Help with litter dying!! :-(

bm12171 · Jan 14, 2013

Hello all, I'm new to the rabbit breeding community and thought I had done my research. Well, the bunny I bred should have had her bunnies Tues - Fri (28th-31st gestation period). Well, I had the nesting box in, added some bedding around the 26th day and as of the 31st day, nothing. She didn't get the nest ready or pull any of her fur. Therefore, since I'm new, I thought...well maybe she didn't get bred. So on Sunday (33rd day), I removed the nesting box. Well, I get home from work today and I see 2 dead bunnies laying in the cage. I hurried, grabbed them out of the cage to see if maybe they were still alive, but no - it was just way too cold outside in the garage where I have them. So, I got the nesting box back out, threw some hay in there just in case she would have anymore. I haven't found anywhere online where the gestation period can be more than 31 days. Can someone help, cause I sure don't want this to happen again. Thanks so much!!

wendymac · Jan 14, 2013

Rabbits generally have them on day 31. But some have them a day or two earlier (which is why you should put the nest box in a few days early) and some have them later (I always leave the nest boxes in 3 days or so, just in case). I'm sorry that you lost your whole litter. :-(

BinkyBunny · Jan 14, 2013

:bawl::bawl::bawl::bawl::bawl::bawl::bawl:

woahlookitsme · Jan 14, 2013

I'm sorry about your litter

We just lost two litters to the cold too. I am nervous about this so I tend to leave the nest box in until day 35. I'll take it out if the doe is really showing no nesting behavior and litters in the box but I try to leave it in longer just in case.

Read this thread also just in case this happens again
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f20/how-do-you-revive-cold-newborns-72739/

More advice we like to keep records of our does and mark down what days they have their babies on. One of our does notoriously has them on the day of or the night of Day 31

majorv · Jan 14, 2013

When we were new to rabbit raising we didn't realize that we needed to keep the nestbox in the cage after day 31...our doe had the kits on the wire on day 33 :cry4:. Now I try to wait until day 35 just in case, because some does wait until the last minute to do any nesting.

bm12171 · Jan 14, 2013

Thanks everyone. It was so hard to see those helpless little bunnies :sad:and knowing I couldn't do anything. I will for sure leave those nesting boxes in longer next time. Sucks those bunnies had to pay the price for me learning! :bigtears:

woahlookitsme · Jan 15, 2013

We have had many learning lessons like this. It's all that's about being a breeder. Either you learn from someone elses mistakes or you learn from your own. Usually it feels worse to learn from your own. . .