nest box for flemish giant

[gentle giants]

You might want to put some hardware cloth around the bottom of the x pen if the babies will be spending time in there while they are little. They might not be able to get all of thier bodies through the wire, but there is a risk of them getting their heads caught in the wire.

 

[jupiterannette]

i rebuilt the pen with wire grates... looks nice too!

 

[BlueGiants]

jupiterannette wrote:

SOOO i think i know what to use as a nest!!!

A rubber made bucket witha hole inthe side!

its big, easy to clean, and sturdy!

like this but with some vetilation holes drilled in the top, and a door hole cut in the front!

I'd be very careful with a bucket like this. It's a nice idea and would clean up well, but my girls would tip this over in a heartbeat. I do prefer a wooden or wide based metal nest box, 24" long, 14" wide and 14" tall. (Short enough that she can't stand up all the way in it...). I also use a thick layer of shavings covered with straw. And I give her a few handfulls of straw that she can pick up and arrange anyway she likes. The Flemish girls generally make wonderful nests and tend to be very good mothers. (I don't suggest fleece in the nestbox. The babies will poop and pee all over the place and it will be very difficult to keep clean. The momma will try to eat the droppings, cleaning up after the babies,and may try to eat the fleece.)

I also prefer a nestbox with a "lip" at the entrance, to prevent "hanger-ons" from falling out. And yes, until they are at least2 weeksold, they can worm themselves through a 1" opening. (I've saved enough babies from the floor to attest to that!). A cardboard box will work for a while, but make sure you remove it by time they are 21 days old. At that age, it will get soiled quickly and will be difficult to clean. It is good if you can give the Momma a place she can go without the babies.I set up adivider that only she can hop over. Gives her a place to rest. Those babies get big fast and it can take a lot out of her.

Good Luck with the litter!

 

[jupiterannette]

Thank you sooooo much for the info..

im over whelmed, and i know im in over my head. But im trying my hardest!

she is very fearfull of new things, and it took her 2 days to go near the box i gave her to hide in, and i let her see the rubbermaid box, and she jumped right in.... i cut a hole inthe side, with a lip underneith that is 4 inches from the bottom... and i poked some holes int he roof... i was thinking about puting a weight on top, to keep it still.... like a granit tile, int he groove of the top. so it wont fall on her. and she can jump up there to get away fromt he babies....

i am gonna do the shavings and straw.... she has a fleece blanket in her pen i will be removing before she ahs her kits.

do you know about how many i should expect?

i know this isnt her first litter. and she is about 1.5 years old.

the vet said she was underweight... 10.8 lbs at 1.5 weeks prego.

we are now at 2 weeks 2 days as best i can guess... as i didnt have her when she got prego.

and she is definatly gaining weight, she is rounding out around her belly, and her niples are getting bigger....

and she wants to nest allready.

i cant feel her rib very easily any more... so i think she is a better weight. i cant weight her though! LOL my scale only goes to 10lbs! LOL

 

[Bo B Bunny]

If you add a weight, be sure that it can't fall in on the babies. Could you possibly hotglue the tile to the bottom of it? underneath on the outside?

Sounds crazy but it would probably work well

OR if you put it on top, could you secure the lid to the box itself with wire or ties or something?

 

[BlueGiants]

10.8 lbs is a little small for a Flemish Giant. My girlshave anywhere from 4 to 14 babies per litter. I'd say 6-8 is average. (I hesitate letting any doe raise more than 8. It's not good for the babies OR the mom.)

If she is very fearful, as long as she isn't using the nest box as a litter box, you can leave the nestbox there for her. You have to base it on the doe herself. If it takes her two days to get used to something new, put it in 5 days early. Give her a pile of straw to "play" with. Let her arrange the nest the way she wants. Don't expect her to pull fur until the babies are on the way. (Some does pull the day before, some pull as they are delivering and I had one doe that didn't pull fur til she was done delivering.)

Don't get overwhelmed.ullhair: She will know exactly what to do when the time comes. Especially cause she's done this before! :nod You just need patience. :waiting:

I always check a litter a few hours after they are born. Most of my girls are OK with me touching the nest. Make sure all the babies are alive and clean. Remove them and place them in a clean towel. Check the nest for debris (afterbirth). She may not nurse them for several hours after birth. But check them the next morning to make sure they all have full, round tummies. (And PLEASE let us know AS SOON as she has them!)

 

[jupiterannette]

i will!

she is a small flemmy, but she is also skiny... well from what ive seen, i have only seen prolly 15 flemies, ever and they were all "fuller" then her. daddy bun is skiny shape, but larger then her. and prolly some ones dinner by now. grrrrrr

any whoo....

ive been letting her play out of her pen with the box so she is ok with it and knows its safe!


excelent idea, with gluing the tile tot he bottom! will do!


I just want to thank yall for all the help and suggestions!

no as far as diet.. unlimited greens and hay, ok?

im not limiting her pellets right now, cause shes preg, and skiny.. but she is eating almost a cup a day, plus.... 2 handfulls of greens, and 2 carrots with the tops.... and......... 1 teaspoon of oatmeal in her pellets.... and......a piece of papya for digestion aid.... and..... some aloe. vet said it would be good for her skin and tummy.

she is pooing nicly dry, coco pufs!
and peeing ALOT

she drinks about 2-3 cups a day in her bowl!

 

[gentle giants]

Yes, definatly make sure she has a ton of water, and as she is underweight (and pregnant!) make sure she gets all she wants to eat. Otherwise, all she should need is a good nestbox, which it sounds like you have taken care of, and she will do the rest.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

glad the tile idea helps! I was looking through some ads yesterday and saw cinderblocks and thought..... Oooo one of those would add weight.... LOL!

 

[jupiterannette]

i hot glued it on and it is holding!

she isnt very ruff and tough, very calm, but who knows!

she was very glad to see me wheni got home today, she "binkied" as much as a prego bun can! LOL she is getting big. hanging downthough not really out wide much yet.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

AWESOME! I hope it works well.

I have found I can really adapt things for my bunnies! I get creative and it costs less, is safer than a lot of stuff we can purchase, and functions better!

Just think, after all is said and done - that's going to be a fun play hut for her! LOL!

 

[jupiterannette]

very true!

when she is out she likes jumping on top of it! so she will be able to go up there to escape the babies! LOL

 

[jupiterannette]

to further fallow cami, and her soon to be kits...

visit her blog.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=27781&forum_id=6

 

[Pipp]

This is sort of out of left field, but you said you're givingher Aloe?

First off,it is wrongly listed as 'toxic to rabbits'on a few sites, the opposite is true, it actuallyfights toxins.

However, the study done to prove that also observed weight loss in many of the bunniesalthoughwith no related health issues.

If she's underweight and you haven't found another reason, maybe hold off on the Aloe and see what happens?



sas :?