# Rabbit babies due within the next couple weeks



## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

I was given a pair of rabbits right at almost a month ago. The females name is salt and the males name is pepper, as they are white and black. I was given them suddenly so didn't have a separate pen. So they lived together from the day I got them for about 2 1/2 weeks. So her official due date is anywhere from Friday 1/7 to 2 1/2 weeks from there. Although I really expect her to kindle this friday-sunday, as I did see action the first 24 hrs and nothing since.

I live in NM and although it's not below freezing or anything I decided to bring her inside to kindle. The outside pens are not 100% draft proof and it easily drops into the 30s.

Also I might do something called Shelving the kits. It's where you take the kits away and put them storage bins set up with shavings and fleece blankets. Then you return them to their mother 2 times a day to nurse and immediately take them away again until they are over 2 weeks old. This would be to prevent her from stomping or cannabalizing the kits. We live in a camper behind my mom's house so her cage is on my camper table. That may make her nervous enough that every time we walk by she hurts the kits. If she only has them at feeding time she will be too preoccupied and thankful to nurse them to jump around and hurt them.

I have a friend 5 hrs away that has been breeding show rabbits for a couple years and has been teaching about this method of raising them. Here is momma to be.


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## Karen (Jun 22, 2010)

Why do you even think she'd hurt the babies? Is she not feeling safe with you?


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck!


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

I've only owned her a month and only had her inside for less than a week. So every time I walk by she comes attention. And if I open the cage she runs to the back. I'm not sure how she was treated at her old home but she definitely doesn't know me very well yet and is afraid of me to a point.


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## Karen (Jun 22, 2010)

Get yourself some flat parsley, and offer it to her every time. And if you can reach in, give her bunny nose rubs, two fingers, held sideway, nose to ears, lift, repeat. Both these things can help gain her trust, and just hanging out with her quietly as well. Sounds like she;s not had much socialization, poor girl!


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

I gave her a nest box last night. Before I could even put it in all the way she ran up and jumped in. She worked feverishly for a couple hours taking her Hay in and moving things despite me already putting shavings and straw inside. By the time she finished she had almost all her bedding in it. Lol. And she what was left was piled in front of it. So definitely expect kits in the next 48 hrs or so. I figure Friday night.


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## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Following  Beautiful doe! Love her coloring!


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

No babies yet. My original guess of Friday night (tonight ) will probably be correct. Lol or I hope because I am going crazy waiting. Haha


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

Still no babies. Not sure if I should be worried or not. She did spend about 2 weeks caged with him but I didn't see him try to breed her after the first 24 hrs or so. She worked really hard on her nest for 2 days and then nothing. If I mess it up she will fix it. But otherwise is just laying around, drinking. I can't tell what she is eating because all her hay she is stashing in the nest and her pellets she keeps dumping in her bedding then sifts through and eats it when she wants. She has all her bedding pushed up against the nest box and if I smooth it out she piles it all up again. But it's getting pretty dirty in her potty corner so I'm going to have to clean the cage tomorrow. Hopefully that doesn't upset her too much. I checked her bottom yesterday and she was wet around the vulva. I thought maybe that meant babies but still nothing this morning.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Hopefully she will give birth soon.


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

We have KITS! I checked her this morning when I got home from work and nothing. Slept til noon, fed and watered her and nothing. Been busy since and I had a meeting from 7pm to 9pm. Got home and saw hair everywhere. Checked the box and we have 7 heathy big kits. 1 black like dad, 1 or 2 grey skinned and the rest pink/white. I decided not to shelve them so hopefully me touching them doesn't bother her because I will be checking them at least once a day. I will get pictures tomorrow once I see how they are doing. My phone was dead when I found them and I don't want to keep bothering her/them more than necessary.


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## Karen (Jun 22, 2010)

Congratulations, everyone. Keep a close watch the next few days, make sure everyone is nursing and staying close enough to mom for warmth! Your touching them should not bother her - that's pretty much an urban myth.


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## Steampunked (Mar 23, 2015)

Just hanging out quietly with rabbits tends to chill them out. You can talk to her quietly. For my rabbits, the 'sweet spot' for attention was the soft skin juuuust behind the ears - I could stroke it and they would gradually bliss out.

Parsley is a great treat, as are other fresh green treats, and especially fresh hay. If you want to really bribe her, the occasional raisin will make you into a tiny rabbit God.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Congratulations!


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

They have full bellies this morning. Only the black one looks a little thin. They are all very wiggly!


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## BoulderOaks (Sep 24, 2014)

Congrats! They look fat, happy, and healthy!


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

How neat! I had a mom kindle in the house (on the kitchen table) some years ago. It was really neat and when they got bigger they started playing with the kittens.


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

luvmyherd said:


> How neat! I had a mom kindle in the house (on the kitchen table) some years ago. It was really neat and when they got bigger they started playing with the kittens.


How cute is that. Now I wish I had kittens. Haha.

Thanks. They seems to be doing great. I've been so excited.


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

>>>They seems to be doing great.<<<
Super!

One of my best experiences was when I had an orphaned bunny, orphaned kitten and an orphaned chick all at the same time. They stayed together until I got up one morning and the chicken was up on the dining table.


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

Yes they do seem to be doing great so far. My husband says she is just laying around the cage and not going in very much. I'm like yes babe, they only feed twice a day and are sneaky about it. And her cage us pretty small so she can't exactly run around like she has had too much sugar. Lol she did wake me up several times throughout the night as she has a toy with a bell hanging and she kept ringing the bell. Lol and she is eating and drinking well. Just nothing to do but lay around and relax most of the time. Lol


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## Karen (Jun 22, 2010)

Aww, so cute, and so glad everyone is doing well!


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

All 7 of the kits are alive and warm this morning. My only worry is the black one. He continues to be thinner in the belly. He is smaller but not by much, really not noticeable yet, but don't want him to fail to thrive. There is one other than is also a bit thinner but not as much. I will continue to check them daily and keep and eye one them although I've always heard it's like impossible to hand raise or supplement one. I did see a vet show where she grafted babies go a mom by laying Mom on her back, putting Vicks under her nose and then letting the kits nurse. She did that a couple times then combined them to the mom's original litter. So I may hold her to let the black nurse and see if that helps him grow/be full.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I hope he does well for you.


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## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Congratulations!! Haven't checked this thread in a few days.. lol. They all look happy and healthy! I hope that your lil black one puts some weight on for you.


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

Lost a white baby today. RIP lil one. He got out of the nest and my husband told me. The black one was also out but was still warm and I grabbed him up and threw him back in. I thought 4 where white but 2 are brownish. Awesome colors! We will have to watch more now and throw them back in quicker. I think momma might have actually laid on it because the camper is warm and the entire pen is bedded with shavings hair and Hay from her nesting.


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

Sorry to hear about your loss cute bunnies tho


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Beautiful colors!!
We have babies in the barn right now too. So neat.
Good luck with yours.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

They are so cute!


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

The babies have gotten so big and they are opening their eyes! We haven't lost any more but I have noticed one (brown and grey mixed) is missing half it's ear. Momma must have bit it off at some point. But it's doing well and it's color is my favorite so I will probably just keep it. Lol here are pictures in the bowl I use to check them out every couple days. They are only in the bowl a few mins.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Too cute!


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## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

Such beautiful colors!! SO cute!


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

The babies are 4 weeks old today and it's in the high 70s. So they moved to a pen outside and will be brought in at night. They are having a blast in the much bigger pen.




























This is my keeper that is missing part of her ear


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

They are too cute!


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

You must be so happy that they have grown up so well and healthy. They are so pretty.


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## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

So pretty!


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

The babies are 6 weeks old tomorrow! I was going to wean them but someone that breeds for show said to wait 2 more weeks. She said it's hard on their tummies to be weaned at 6 weeks. It just seems to me that they are too big to be nursing. Poor momma! They are already 1/3 her size and when they all go to nurse she looks like she is being attacked!

I have been seperating them outside most of the day to give her breaks from them and so that they get fresh air and sunlight.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

They are too cute!


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Wow, they got big fast!!! Very cute


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

I haven't updated in a while. I think they all are boys except one grey lol they have really grown and are 9 weeks old. I'm trying to rehome them but not having much luck. Several people have said they want one and then never show up. Ugh


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

This is the female









Keeping this one named Snowball 








And keeping Lil Bit with his bitten off ear! Lol


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

They are cute.


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

How cute! Are you going to have any more babies?


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

They've gotten really big!!!


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## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Great pictures!


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## Summersun (Apr 24, 2014)

I am not going to breed this pair for awhile. I do have a mini lop pair I got that I am trying to breed. They are registered and pedigreed. Only problem is they are only about a year old and don't know what they are doing. The female won't lift for the male and half the time he wants to jump her head. Lol


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

Well ill be looking for that thread! And that's so funny hopefully they'll learn soon!


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