Help! I have a two mini lops I had one up until 15th November and took in another as it needed rehoming. On same day I got him my little daughter opened his area (indoor rabbits) and I came in to find him doing you know what my girl is about 9/10 months old he’s a year and a half. For the whole week my daughter kept doing the same thing until I went and got child locks. I have been researching on here And I’m pretty convinced she’s pregnant I could feel movement in her belly yesterday I’m sure? Today would be 31 days from the first day I got him but when would I go from? She started filling hair a week ago and running crazy with hay in her mouth but now nothing just laying on her side a lot and hasn’t eaten as much as she normally does.
Is my rabbit pregnant? What to expect?
- Thread starter Kels1237
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Give her a nestbox right now, you can put some hay in and form a nest. And put all fur you find in there too. A cardboard box big enough for her to stretch out and half as wide with an opening cut into it one end , about 2-3" from the ground, will do. Give her privacy, nesting material (since she's already pulling fur I would make the hay nest by hand), and don't stress her, just show her the box, by guiding/shoving her into it 2-3 times.
Keep checking every few hours, if kits are born outside the nestbox put them in the nest, if they are cold and not moving warm them up before (I put them in a plastic bag and put hold them into body warm water, no kit is dead until it's warm, and still dead).
If she doesn't pull enough fur to completly cover the nest you can supplement with dryer lint, cotton wool etc., or, if you have, fur from shedding, brushing etc. - I always save that for such occasion. Doesn't matter which rabbit it's from.
Apart from that there isn't much to do, but keep any stress from the doe. Give her lots of food, after she's done with kindling and is away from the nest you can replace any soiled or wet bedding from the nest. Be sure the kits are well covered with fur, it's critical that they stay warm (digestion doesn't work when chilled).
Good luck.
Keep checking every few hours, if kits are born outside the nestbox put them in the nest, if they are cold and not moving warm them up before (I put them in a plastic bag and put hold them into body warm water, no kit is dead until it's warm, and still dead).
If she doesn't pull enough fur to completly cover the nest you can supplement with dryer lint, cotton wool etc., or, if you have, fur from shedding, brushing etc. - I always save that for such occasion. Doesn't matter which rabbit it's from.
Apart from that there isn't much to do, but keep any stress from the doe. Give her lots of food, after she's done with kindling and is away from the nest you can replace any soiled or wet bedding from the nest. Be sure the kits are well covered with fur, it's critical that they stay warm (digestion doesn't work when chilled).
Good luck.
Eating less can be a sign that it can't be long anymore. If she decides to nest elsewhere, just give her enough hay to do it, or prepare a nest there. You can limit her area if it is rather big, like, I wouldn't let her free roam now. I restrict them to one hutch with the nestbox (each pair of does has two connected hutches and get garden time), to give her privacy and also help to decide where to nest.
NorthernNevadaHollandLops
Well-Known Member
Sounds like she has decided where she wants to have those babies! Are they inside/outside? If they are inside, and protected from weather, not so much of a concern to just let her do her thing. I have moved kits to a nest box after birth without issue. Just take the whole nest she makes and put it in the box. If they are still close by, she will find them when it comes time for feeding. (Which is usually twice a day at dawn and dusk...mine usually feed sometime after breakfast and again after dark.) Don't be alarmed if she covers them up or "buries" them. That is normal. Keep us posted!
Well, I would either put the nestbox there, or just let her do her thing and not intervene now, maybe putting a roof of some kind over the spot so it's somewhat secluded. Later I would put the nest into the box at the same spot (show it to her then) to prevent that kits get dragged out on the teat. I've moved nests from garden tunnels into the hutches with little issues.
Right now meddling could interfere with her instincts, droning them out, so right now I would just make shure that there's enough hay around the nest too.
Right now meddling could interfere with her instincts, droning them out, so right now I would just make shure that there's enough hay around the nest too.
Hi, she is indoors they have a room with hutches i have been alternating them so they have free roam of that room one at a time and outside area too, I have kept her in her hutch today! she has a double hutch and has made a nest in the bed area outside of the nest box. She’s stopped pullling fur now and has been laying down but she’s destroying the nest box I’ve uploaded a picture of her nest.
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NorthernNevadaHollandLops
Well-Known Member
Congratulations Mama! You'll probably get conflicting advice on this but I always check on them. If your rabbit is used to your smell it shouldn't cause any problems if you handle them, make sure there aren't any cold ones. If you find a "cold" (dead) one you can always try to warm them up too, I've heard a kit isn't dead until it's "warm and dead."
Hi yes I saw some saying she will attack them so I left them alone last night I’ve come down this morning and opened mums cage as I would normally and she seems happy she’s out! I checked in on baby’s and there are 8!!! All warm and Wriggly!
As long as there is enough fur there, if they're cold they'll burrow down into it to keep warm. If they're too warm, they'll climb up on top of the fur. They generally will chose the perfect spot provided the fur is there to give them the option. The exception would be if any of the babies crawl out or gets pulled out of the nest and separated. Then they can get chilled being away from the nest, so it's important to check the nest several times a day to make sure they're all in the nest, and also that they've been fed at least once that day and have a full milk belly.
Here is some basic info on unexpected litters, and how to care for the kits and the mom.
https://flashsplace.webs.com/accidentallitters.htm
Here is some basic info on unexpected litters, and how to care for the kits and the mom.
https://flashsplace.webs.com/accidentallitters.htm
NorthernNevadaHollandLops
Well-Known Member
Well done! In addition to checking their milk bellies, you can check their umbilical cords to make sure none of them are infected. You don't have to do anything if they aren't. Sometime between 10-14 days their eyes will start open. When I started with my first couple litters I didn't know anything about nest box eye, and when a couple kits didn't open their eyes, I thought they were blind! But they just had nest box eye, which is rabbit conjunctivitis, and was easily remedied. Now I clean the nest box around 10-12 days (I save as much of the fur as possible but clean out all the straw/hay, sanitize the box and then put clean hay and replace the fur and the babies) and also using a clean soft cloth dampened with warm water and saline to gently wipe their eyes clean. This usually fixes the problem. I only do this if I can tell they are crusted over or sealed shut or haven't opened on time. Some kits take more time to open their eyes, but usually by day 14.
