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Baby rabbits update

D

deb

Young Bun
Went in this morning to try and check on the babies, mother is being very protective, think they are all still alive, but it is very hard to see them all as they are in the very back under the hay, and all bundled together, the only way to check them all would be to lift them out one at a time . Is this advisable?
DEB
 
Please leave them alone when she is around otherwise particuarly as she is being protective you are more than likely to loose the lot.

If she is very protective which is what you are saying she is, only look at them with her away from the hutch, perhaps take her out for some fresh greens or something similiar. Then carefully have a look, in the past I have either used a stick which I have previously not handled and gently parted the hay and fur to take a look being careful not to touch the nest, or using either some disposable gloves or a plastic bag on my hands then putting them in the litter tray getting rid of any other smells then looking through the nest trying to make minimal disturbance as possible.

good luck

Janice
 
I agree with Janice Do not touch them when mum is around. As janice says take mum out for a run and then check the baby's, rub your hands in mums pee and poo so that you smell like her, get an old icecream tub, put the top portion of the nest in it and then count the babies out of the nest and into the tub then put them back in and put the top back on the nest. XX
 
I have been doing as you said with rubbing my hands in hay and pee,but the problem i have is she was always a loving and gentle rab until her hormones kicked in and then she was a nightmare, very aggresive and hates to be handled, she is kept in a enclosed area with 2 hutches my other rabbit is in the hutch above hers, so she has a free run in the day time with access to her hutch and babies,but as i have been finding out today when i went to feed them she is charging at me as i go in and for some reason she really dislikes the carrier bag i keep some food in and keeps trying to attack it (and me if i dont move quick). I need to go in soon to clean the hutches, maybe i'll put wellies on this time :lol:
 
Forgot to say still have not checked babies properly as she really wont let me, is it very important they are all independently checked.
 
You will need to take mum away, When we first got Pan she was pregnant and she was a nightmare when she had the babies! in order to clean out her run we had to first grap her with a towl and then my mum would have to take her about 10 ft away from the run before she would stop biting and kicking, we would then clean out the run count the babies and check them and then put mum back in! we wern't allowed in her oen whilst she was there until the babys were 9 weeks old! she was a nightmare. You will need to remove mum!
 
Would the mum jump in a box so you can move her out of the way so you can check the babies, perhaps take her indoors for some nibbles as she should be forever hungry at the moment. It is more important that you can check them to remove any ones who have not survived out of the way as they will not generate body heat to keep them all warm, just absorb it and reduce the general temperature of the babies in the nest.

Try not to clean out the bedroom if that is where the nest is until the babies have started leaving it, if it is very dirty just carefully clean around the outside but not within the nest itself.


Janice
 
When Sugar had babies we used to let her have a run in the garden then we would check them and clean out the hutch whilst she was out, best thing to do is move mum totally away from the hutch, check the babies quickly then leave them be for another week, but when ever you need to check on them make sure mum is far away as possible, if she see's you near them she will go straight back in to protect them

Good luck
 
Job done, managed to catch her and put her in my spare hutch, only lost some skin on arms, they look like railway lines now,still who needs skin!
anyway checked all babies there was 8 all seemed in good health, but they were in different areas of the nest box 6 in one corner 2 in another. My kids now want to keep all 8! dont think so.
DEB :p
 
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