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Preparing cage for incoming babies!

Hello, everybody!!!

My situation is the following: a little less than a month ago, one of my female bunnies escaped her cage while my male bunny was around (all my bunnies are not neutered because there's not vet here that can perform that kind of procedure). So, you can imagine what could have happened between the two bunnies, right? So, I'm trying to prepare everything for the (possible) incoming babies. I already have a large cage in which the female bunny and the babies can be confortable. The problem is that the cage MUST be kept outside because its size. For older rabbits there's not much problem because it's not too cold; it's around 9º C, which are 49º F I think. What's more, I cover the cages with blankets and other things to prevent cold wind from entering their homes. However, I don't know how much of a problem the low temperature would be for the babies. So for this, I thought of putting a hot water bag in the nest of the babies, so to keep them warm in addition to covering the cage with blankets, etc.

Is it a good idea? Can you give me any other recommentations?

Thanks for reading!!!

tl;dr: Babies are (possibly) coming. Should I put a hot water bag in their nest to prevent them from chilling?
 
Hi :) I definitely would not put anything hot under the nest, my worry would be that they could easily overheat and newborn baby bunnies are not very active at all so would be stuck there. In the UK people definitely do breed rabbits over winter at those temperatures but usually they're kept in sheds and to be honest with you I've no idea if they heat the shed or not. There are very few breeders on this forum so I think it would be best if you look online and find some breeders close to you, and ask them for advice. The nest should be pretty insulated with hay/straw/fur, if the mum is in moult then it might be worth keeping any fur that you groom off of her just in case she doesn't pluck enough of her own fur for it

Another thing to consider is the mother will need more energy than usual to keep warm and make milk, so you will want to up her feed
 
Hello, everybody!!!

My situation is the following: a little less than a month ago, one of my female bunnies escaped her cage while my male bunny was around (all my bunnies are not neutered because there's not vet here that can perform that kind of procedure). So, you can imagine what could have happened between the two bunnies, right? So, I'm trying to prepare everything for the (possible) incoming babies. I already have a large cage in which the female bunny and the babies can be confortable. The problem is that the cage MUST be kept outside because its size. For older rabbits there's not much problem because it's not too cold; it's around 9º C, which are 49º F I think. What's more, I cover the cages with blankets and other things to prevent cold wind from entering their homes. However, I don't know how much of a problem the low temperature would be for the babies. So for this, I thought of putting a hot water bag in the nest of the babies, so to keep them warm in addition to covering the cage with blankets, etc.

Is it a good idea? Can you give me any other recommentations?

Thanks for reading!!!

tl;dr: Babies are (possibly) coming. Should I put a hot water bag in their nest to prevent them from chilling?


Hi there and welcome to the Forum :wave:

Some useful info here:

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?327923-Accidental-Litters-and-Taking-on-Babies

http://www.rabbit.org/care/babies.html

http://www.curiousbunny.com/newborn_rabbits_detail.pdf
 
Hello, everybody!!!

My situation is the following: a little less than a month ago, one of my female bunnies escaped her cage while my male bunny was around (all my bunnies are not neutered because there's not vet here that can perform that kind of procedure). So, you can imagine what could have happened between the two bunnies, right? So, I'm trying to prepare everything for the (possible) incoming babies. I already have a large cage in which the female bunny and the babies can be confortable. The problem is that the cage MUST be kept outside because its size. For older rabbits there's not much problem because it's not too cold; it's around 9º C, which are 49º F I think. What's more, I cover the cages with blankets and other things to prevent cold wind from entering their homes. However, I don't know how much of a problem the low temperature would be for the babies. So for this, I thought of putting a hot water bag in the nest of the babies, so to keep them warm in addition to covering the cage with blankets, etc.

Is it a good idea? Can you give me any other recommentations?

Thanks for reading!!!

tl;dr: Babies are (possibly) coming. Should I put a hot water bag in their nest to prevent them from chilling?

Hello

I agree with DemiS re not placing a hot water bag in the nest. If this is the Doe's first litter she may not make a very good nest, so you may need to add some additional soft hay bedding to it and as Demi also suggested, some more fur if the Doe is in moult. It is important that the cage/hutch is well protected from damp aswell as from the cold.

One of our members, Sky-O put together a very informative thread which may be useful for you to take a look at :

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?327923-Accidental-Litters-and-Taking-on-Babies

I hope that all goes well x
 
Hi :) I definitely would not put anything hot under the nest, my worry would be that they could easily overheat and newborn baby bunnies are not very active at all so would be stuck there. In the UK people definitely do breed rabbits over winter at those temperatures but usually they're kept in sheds and to be honest with you I've no idea if they heat the shed or not. There are very few breeders on this forum so I think it would be best if you look online and find some breeders close to you, and ask them for advice. The nest should be pretty insulated with hay/straw/fur, if the mum is in moult then it might be worth keeping any fur that you groom off of her just in case she doesn't pluck enough of her own fur for it

Another thing to consider is the mother will need more energy than usual to keep warm and make milk, so you will want to up her feed


By the way, Demi has given good advice, and I wouldn't put anything hot under the nest :D
 
Thanks for all the answers!!! I'm preparing the box that'll be her nest and I'll put lots of hay there and leave it in her cage so she'll make the last modifications. Hope everything turns out ok.

PS: Can I use alfalfa instead of hay for the nest?
 
Thanks for all the answers!!! I'm preparing the box that'll be her nest and I'll put lots of hay there and leave it in her cage so she'll make the last modifications. Hope everything turns out ok.

PS: Can I use alfalfa instead of hay for the nest?

Has she started making a nest/plucking fur yet? And I wouldn't use fresh alfalfa because it'll wilt and when the babies start nibbling on food it might cause problems. If alfalfa hay is soft you could use that. Some hay is very long stranded and stalky, great for wearing rabbits teeth down but personally for the nest I'd get some soft chopped hay so it's less likely to poke the babies or tangle them up
 
Has she started making a nest/plucking fur yet? And I wouldn't use fresh alfalfa because it'll wilt and when the babies start nibbling on food it might cause problems. If alfalfa hay is soft you could use that. Some hay is very long stranded and stalky, great for wearing rabbits teeth down but personally for the nest I'd get some soft chopped hay so it's less likely to poke the babies or tangle them up

No, not yet. She is supposed to have the babies around june 10th. And I didn't mean to use fresh alfalfa, I meant to say alfalfa hay (English is not my native language, sorry). So is alfalfa hay good for the nest or not?

I can't say how much I thank you for your fast replies. You're the best.
 
No, not yet. She is supposed to have the babies around june 10th. And I didn't mean to use fresh alfalfa, I meant to say alfalfa hay (English is not my native language, sorry). So is alfalfa hay good for the nest or not?

I can't say how much I thank you for your fast replies. You're the best.

I've never used alfalfa hay before, it just depends on how soft it is :) If it is very sharp/hard then I would not use it because newborn rabbits are completely hairless, but if it's soft then it will make a nice nest
 
Thanks for all the answers!!! I'm preparing the box that'll be her nest and I'll put lots of hay there and leave it in her cage so she'll make the last modifications. Hope everything turns out ok.

PS: Can I use alfalfa instead of hay for the nest?


Alfalfa is great for the mum to eat, as it's nourishing. I wonder how soft it would be for the babies though?
 
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