feeding then. Rabbits don't lie on their sides to feed like cats and dogs do.

--Dawn

 

[grumpybabies]

Congratulations on the babies. Just wanted to say about mum treading on the babies, my french lop seemed to tread on her babies quite a lot and she was big and heavy but it never did them any harm. And it sounds like you are doing a great job there Grandma lol

 

[ellissian]

How are the babies doing?

And how are you after your op?

Hope all is well.

 

[naturestee]

Congrats on the babies! Any updates?

I agree that you'll need to do something about the cage wire- babies could easily get out, especially once they start wandering around. Cardboard is a decent quick fix but will probably get chewed up. Hardware cloth would also work. It's cheap at hardware or farm stores and you can attach it to the cage with zip ties.

 

[gentle giants]

So long as the babies tummies look round, I woudn't worry about it if you never see them getting fed. Most bunny moms like to feed when no one is around, they like their privacy.

 

[Yourillusion]

Sadly the babies didn't make it, I tried to bottle feed them the kitten milk replacer but it didn't work. To little to late, I feel bad because I wasn't in the best condition to help.

 

[ellissian]

I'm so sorry you lost the babies, I know how much they meant to you.