Need help from Flemish breeders

[S_Toast]

I called the woman I got Oaks from to see when I could come by and pick up her papers and I got quite a surprise. Just before I hung up the phone the woman casually said "Oh I guess I should tell you that the rabbit you got was housed with one of my flemish bucks because his cage needed worked on." WHAT!!!!!! Then she tells me she saw him "get her once" and when she saw it she took him out. Why wasn't I told this ahead of time? I got her the 21st and she isn't sure if she took the male out the day I got there or the day before. Now what do I do? I hate to create drama here but I want to do this right so the babies have the best chance for survival. We have a low cost spay and nuter clinic here so I will pay to have all the babies "fixed" when they are old enough and before they go to new homes.

So far what I know is the gestation period is 31 days so that puts babies due around the 20th of Feb.
I know she needs a nest box but I'm not sure of the size.
Do I need to add anything to her diet while she is preggo?
How do I check to see if she is preg or not?

Thank you for any help. I just wanted on pet rabbit and never intended on breeding at all but now I need help doing this right.

Oh one last thing... Can I have Oaks spayed after this litter?

 

[wabbitmom12]

*Surprise!* Don't you just love it?? At least you know the due date, and you have some time to get educated. There are some good threads and articles on this forum - not to mention experienced members .

Nest box size: Huge, of course! ha, ha. Actually, they have nest boxes that are especially made for 6 class rabbits. You can mail order one, get one from a local breeder, a farm supply store, etc. Don't put it in with the doe until about the 25th day of pregnancy or beyond. Otherwise, she'll just use it as a litter box.

For diet, you can just continue to give her a good quality pellet, hay, veggies, and lots of good, fresh water. You won't need to increase the quantities until she actually kindles. Rabbits don't gain very much weight while pregnant.

In order to tell for sure if she is pregnant, you should have someone experienced help you/show you how to palpitate her. 10 days is usually a good target date for the first palp...so, pretty soon!! Again, a local breeder will be a good resource for you. If you don't know anyone who breeds the larger rabbits, your local 4-H rabbit club leaders can probably give you a name.

Yes, you can get Oaks spayed after her litter is born. You'll want towait until the kits are weaned, of course.

Keep us up to date!

 

[aurora369]

How old is your girl?

I have to say that was a bone headed thing for the breeder to do. Rabbits are so unpredictable when it comes to sexual maturity, some take forever and others are ready early. But, totally not your fault and yet you get to deal with the consequences.

You can use just about anything for a nest box in a pinch. But since you have some time, you could look into getting someone to make you a wooden one. Or try to find a plastic tub that would work, like a rubbermaid container. For the size, you want it big enough for her to get in and out with a couple inches of space length and width wise. Too big, and she could start using one of the corners as a potty.

For diet, keep her on a high quality pellet, fresh veggies and hay as usual. Make sure she's got lots of hay in case she wants to start building a nest.

And yes you can get her spayed after the babies. About a week after the babies are weaned is the earliest I would do it. That gives her enough time to have her milk dry up before the operation.

--Dawn

 

[dirtyduckz]

That is kinda exciting in a way, is your doe of age to have babies, like 8 months or older? Is your bunny indoors or out, I am sorry I haven't look at your past posts to answer these questions. But I would tell you that if she is indoors I would let her birth them in peace and quiet, then check them later in the day. And if she is outdoors in cold weather make sure she has lots of straw and a wind break to protect her nesting area (nest box or hutch). Weird thing for a breeder to do isn't it.

 

[S_Toast]

the woman I got her from wasn't a breeder she was just someone who collected bunnies. She was getting rid of them all because she was having shoulder surgery and "couldn't take care" of them anymore. But from the looks of the place when I got there she hadn't been able to take care of them for a while. I'm not sure what she was thinking. Thanks for all the helps!

 

[S_Toast]

My doe is over 8 months but I'm not sure how old she is. She is outdoors and the night time temps are anywhere from 25 degrees F to 5 degrees F. I have an red heat lamp in her run that she can lay under should she choose too and I also have a small plastic dog house with shavings and packed with straw that she sleeps in. Which got me thinking... could this be used as her nest box? it's only big enough for her to turn around in and she does not go potty in it. She uses a corner of her run. It is covered so the babies would be out of the elements. The only thing I was thinking I might have to do is put a board against the opening in the front so the babies can't crawl out but momma can still jump in. Any thoughts?

 

[aurora369]

The only thing that would be a concern for me would be access to the kits. You will need to check the nest after birth to make sure no dead babies are there and that all the after birth is cleared up. If either is left in the nest, the rotting flesh will make the babies sick. I also like to check on my babies everyday to make sure they are all being fed and that no one is injured.

So that's why a nest box works well. I just remove the nest box from the cage and check all the babies over one at a time. Then when they've been checked, I put the nest box back in.

She may choose to build her nest in the dog house. Does she have a hutch as well as the run? I would be tempted to lock her in the hutch with the nest box for a couple days for her to give birth, to ensure she has them in an accessible place. The last thing you want is for her to give birth somewhere you can't access and check on the babies.

--Dawn

 

[S_Toast]

The top half of the dog house comes off so I would be able to check on the kits fairly easy. If you still feel that it may not work (I know very little so I'm relying heavily on the experience of those here) I was wondering if an extra large kitty litter box would work. It's plastic and about 5" high and sounds like it would be the right size (a new clean one of course).
Here is Oaks in the dog house I'm talking about

She doesn't have a hutch. I have her in a 8'Lx4'Wx6'H enclosure. Half of it (where her house, food, and water bottle are) is concrete and the other half is dirt with straw over it. She only uses the bathroom in one corner so I am going to put a litter box there. I change the straw on a regular basis and make sure she is warm and dry.

Thanx for all your help.

 

[aurora369]

That would probably work. You definitely would need some sort of board across the door like you mentioned above.

You'll have to see where she starts to build her nest. Hopefully she'll start to build it there.

--Dawn

 

[S_Toast]

I can confine her so she can only us the half of her run that is concrete. I will do that if she starts to build elsewhere.

 

[BlueGiants]

I think the little house would work fine as a nestbox, as long as she is willing to use it. You will need a 4-5 inch high board across the opening. You have to make sure the babies stay inside for the first two weeks. Being as it's on the ground, I'd insulate the floor with a thick layer of newspaper or corregated cardboard to help keep them warm. I'd put down a few inches of shavings too. Then pack it with straw.

The Flemish handle the cold just fine. (I had a litter of 7 born last night, it was 17 degrees out there. She didn't even notice. Babies are doing fine. A litter of 10 born the night before, it was 9 degrees...).

Regarding food, keep up with her regular pellets. I do make sure they have free feed hay and check the water several times a day (so it isn't frozen.)

Palpating (feeling for the babies) takes a little practice. Sometimes it's just easier to wait it out. Flemish can hide a pregnancy really well. Sometimes by day 29 or 30, you will see her looking a little heavy or wide (especially if it's going to be a big litter!). Most does kindle (deliver) with no problems. (Do you know if this is her first litter? Doesn't sound like the woman that had her before was very responsible.)

You will want to have the nesting area set up 3 days before her due date. Give her extra straw and hay so she can "customize" her nest. Good luck....

 

[S_Toast]

First of all WOW! 7 and 10 kits! I was thinking 4 to 6!

I don't know if this is her first litter but I am guessing that it is not. The woman I got her from seems to have dropped off the face of the earth (nice eh?) so I'm guessing on everything. I'm not even sure how old Oaks is. I just responded to an add that she needed a new home. I met Oaks and fell in love and you know the rest. Here we are!

I'll be sure to insulate under the dog house with newspaper and I already have about 2 inches of shavings in the bottom and tons of straw on top of that. She has made herself quite the little home in there. I hope that is where she starts building if not I have a "nest box" for backup.

I gotta say... As much as I already love Oaks I don't think breeding will ever be for me. We're getting her spayed for sure. My hat is off to those of you who have several breeding rabbits

 

[BlueGiants]

The largest Flemish litter I ever had was 14. Way too many for one doe to raise! My girls tend to average 6-7 per litter. Which is just fine for me!

Breeding is a lot of work, especially if you want to do it right. I think it's admirable for you to plan on spaying her. Not knowing how old she is, or how many litters she has had, I think it's wise to retire her from the stresses of breeding. And I'm sure she will make a wonderful companion rabbit. (OK, I might be slightly biased because of her breed!)

Thanks for taking her in, even though she "may" be pregnant. She looks pretty contented in her little house!

 

[naturestee]

Just a thought- block off the dirt floor except for when you're there to watch her. She might get the urge to dig and make her nest in an underground tunnel and you don't want that!

Best of luck with the babies, if there are any. What a surprise!:shock:

 

[wabbitmom12]

Oaks is a pretty pretty girl!!
Is she settling into her new home ok? Rabbits so hate change.
Our black flemmie, Sweetie, was about a week pregnant ...unbeknownst to us...when we acquired her. She seemed to settle in fairly well, then a few weeks later got grumpy for a few days, then, *Surprise!* 6 little kits! :foreheadsmack: "No wonder she wasn't acting like herself!" At least the former owner gave you a heads up, so you could be prepared.

 

[S_Toast]

Oaks seems to be settling in pretty well. She is getting used to me and comes to meet me when I go out to feed her and isn't jumpy even when I approach her from her blind side.

I'm glad I have a heads up that she might be pregnant. I would have freaked if I went out one day and there where little pink wigglies!

 

[wabbitmom12]

S_Toast wrote

I'm glad I have a heads up that she might be pregnant. I would have freaked if I went out one day and there where little pink wigglies!

It is freaky!! My son called me on the phone and said "You're a Grandma!" WHAT?!? (Not what a mom with 3 teenagers wants to hear!!) :faint:

Then he said, "Sweetie had babies!" "Velvet?" "NO, Sweetie!" "SWEETIE??"
"YES, SWEETIE!!"


I just about pummeled him for giving me a heart attack!:boxing

 

[JadeIcing]

wabbitmom12 wrote:

S_Toast wrote

I'm glad I have a heads up that she might be pregnant. I would have freaked if I went out one day and there where little pink wigglies!

It is freaky!! My son called me on the phone and said "You're a Grandma!" WHAT?!? (Not what a mom with 3 teenagers wants to hear!!) :faint:

Then he said, "Sweetie had babies!" "Velvet?" "NO, Sweetie!" "SWEETIE??"
"YES, SWEETIE!!"


I just about pummeled him for giving me a heart attack!:boxing

That made me laugh so hard I almost peed my pants.