grracee Posted December 14, 2010 Share Posted December 14, 2010 Buttons started nested on Sunday night. She was due yesterday (13th December - 31st day). I got up this morning and she has now lined the nest with her fur and is seeming really unsettled these last couple of days. This is my first litter, how long from nesting to birth is it? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grracee Posted December 19, 2010 Author Share Posted December 19, 2010 Hiya, I moved my bunny into the back room in our house as it was so cold outside (-17 degrees here was the worst! ) Sounds like she is preparing well for the birth, good luck! Is it your rabbits first litter aswell? Some people put the heat or snuggle pads in the nest to keep babies warm but I personally haven't used these I just brought the hutch into the warm house. Sadly, my rabbit had only one kit which was still born. Apparently it is quite common for first litters to be like this, either one single or two kits dead when born and rather large in size. But saying that many can have a first litter and be fine!! Good luck with your bunny, would love to hear when she has her kits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grracee Posted December 20, 2010 Author Share Posted December 20, 2010 Oh wow, that's great news! It's best to just have a quick check over the litter whilst mum is out of the nest but before putting your hands in there stroke mum first and rub your hands in the straw/hay in the nest so you have the scent. If there are any dead kits in there it's best to take them out straight away, other than that they say to leave them alone for the first 5 days before trying to handle them regularly. But just have little looks everyday to check everything is going how it should. This is a good site with lots of information, http://www.debmark.com/rabbits/bunnies.htm Good luck! Would love to see some photos when they are abit bigger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grracee Posted December 22, 2010 Author Share Posted December 22, 2010 That's great! Look forward to pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grracee Posted December 24, 2010 Author Share Posted December 24, 2010 So I found one making a break for it on the garage floor. Seemed ok and put it back in the nest. Gave me an opportunity to take a peek and I count six! Should I be concerned that the mother might have moved this one from the nest because she thinks it is weak? And secondly, I was careful not to touch the others but could my actions get a negative reaction from mum? Thanks - they are now 5 days old. Six is a very good number! What breed of rabbit is she? Sometimes the mum's will leave the weaker ones out of the nest but sometimes the kits can just come out by themselves. Are they in a nesting box or just in the nest on the hutch floor? If they aren't in a nesting box it could just be that the baby has managed to get out of the nest so would just put it back in the nest like you already have. If they are starting to manage to get out the nest it might be best to check daily to see whether any have escaped as such, as in the cold whether they wouldn't make it being out of the nest. As they are 5 days old now I shouldn't see why mum would be negative about it but you have to make sure to either stroke her first or rub your hands in the straw so you have her scent. Good luck, sounds like everything is going well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grracee Posted December 24, 2010 Author Share Posted December 24, 2010 No problem, glad I can help! My bunnies are mini-lops, but there are also dwarf lops who are slightly larger and heavier than mini's but look the same. You would probably be able to tell by now if there was a weaker one out of the 6. They call them 'peanuts'. Head slightly larger and feet smaller also it would be a considerably smaller size than the others. Sounds like they are doing great, they will soon be getting their fur & opening their eyes and running around the hutch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grracee Posted December 28, 2010 Author Share Posted December 28, 2010 Sounds as if everything is going well. Kits won't open their eyes until around the 10th/11th day and should now be getting their fuzzy fur. Between now and 14 days (when eyes open) they might start to venture out of the nest to have a nose about, this is fine but just check that they are all going back into the nest! Between the 11th and 14th day, they should start to try and eat solids too. Don't worry about giving them a separate bowl, they will eat from mums (probably sit in there!! ) Supply lots of hay too as they will also munch on that. I can't see any problems with trying to handle babies now, as long as mum is familiar with you. As if you want them to be used to being handled now will be the best time to start. Hope this helps! Good Luck!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grracee Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 I use either http://www.tinypic.com or http://www.photobucket.com. You can upload the files and then insert the code that starts with into your reply. Glad everything is going well, look forward to photos!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grracee Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Oh, they are gorgeous! Lovely colours!! About their ears 'lopping', if they are going to lop I dont think they do until 4-6 weeks old (Somewhere around then, don't know the exact week) but if dad is a dutch then they might not lop at all. They are beautiful kits though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
