Lavender: First time mum

[HiddlesKenway]

I thought I would make this post about one of my Dwarf Lop does first litter.

As of today she hits her final week of pregnancy more foully mooded then we she began, scratching restless at her bedding even causing hay dust to make her sneeze! Little girl can't stop her rampage.

She's bitten me a few times in the last week and she hasn't dropped the growling and lunging. She's even got it out for a purple rabbit teddy. Stick her on my bed and accident my knock it whether it be towards her or away from her and she lunge at it ears back and gnawing on it, I'm glad to say she's not done that to my arm yet.

A few days ago she went off water for a day or so, she was still eating well and has commence drinking again but I wasn't too worry as she was eating watery foods and I've had buns to do this before.


About five more days until day thirty and I'm expecting a decent sized litter if she took but I've noticed her fight nest type holes in her bedding all over. Think she's undecided on where she thinks is best. I just want her to have them so she'll calm down and relax again and give me kisses rather than massive bite bruises again!

Will keep you all updated on her progress fdown to the final day.

 

[whiskylollipop]

Post pictures too!

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Definitely will!

 

[selbert]

So excited to see the little kits!

 

[HiddlesKenway]

You and I both!

She's been resting and plonking herself down and moving around so restlessly and refusing to lay on anything but her side for the past two days. Poor thing, she seems so uncomfortable. It looks as though she's made a little circle in the corner of her cage where I buried a cat litter tray under hay. (Make shift hidden nest box!) I don't usually use any form of nest boxes--don't really need to--but we'll see whether it aids in cage cleaning and if it does I'll make a proper one.

You should see the state of her cage, I only cleaned it just over two days ago and she's demolished any form of neatness. I'll clean it again on day 27, although I imagine she'll make a mess again in five seconds!

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Her new favourite spot to lay.

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Today is the 27th day and it's quarter past seven at night and Lavender has begun picking hay up in her mouth and moving it to the corner she's been digging and scratching at for the past week.

She's now laying down on her side in the exact spot. Earlier she was on my bed whilst I was tidying up her cage and adding more hay, she was grinding her teeth slowly with seven minutes between I don't think she's going to have then tonight although as bubs were kicking her furiously.

 

[Nadege]

I can't wait to see the babies. Good luck

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Lavender enjoying a treat on day 29 because her babies are torturing her with their kicking! Unhealthy treat at that all well she hadn't had much other than her meadow hay bedding and pellet chaff mix for the past week and a half.

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Day 31, her due date.

This will be the day of watching her closely. I don't expect anything until either this afternoon or tomorrow morning but right now she is munching and drinking more than her usual intake of water. I hope to see a nest with fur very soon! Will take pictures as soon as she has them but I don't expect success this time around as it's her first time.

 

[pani]

Good luck, Lavender! ray:

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Day 32
Still nothing, she's eating the same amount and I can still feel the kits inside, I'm getting a bit worried although as I've never had a doe go past day 32.

She hasn't nested again since day 29 and she's constantly eating, especially hay. I'm 95% sure she's pregnant and I think she's 100% sure she is. I wish I had her certainty! But I feel the hard lumps and the rapid kicks, let's hope she has them later on tonight but with it being 3:08pm I'm starting to anxious. All she has been doing is lying on her side.

 

[Azerane]

Best of luck, I think does mostly birth at night so it might not be until tomorrow morning that you find kits. If not, it might be worth calling the vet. Hope all goes well.

 

[HiddlesKenway]

I know, I've been breeding Dwarf Lops for years. It's just most of my does deliver exactly on the 31st day and I've had a few litters during the day before when I had NZ Whites as colony pets when I was younger but it was always the more relaxed does like my dear sweet first ever bun, Hopzy. I think I'm just more anxious as she's one of my precious buns that I consider more part of the family then the family pet like most others. I love all of my buns so much.

And if tomorrow she doesn't deliver I will try a few natural inducers and if they don't work, I will visit the vet. He must be getting sick of me though! I've been back and forth with another bun who had an ear abscess she was a rescue and is now a lucky bun who now no longer shares a cage with her sister whom I also rescued and having a million litters, lucky girls don't never have to have another litter again! And they have so much space. They were also bred by a club member and she was horrified and is now considering desexing all buns she sells to pet homes. I've never heard of a bun living over two in my town unless they're a club member's, it's so horrid.

Thank you for your suggestions and support, Lavender and I both appreciate it.

I always ask the same questions over and over when I already know the answers, I suppose it's just because I hope something new pops up but this is bunnies and well, we all know that many don't want to waste the time of the day finding out more on rabbits. I've had rabbits since I was a kid, I've done all things imaginable with rabbits and I know a lot but then I found out things I never knew somedays.

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Day 33 at 3:44am

Lavender has had six healthy kits although she hasn't plucked much fur at all, hopefully once she cleans herself up she will pull some more.

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Day 2

The kits are healthy and vibrant. Squeaking when my hand is near them.

It looks like most are Charlie coloured or white. I had hoped both parents would have enough colour to get more then just one butterfly pattern. It looks from now I'll be breeding Lavender to either a solid blue or lilac buck from now on.

Most kits seem to be lilac Charlie and no orange Charlie/Butterfly like the father but it's only day two and should know better soon.

Let's hope they all continue to thrive!

P.S
I plan to update you all on my first timers from now on. Sigyn my Harlequin doe (Profile picture) will be the next when Lavender's litter have been weaned off.

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Day 8

The coat colours are in and they are: Three badly marked tricolours, one beige Charlie, one black Charlie, and a black butterfly.

These little things are gorgeous. I cannot wait for them to start hopping around (Mostly because I want to clean the cage!) two more weeks and they should begin emerging. One more and their eyes should start opening.

 

[HiddlesKenway]

 

[HiddlesKenway]

Day 13, 7:12pm

Kits are already moving out of the nest against my efforts of putting them back in and due to this mummy bun didn't feed three of them last night. The little ones are nibbling on everything, shocking for me as I've never had kits leave the nest so early! About two and a half weeks is when they get up and go! These ones just don't stop and it has mum running away and growling at them if they try and suckle but if they snuggle up to her she is more than happy to flop back down and cuddle. The two big fatties (Charlie marked) are up and moving more than the others. Here is a very blurred picture of a curious kit.

 

[HiddlesKenway]

All kits are now about three months old and here are some pictures.

Colours consist of:
Orange Charlie doe
Blue Charlie doe
Dilute tri butterfly (BM) doe
Tri butterfly (BM) buck
Tri butterfly (BM) buck
Black Butterfly (BM) buck

Decided to retain only one and she will be a pet for my niece.