On day 28 (4 days before the due date), offer your doe a nest box filled with hay and/or shavings. Don’t give it to her earlier than that, or she’s liable to just use it as a litter box. Some does will be interested immediately and will jump into the nest box to start rearranging things to their satisfaction. Other does won’t make a nest until right before they kindle. You may see your doe gathering up large mouthfuls of hay with it sticking out of both sides of her mouth like a mustache. This is called “haystaching.” For a video of a doe haystaching, click here. She will pull her own fur from her chest, belly and dewlap (the fold of skin beneath her chin) to line the nest and cover the babies. Pulling her belly fur also helps to expose her nipples for access for her kits. If your doe doesn’t pull her fur, you can gently pull some from her yourself; as the birth nears it comes out easily. I like to keep extra fur in case I need to change out a nest box or in case a doe doesn’t pull fur.
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Preparing for a new litter doesn’t require much work on your part, although the anticipation can drive you crazy. Watch for the haystache, and for your doe to pull fur. The birth most commonly happens on day 31 but can occur at 28-34 days (and even later sometimes). A day or so before kindling, your doe may lose interest in eating. She may dig in her nest box or the bottom of her cage. She also may try to have her babies somewhere other than the nest box. If you see her trying to make a nest somewhere else, you can try to put it in the box. If she still insists on having her nest outside the box, wait until the kits are born and then move everything into the box. There’s also a pesky, annoying little thing called a false pregnancy. This is when your rabbit fools you into thinking she might be pregnant. She might even build a wonderful nest. And then, unfortunately, nothing.
Baby rabbits, called kits, are born naked with their eyes and ears closed. They can’t regulate their own body temperatures, which is why the doe pulls fur to cover them. The kits also help keep each other warm when they snuggle together. Kits can be dragged out of the nest box by hanging onto a teat, so it’s important to check on your kits as often as possible in the first two weeks. If you discover a kit outside the nest box, put it back into the nest. If it is cold, gently warm it up and then return it to the nest box. The doe will never pick up or carry her babies. Kits born on the floor of the cage or wire will die if not put into the nest box. After the doe kindles, check the babies and remove any that are dead. Try not to remove the box from the cage while checking kits. If you find a baby that looks limp and lifeless, try warming it in your hands and rubbing it gently and vigorously with a fingertip to try to stimulate it to breathe. Some women will put cold kits in their bra to warm them- it works surprisingly well. I’ve even gone shopping after forgetting a kit is in my bra and was startled when it suddenly started wriggling. One tip- baby rabbits are not dead until they are warm and dead. Kits can appear to be completely dead, not even breathing, and then suddenly wake up after being warmed up. Don’t be surprised, though, if a first-time doe loses some or all of her babies; it’s common with first-time does. I wouldn't use a doe for breeding that has not successfully raised a litter after 3 tries. If she has them on the cage floor or refuses to feed them or eats them, she just isn't any good as a breeding doe and you don't want to pass these traits on. Poor mothering can be inherited. |