My Rabbit made a weird nest..

[MiniLopMad]

My mini lop doe Daisy is a first time mother and she is almost due to give birth. The other day she began picking grass from her playpen and running around with it in her mouth. I gave her a nest box early because she was acting kind of stressed. She put the grass in there and now every time I open up her hutch door and let her run into the playpen, she collects grass. She's made a nest out of it and pushed the straw that I gave her away.

She's made a circle in the middle of the nest box and it's made by layers. On the outside is the straw, then newspaper that she shredded and then grass. It's really hard to explain, so sorry if I am confusing...

She doesn't want to use straw or hay.. She just wants to use grass and she freaks out when she can't get any.

Is a nest made of grass safe for kits? I was thinking of taking it away and replacing it with fresh straw and newspaper but she's put so much work into it and I think she'd just stress and start again if I did that.

I can show pictures if anyone is confused

 

[BunBun02]

As long as there is straw and paper the nest shall be fine.... Wild rabbits don't get newspaper and straw to make there nests, the kits will probably eat the grass when they are 2-4 weeks old, you might stress daisy out too much of you take away the nest and it is better then having no nest especially if she is close to having the kits, maybe send a photo to see please?


BunBun.... Breeding quality mini lops since 1999

 

[woahlookitsme]

I'd say leave it. Hay is normally given to our bunnies because that's what we have on hand for them. Our grass is treated every once in a while and isn't always safe for them. As long as the babies will stay warm it's fine

 

[khteague]

Hay is food, so it will spoil and rot in a nest. She's using the straw as a strong building material, the newspaper as insulation and the grass as bedding.

 

[MiniLopMad]

Ok, thanks everyone

 

[woahlookitsme]

Hay is food, so it will spoil and rot in a nest. She's using the straw as a strong building material, the newspaper as insulation and the grass as bedding.

We've never had hay spoil in the nest. It usually ends up turning into straw for us (becomes very yellow In color and rigid). We use a horse quality coastal hay though