# End of rabbit season?



## VickieB (Jun 27, 2013)

I have two does that were expected to kindle today. I noticed something odd today, though. Both does have not cut back on their eating. With their first litter they cut way down on the amount of feed they were eating. My other two does did the same thing. This morning, when I went out to feed the rabbits I realized that they have not cut back. I'm wondering if that's a sign they aren't pregnant, and that the baby bunny season is now over. Has anyone in the Texas/Oklahoma area noticed their does not kindling?


----------



## Moonshine (Jun 27, 2013)

I'm pretty sure rabbits are not seasonal breeders. Here we don't breed in the winter because its too.cold but I've heard of people putting out heat lamps and breeding year round. You might give them a few more days. Our first time does took 32 days and I've read their gestation period is 29-35 days.


----------



## Moonshine (Jun 27, 2013)

Oh and I always perform a "pregnancy test" on our does about 4-7 days after they have been bred meaning I put the doe back in the bucks cage and if she fights him off or won't let him breed her she's most likely pregnant. Although I wouldn't recommend you doing that if your does are so far along because it could cause stress and the doe could get hurt.


----------



## PendergrassRanch (Jun 27, 2013)

I've been told that they slow down when it gets hot but I just bred my californian and she lifted immediately


----------



## Sycamore27 (Jun 27, 2013)

I believe the issue is more heat sterility in bucks than anything with the does, but I could be misinformed.  
If you had 90 degree weather around the time you bred them the bucks may have been all blanks.  90 degrees is the threshold I've heard from a few people for when you lose potency from your bucks.  I've been told they will still mate the does, it just doesn't do any good.  
How many days in are they now?

Cheers,
Jessie


----------



## VickieB (Jun 27, 2013)

Today was their 31st day, which is when they kindled last time. While petting one of the does tonight I stroked her belly and I could feel some pretty large lumps. She's got to be pregnant, so I'm going to assume at this point that the two does are going to be later than they were with their first litter. I think they spoiled me the first time. They were due on a Monday morning, and by golly, at about 9:30 on Monday morning the two had their litters, at the same time! Just like clockwork...


----------



## VickieB (Jun 28, 2013)

Mom one has kindled. I had nothing to worry about... She had 11 babies. There was a 12th, but it was about the size of a grape and had not developed.


----------



## nawma (Jun 28, 2013)

Congratulations on your new buns! 11 live kits is a great litter!


----------



## VickieB (Jun 28, 2013)

Thanks, Nawma! I was beginning to think she was going to have a smaller litter since she was a day late. This will be her second litter and she really was a great mom on her first. She had 11 on that one. We lost two. I'm hoping not to lose any this time around.


----------



## animalmom (Jun 28, 2013)

Congrats on that litter size.  You have some exceptional does in your rabbitry.  I know you cherish them.... of course you cherish the buck too.  After all, it does take two to tango!


----------



## VickieB (Jun 28, 2013)

lol... I've been extremely happy with Bugs. I put the other two does in with him right after he turned 4 months, and then with these two, 2 weeks later. So far we've had 30 kits (and haven't lost one yet), and another doe to kindle soon. He's working hard to stay out of that pot!

I finally got my camera battery charged up so I'll be posting pics of all the kits soon.


----------



## UnlabeledMama (Jun 28, 2013)

That's a great litter!  Anything from your other doe yet?


----------



## VickieB (Jun 28, 2013)

Not yet. She hasn't even started pulling hair yet. I'd think she wasn't pregnant by the way she's acting except she is looking awful big, when I pet her she feels lumpy, and she does gather the hay in her mouth and tries putting it in different places like she is wanting to start working on her nest... 

By the way, I have a question. It's pretty warm on the back patio. I try keeping it cooler by making sure the sun doesn't hit them (in the morning they do get some sun, so I cover that side of their cage with a sheet and it gives them shade). I keep a fan blowing on the cages (It's not a large fan but it does get a breeze going for them), every hour or so I wet the patio and the jasmine growing on the trellises down, (which really brings the temps down) and give them some frozen water bottles and wet jeans, but it can still be pretty warm out there. The new mom is keeping her buns all covered up in hair though. I'm worried they may be getting too warm. Would y'all take the hair out, or wait until the buns are a few days old?


----------



## brentr (Jun 28, 2013)

The baby buns will self-regulate; they'll climb up through the hair and lay near the top if warm and will burrow down if they get cooler.  I'd leave the hair/nest just as is.


----------



## VickieB (Jun 28, 2013)

Thanks!


----------



## Moonshine (Jun 28, 2013)

brentr said:
			
		

> The baby buns will self-regulate; they'll climb up through the hair and lay near the top if warm and will burrow down if they get cooler.  I'd leave the hair/nest just as is.


X2
Whoa those rabbits are spoiled!


----------



## VickieB (Jun 28, 2013)

lol... They're meat rabbits, they have a "noble purpose." I had determined if I was going to do this, that when my rabbits go to meet their maker they would be able to say they had a good life...

(By the way, it could have been better; they could have had air conditioning...)


----------



## nawma (Jun 29, 2013)

I read on this forum somewhere that frozen stone tiles are great to help keep bunnies cooler. Rabbits chew holes in frozen water bottles andthey thaw quickly. But stone floor tiles stay cold for a longer time. Im thinking of getting some to try in this record heat.


----------



## VickieB (Jun 29, 2013)

I saw someone post that you used the outdoor tiles. I went to Lowe's and asked about their "outdoor tiles" and they showed me the paving stones. Those would be way too heavy for my cages. So, I'm assuming they meant indoor tiles. For those of you using tiles, could you please elaborate on that? I've been using wet jeans and that seems to help. I noticed the denim does stay wet longer, and it is cool to the touch, but not cold like a frozen tile would be. 

My other doe kindled this morning. She had 9 babies, so we've had a total of 39 babies in the last 3 weeks. Bugsy didn't do bad for his first month to breed!


----------



## animalmom (Jun 29, 2013)

Give that buck a carrot and a blue ribbon.  He's a keeper!


----------



## Moonshine (Jun 30, 2013)

Hey there ya go! I always tell my buck (BigBoy) that his babies were born and give him extra loving and tell him he did a good job. But ya know I am that crazy lady that just keeps bringing home animals and talks to them lol.


----------



## animalmom (Jun 30, 2013)

Only sane, normal, real people talk to their animals.  Mine, of all species, knows exactly what I am saying.  Of course we all talk to our animals, and for some of us those are the intelligent conversations.


----------



## UnlabeledMama (Jun 30, 2013)

Oh yes!  I always give my buck an extra treat and a pat when a new litter kindles.


----------



## VickieB (Jun 30, 2013)

When these last two litters came we celebrated with some watermelon. It was their first watermelon and they loved it.


----------



## Flamingos (Jul 1, 2013)

Nice litters.....  And boy are your rabbits busy... We are a little slower than 39 babies.... LOL

We have a new buck 1st litter and has not turned out well. Think we had 7 kits to start lost one at birth. We are down to 3.... Was confused on what was happening, to the babies.....Thinking ok the Doe might have to go or the buck.... Well yesterday discovered what has been happening....
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Moved them into an older but better snake proof cage..... He grabbed one while I was standing there..... Baby is ok. the funny thing is that when I went to move them the runt was missing, I thought that snake found his way back and got him.... But he was trapped under the food bowl..... LOL


----------



## VickieB (Jul 1, 2013)

We've been having problems with rats. A few days back I checked on my rabbits before going to bed (they're on the back patio) and I saw 3 rats in the cages, with the rabbits, eating out of their bins. The next day I bought the TomCat rat poison system. It was in a box that locks to keep children and pets out, but there are a couple of holes that allows mice and rats access. I filled it with the poison AND some rabbit pellets hoping to entice them in. That night I saw the rats back in the cages, and they didn't touch the TomCat. The next night I put the poison into the drop pans, mixing it with the rabbit pellets. I also saw to it that all the food was out of the rabbits' bins. That night the rats did get into the poison. For a couple of nights I did not see any signs of the rats, but the last couple of nights we've had one coming. It seems to ignore the TomCat poison, so I've decided to try the D-Con. I'm hoping I might fool it with the different poison. 

Yesterday I noticed one of my 3 week old babies had a nick on it's head, by it's ear. It was bleeding pretty bad. I cleaned it up and put some Neosporin on it. This morning, a few of my newborn kits had signs of being bit. I'm suspecting it's the rat. I'm thinking of bringing them in at night. Does anyone have any advice on this?


----------



## nawma (Jul 2, 2013)

I'm out in the country so I deal with mice in my barns and in my rabbitry. Never ending battle but I only use traps. Rat poison dehydrates the rat and it goes a bit crazy before it dies. It can end up dying right out in the open. The problem with this for me is my dogs. Eating a dead rat or mouse that died from poison is deadly to dogs and I would also assume cats. Some of the new traps are very easy to use and you can dispose of the rodent without fear of having to touch it, which works out great for me. Yuck!,


----------



## Moonshine (Jul 6, 2013)

I don't have any advise about the rats or that problem yet. I wish I could see the pic of the snake that's crazy! I came outside to.check the rabbits water one afternoon and found a 6' chicken snake wrapped around a water bottle beating its head up against a rabbit's cage trying to get in. Scared the bageezes outta me! I can't stand snakes! But I killed that sucker! Lol
Anyway I was going to tell VickieB that we just had a phantom pregnancy. We bred the doe, did the "pregnancy test" a couple days later, then waited 35 days and no babies! Heffer even pulled a little hair! Day 35 came and went, nothing. Day 36, threw her back in with our new buck, Hercules, and bred her 6 more times. Heffer better have babies this time or her name Is gonna be crock pot! (Her name really isn't Heffer, just what I'm calling her now cuz she made me mad! Her name is really BigMama)


----------



## VickieB (Jul 7, 2013)

Moonshine, do you have your buns under air conditioning?  I'm afraid my buns are sitting out in my backyard, and the heat has hit. We've shut down shop for the season...


----------



## Moonshine (Jul 7, 2013)

No ours are not in AC. I've heard of people doing that but my grandpa has raised them all his life and he's always left them outside. I wonder if its hotter under your porch by the house than it would be under a shade tree. That's where ours are located by the barn. I know at our house the AC unit is by one porch and that porch stays hot because of the hot air blowing from the AC unit. Our other porch stays pretty cool and when my grandpa sits out there to read he just puts a fan on him and it stays pretty cool with the fan going. We just discovered this year that the porch by the AC unit was about 10 hotter than the rest of the yard. We have moved all the dogs food and water and anything else that hung out on the porch to the barn and everyone is much happier and cooler.


----------



## VickieB (Jul 7, 2013)

Actually, our AC unit is on the other side of the house. The porch out back is pretty cool. We have two oak trees, and one is absolutely huge, one of the largest in town, in our back yard (the reason we bought this house). This is my first season with rabbits and I was "shutting down for the season" because I thought we were supposed to. I think I'm just going to try to breed the next two rabbits to see what will happen. I will let you know if it's successful!


----------

