# HarDel Rabbitry Journal



## Miss mouse (Apr 26, 2020)

Hey all, I've been on here for about a year now and often have the urge to write about my day or recent events so I think I'll start a journal. Honestly not sure I'll be consistent on when and how often I post but at least I have an outlet to share the happenings of my rabbits when I don't really have a question. 
So here we go:
Today I had one of the ladies that is interested in buying kits from me send me a kijiji ad for Champagne D'argents just 20 minutes from my place (and yes when you live in the country thats pretty close!) I've been admiring the breed on instagram's #meatrabbits so when I got the text I was pretty excited. I made my boyfriend come with me and buy us a pair. We're going to breed the doe back to their breeding stock when she's old enough. I was so thrilled because I honestly didn't think there were any of the breed up in this area!
So now we have:
2 Flemish Giant x New Zealand bucks - a frosty and a sandy
2 Flemish Giant x Dutch?, a doe and buck both black
2 Californian does
1 Flemish Giant mix doe - sandy
3 Pedigreed Pure Bred Flemish giants - 2 does (sandy and fawn) and a buck (sandy)
2 Champagne D'argent (a doe and a buck)
We also currently have 18 babies - 9 are 6 weeks old and 9 4 days old and a litter due tomorrow.
We have 4 more pregnant does after that. 
And such insane demand out here I'm not even confident with all those litters coming I'm going to have the "rabbit a week" in the freezer I was planning for!

We finished our giant rabbit skid yesterday and finally got it outside today. There's 2 6 week old's out in it right now to test it out for flaws. We'll move the rest of the grow outs out there if they can't escape. The baby cage is getting pretty busy!

Well I think that's all I feel like chatting about/documenting for today. If you decided to read all that, congratulations! I'll add some corresponding photos from my phone later .


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## Miss mouse (Apr 26, 2020)




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## thistlebloom (Apr 26, 2020)

Those Champagne d'Argents are really beautiful! 
Very nice rabbit tractor too.


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## Senile_Texas_Aggie (Apr 27, 2020)

@Miss mouse,

I am now following along.  There are a lot of folks here who raise rabbits.  Two that come to mind are Miss @AmberLops and Miss @drstratton.  I know there are others but my senile memory is failing me here.  I hope you can fill us in on more of your rabbit and other adventures.  BTW, Miss @SA Farm is either in Alberta or Saskatchewan (I can't remember) so you two can relate to the Canadian climate! 

Senile Texas Aggie


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## drstratton (Apr 27, 2020)

Thank you for tagging me in this thread @Senile_Texas_Aggie, I'm now following along too!

Those are beautiful rabbits and your rabbit tractor is pretty amazing!  I was afraid to leave ours open on the bottom, for fear they would escape! We have 2x4 wire throughout, but I'm now thinking that we will need to add hardware cloth into their enclosed area, we had a dog dig out under ours last night, it killed one and one escaped. The rabbits in our tractor are quite wild and were given to us from a friend who has way to many, he raises them colony style! I think once we have our own rabbits in there, I won't worry about them trying to dig out! Our breeding stock consists of a New Zealand buck and doe and the other doe is a mixed breed from our friend!


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## Miss mouse (Apr 27, 2020)

drstratton said:


> Thank you for tagging me in this thread @Senile_Texas_Aggie, I'm now following along too!
> 
> Those are beautiful rabbits and your rabbit tractor is pretty amazing!  I was afraid to leave ours open on the bottom, for fear they would escape! We have 2x4 wire throughout, but I'm now thinking that we will need to add hardware cloth into their enclosed area, we had a dog dig out under ours last night, it killed one and one escaped. The rabbits in our tractor are quite wild and were given to us from a friend who has way to many, he raises them colony style! I think once we have our own rabbits in there, I won't worry about them trying to dig out! Our breeding stock consists of a New Zealand buck and doe and the other doe is a mixed breed from our friend!
> View attachment 73032
> View attachment 73033


Oh gosh, I totally have the same fear but my boyfriend thinks it will be okay if we move it regular they won't be interested in escaping! But we do have mesh in a quadrant on each side that they will go in at night so predators can't dig in overnight. If we have any issues he'll ad mesh floor. 
Your babies are adorable  <3


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## drstratton (Apr 27, 2020)

Miss mouse said:


> Oh gosh, I totally have the same fear but my boyfriend thinks it will be okay if we move it regular they won't be interested in escaping! But we do have mesh in a quadrant on each side that they will go in at night so predators can't dig in overnight. If we have any issues he'll ad mesh floor.
> Your babies are adorable  <3


I wish we would have put mesh in their enclosed area, but our tractor isn't as big as yours and we wanted them to be able to get to as much grass as possible!  We've decided to turn the tractor into a raised hutch, just to much risk with all of the dogs that pack around here!  I hope everything goes well with yours!

They are pretty cute, but skittish. The gray one wasn't handled at all and the 2 NZ were handled very little!  I'm hoping they will like me more once they are all in their own cages and I become their only company!


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## Miss mouse (Apr 27, 2020)

I'm so glad I started this because I've already got so much to unload 
Okay so our 2 tester babies were out overnight in the mesh side and survived the night. So as I was enjoying my breakfast and my morning tea I watch my boyfriend rather suspiciously go out to the skid with a big blue tub. 
I knew for sure he was taking out more babies without checking in with me. So I texted to ask who he was putting in as friends with the testers and he just replied back that they had mice friends (we have an insane amount of mice out now that the snow melted, Tiger Lily our barn cat is having a party and leaving dead mice strewn EVERYWHERE but these were live one). 
I went and did my usual chores and didn't get a chance to go out to the skid before I had to leave for work. So he sent me a video, he put out ALL NINE of the 6 week olds!!!! 
So of course I wasn't thrilled but what you going to do? I've been slowly adding green to their diets so hopefully it won't shock their systems. They were all present, accounted for, and super happy when I got home. Thankfully he left the CD babies in the cage as they haven't started eating any greens yet. 
So after I got home and checked the babies in the skid I headed to the rabbit shed cause I like to hang out in there, it's peaceful and there's cuddles to be had. Anyway, I get in there and I'm just goofing off on my phone when I happen to look up and see that there's extra fur lying around the californian's cage who was due today so I excitedly went to see if the babies arrived. And they had, but they were sprawled all over the nesting box! 
Luckily it looked like she had them recently since there was fresh blood etc. So I hurried to grab the FIVE cold babies tucking them in my shirt as the fastest source of heat (my hands are chronic ice cubes). As soon as I had them all tucked in I called my boyfriend to come as he has nice warm hands. So we cranked the heat and wrapped the babies up in towels and warmed them up by the heater. I discovered an additional 3 warm babies under the fur and my BF discovered an underdeveloped DOA. So the litter was 9 in total with 8 living and only by the miracle that I came in when I did. 

So on another note about this new litter, some of you may have seen the thread and some may not but my goal was to get a white or himi baby buck to breed back to the cali's for a consistent white line. However my best shot in the dark to achieve that was to breed a cali to my white "frosty" buck which essentially means he carries genes that block out yellow and black. So I knew it would be a mixed bag of what the pair would produce but I was expecting a mix of grey shades, white, and himi babies. What I GOT was ALL GREY  I'm so very confused. But I'm going to cross my fingers that they change as they grow fur 

I do NOT want to have to go shopping for a californian buck in this economy, rabbit sales are insane right now and I've done enough buying this season!

Anyway, BF is out playing with the skid as I'm typing this, wracking my nerves what on earth he's doing with my babies! Again, I'll add a few photos from my phone later, it's just easier to type long posts on the computer.
Thanks for reading along!


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## Miss mouse (Apr 27, 2020)




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## drstratton (Apr 28, 2020)

So glad that you found them in time...that was almost tragic!  Curious to see what color your babies are as their fur comes in!  I still have a couple of months before we can breed ours!  I have no idea what color I'll get from my gray doe...she comes from a colony setting of mixed breeds and there are many different colors!


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## Miss mouse (Apr 28, 2020)

Had a wonderful surprise this morning. I was weighing the babies from the new litter when I found a baby whose color was missing. I assumed mom cleaned it off so I kept weighing the rest thinking I'd narrow down which which color it should've been. Get through all the rest and discover it's a BONUS BABY. I must have found the babies when mom wasn't quite done yet so we got one more! so now the litter is 9 living which matches her sister's litter of 9.

I have also successfully lined up a buck from the girl's brother so I don't have to figure out how to come up with a himi baby from my genetics 

So all in all today was pretty awesome. I also went to sit in the skid with the babies and they crawled all over me which was super cute.

Next up is chunky and speckle bum who are due in 5 and  6 days respectively. They have both been making giant messes of their hay feeders, nesting boxes, and overall cages so hopefully they build good nests in all their excitement.


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## drstratton (Apr 28, 2020)

Miss mouse said:


> Had a wonderful surprise this morning. I was weighing the babies from the new litter when I found a baby whose color was missing. I assumed mom cleaned it off so I kept weighing the rest thinking I'd narrow down which which color it should've been. Get through all the rest and discover it's a BONUS BABY. I must have found the babies when mom wasn't quite done yet so we got one more! so now the litter is 9 living which matches her sister's litter of 9.
> 
> I have also successfully lined up a buck from the girl's brother so I don't have to figure out how to come up with a himi baby from my genetics
> 
> ...


Congratulations, bonuses are always nice! 

I hope you will be able to get the color that you're wanting with your new buck!

Looking forward to watching your current litter grow and to seeing what you get in your next two! 💞


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## Miss mouse (Apr 29, 2020)

What color are these babies?


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## drstratton (Apr 29, 2020)

Miss mouse said:


> View attachment 73202View attachment 73203View attachment 73204View attachment 73205
> What color are these babies?


Is that the litter that was just born?  They look brown! What was the cross? I'm no expert, just curious!


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## Miss mouse (Apr 29, 2020)

drstratton said:


> Is that the litter that was just born?  They look brown! What was the cross? I'm no expert, just curious!


These guys are a week old. They were all black from the day they were born. I noticed the shading starting yesterday and more prominent today and it's only on about 1/3. Daddy is pure black mom is a Californian with super dark brown ears.


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## Miss mouse (Apr 29, 2020)

The parents



The day they were born


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## drstratton (Apr 29, 2020)

Miss mouse said:


> These guys are a week old. They were all black from the day they were born. I noticed the shading starting yesterday and more prominent today and it's only on about 1/3. Daddy is pure black mom is a Californian with super dark brown ears.


I thought they looked older, but I'm new to breeding! I think the color is going to be really pretty!


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## Miss mouse (May 1, 2020)

Yesterday we lost one of the kits from the latest litter. He just seemed to lose a bunch of weight and then he got squished in the nest by his siblings. It was really disappointing and I felt a little guilty that I didn't try feeding him but despite the weight loss, he had a full belly the day before so I wasn't worried. So she's back down to 8 kits. Good thing we got the bonus bunny I guess. The original runt is doing really well so hopefully we've settled out now.

The younger litter is starting to turn black now so it looks like I'm going to have plenty of black bunnies this season... 6 in the skid, 18 in nesting boxes, and another black litter on the way. 

Today I decided to de-matt Cucumber's bum. Hes such a sweet quiet little thing that he put up with being brushed and yanked on amazingly. Had to get my boyfriend to hold up Cuc's bum for me so I could safely work around his tail without neutering him by accident 😅 but the pile of fur I cut off him makes me think he should be far more comfortable now. For some reason he doesn't really shed normal, the shedding fur seems to just clump and stay in amongst the fresh fur, it's kinda strange. You can see the old fur because it looks like little white clumps amongst his fawn colour. 

In a completely separate line of thought; our feral kitty, Nixie, appears to have had her babies but I don't know where to look for them. They aren't in the Quonset where she is fed and often naps. Any suggestions where in the brush I should look for baby kittens? I'm hoping to tame them so we don't get over run with ferals like mom.

I've also lined up homes for Sourdough and Biscuit now that we've decided against using them as breeders. They are such sweeties I'm glad someone else wants to breed them.


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## Miss mouse (May 2, 2020)

SO here's a question for my bunny people following along. The 7 week olds are insanely tame. if you go out to the skid they swarm around you for treats and cuddles and pets. They'll jump in your lap and don't mind being picked up. I've literally pet these babies every day of their lives but here's the thing, the tans have all started biting, HARD not just a light nip like they want a pet or they're tasting to see if your clothes are edible. Today I had one bite my leg, thumb, and pointer finger super hard in the span of a few minutes. I said ow and pushed her away everytime. She just came right back and kept at it. Why have they started this and how do I curb it? They are going to their homes next week and I don't need them biting their new owners!

@Bunnylady @B&B Happy goats @Baymule


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## Miss mouse (May 3, 2020)

As I'm waiting very impatiently for the litters due today and tomorrow I'll switch to cats for a moment. There are 5 cats we feed, 2 are my indoor  spoiled brats, Dusty and Felix, our outdoor noodle kitten, Tiger Lily, the feral that we see daily, Nixie, and the feral that we lay eyes on so rarely I often start to think she's gone, Kelpie. Dusty and Felix are both fixed and Felix likes to got play outside with the outside kitties. 
So there's this Tom cat that comes around roughly every 3 months and knocks up the feral cats and scares the **** out of Felix. We spotted him today so I let Tiger in the house because she isn't quite a year yet and not even 5lbs. I don't think having kittens would be good for her. I got really mad when I saw him because the ferals must have JUST had his last litters (I've gone searching, I can't find the kittens) and he shows up again! I wish I knew his rotation so I could catch him and get him fixed. 
Well at least Tiger Lily is a happy camper, she's in here enjoying all the things the indoor cats are bored of by now 😂


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## B&B Happy goats (May 3, 2020)

Miss mouse said:


> SO here's a question for my bunny people following along. The 7 week olds are insanely tame. if you go out to the skid they swarm around you for treats and cuddles and pets. They'll jump in your lap and don't mind being picked up. I've literally pet these babies every day of their lives but here's the thing, the tans have all started biting, HARD not just a light nip like they want a pet or they're tasting to see if your clothes are edible. Today I had one bite my leg, thumb, and pointer finger super hard in the span of a few minutes. I said ow and pushed her away everytime. She just came right back and kept at it. Why have they started this and how do I curb it? They are going to their homes next week and I don't need them biting their new owners!
> 
> @Bunnylady @B&B Happy goats @Baymule


That biting  is nonthing I have experienced, ... ours stay in their hutches full time and the doe's  will bite when they are ready to kindle or when with new kits...sorry I don't  have any insight  for you that would be helpful


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## Miss mouse (May 3, 2020)

I waited all day and still no babies. 🤞I hope They're in the nest box overnight. I'll be devastated if they're born on the wire again. What if I don't get to them in time 😭 okay okay, power of positive thinking. I'm going to wake up to two gorgeous happy litters in two perfect nests ♥️
Goodnight all!


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## Miss mouse (May 4, 2020)

Everyone arrived today just as I was on my way to work. Speckle bum had 9 and chunky had 8. I love them so much!


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## drstratton (May 5, 2020)

Miss mouse said:


> Everyone arrived today just as I was on my way to work. Speckle bum had 9 and chunky had 8. I love them so much!
> View attachment 73424View attachment 73425View attachment 73426View attachment 73427


They are so adorable! 💞


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## Miss mouse (May 6, 2020)

I'm going to do my word update and picture update separate again. Where to start! There's so much wonderfulness happening.
Okay so my boyfriend rearranged the rabbit area for me and it's sooo much nicer now. We used to have the red "hospital" hutch a short walk away from the main shed and it meant that I was really starting to keep a little bit of supplies with the hutch and the rest in the shed and it was a little annoying but he moved it all close together and put the picnic table out front so I can do prep work, grooming, and cuddles right outside the shed door. He also brought me his red trunk that can fit a bale of hay in it and propped it up right outside the shed door so I don't have to go far for my hay. It also looks super sharp with the red trunk and red hutch matching each other.  

The babies are doing awesome. Yesterday the runt from the older litter had lost some weight and had only been staying level the 2 days before so that was a red flag. So I brought him in the house and gave him 5 ml of KMR so he'd get a boost and have the energy to suckle last night. It worked perfectly and he was up 10 grams today. Hopefully that's all he needed to stay on track. He is 2 weeks now so hopefully he's figured out to eat some hay from the nest. 

The new babies are all doing well. It's day 3 and their hair is starting to come in. Chunky's babies are looking mostly fawn so far but a couple are showing some signs that they may be sandy! That would be cool.

Speckle bum's babies are really coming in all over the map. We have 3 that are mostly black with a white mark on the forehead, 2 that have white toes and some white on the head and chest, 2 that are turning brown with white bellies, and 2 that are black with white bellies. All the ones with white bellies have white ears too and it's super cute!

Every stage of bunnies is so cute but I can't help getting excited about the next stage with each one! arrival, fur, eyes, moving around, puff balls, out of the nest, curious and playful, weaning; it's all amazing 💗


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## Miss mouse (May 6, 2020)




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## drstratton (May 6, 2020)

It really is amazing, they change and grow so quickly!  Love your setup!


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## Miss mouse (May 10, 2020)

The days run together so this update is kind of sequential but I'm not really sure what happened on which day anymore  😂 
So the above baby that needed a booster meal did well and has been gaining weight ever since. We had 3 more that lost weight and needed to be fed but they all seem to be recovering as well. Pretty thrilled that everyone is doing so well.

One of our litters is developing really cool colors so my BF wants to keep the parents to try to figure out how to intentionally get the color. Unfortunately I had already found homes for them thinking we didn't need them anymore so I feel really bad telling people we changed our minds. 

We seem to have the snuffles going through the herd. The FG's came with it, the CD's came with it, and one of the does I've had for a while has developed it pretty bad. her first litter that haven't' been exposed to any of the new rabbits also have it so I'm guessing it was lying dormant with mom and the change in weather has everyone's immune systems low. I'm giving everyone some echinacea in addition to their ACV water and apple twigs. I'm hoping they all start mending without needing antibiotics. Any suggestions?

I the doe with snuffles also pulled way too much fur for her latest litter and shes getting super skinny, any suggestions how I can help her? She's on calf manna, ACV water, apple twigs, echinacea treats, and has all the pellets and hay she wants. 

Pictures to follow. Thanks guys!


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## Miss mouse (May 10, 2020)

Oh ya, and I started tattooing juniors but I’m not very good yet. This was the most legible of the 4 I did the other day.


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## Miss mouse (May 14, 2020)

So I finally found a vet that I could get to help me with the rabbits and we obtained baytril to put in the water. So we are commencing 10-14 days of treatment and hopefully this all gets cleared up after that! It kinda hurts my heart to listen to them sneeze and wheeze so I'll be happy when they're on the mend. Sales are on pause until we get this sorted but that really only affects 2. 
YAY


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## drstratton (May 14, 2020)

Miss mouse said:


> So I finally found a vet that I could get to help me with the rabbits and we obtained baytril to put in the water. So we are commencing 10-14 days of treatment and hopefully this all gets cleared up after that! It kinda hurts my heart to listen to them sneeze and wheeze so I'll be happy when they're on the mend. Sales are on pause until we get this sorted but that really only affects 2.
> YAY


I hope that they improve quickly and regain their health!


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## Miss mouse (May 17, 2020)

What is happening?


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## drstratton (May 17, 2020)

Miss mouse said:


> View attachment 73913
> What is happening?


Is that ulcerated? It looks like an infection!


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## Miss mouse (May 17, 2020)

drstratton said:


> Is that ulcerated? It looks like an infection!


I've no idea! It's swollen and red and peeling
I soaked his bum in a Epsom salt bath and then put preparation H on the swelling ( I have it for tattooing their ears so I figure if it's recommended for that hopefully it's safe?)


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## Miss mouse (May 17, 2020)

Miss mouse said:


> I've no idea! It's swollen and red and peeling
> I soaked his bum in a Epsom salt bath and then put preparation H on the swelling ( I have it for tattooing their ears so I figure if it's recommended for that hopefully it's safe?)


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## drstratton (May 17, 2020)

Miss mouse said:


> I've no idea! It's swollen and red and peeling
> I soaked his bum in a Epsom salt bath and then put preparation H on the swelling ( I have it for tattooing their ears so I figure if it's recommended for that hopefully it's safe?)


Poor baby! You might want to clean that off, I don't know if rabbits clean themselves like dogs and cats, but Prep H is poisonous if ingested!


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## Miss mouse (May 18, 2020)

We decided to cull as he is the runt and has had some other struggles and I felt he must be in quite some pain with the swelling he was experiencing


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## drstratton (May 18, 2020)

Miss mouse said:


> We decided to cull as he is the runt and has had some other struggles and I felt he must be in quite some pain with the swelling he was experiencing


I'm so sorry...that is never an easy decision to make! 😪


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## Miss mouse (May 20, 2020)

Well here's a question for you. One of our new does is due with her first litter tomorrow. She hasn't built a nest yet and she hasn't pulled any fur yet but this morning she had half a baby in her cage. My BF is worried she's going to cannibalize all babies now but from what I can see on the internet it might have been stillborn and she thought it was placenta, or she was protecting herself. I don't know if she'll have any more or not. What do you guys think? Do we think she has any chance of still being a good mom or is this a really bad sign?


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## Miss mouse (May 20, 2020)

This afternoon when I got home and was doing the evening feeding she had a second one. She had it on her resting pad and then I think she cleaned it up before moving away from it. It started squawking which is how I found out it was there. I scooped it up and it was still warm so I tucked it into the nesting box and showed her where it was. After sniffing a bit she went back to ignoring it. Then she started digging and taking hay out of the box and I was worried she would hurt it so I pulled it out again and it was cold. I took it into the house and got it warm on a heating pad and gave it 2 ml of formula. My BF decided it would be best to move her back out to the first cage she was in when she got here as it is more spacious and familiar to her despite being outside. We made the move, took the top off the nesting box, and gave the baby some fur I had from grooming as she still hasn't pulled any fur. Now we'll leave her to do her thing and hopefully she figures out how to nest and have the rest of the litter. It's so hard to just sit back and let nature take it's course but you also don't really get a choice. Here's hoping it all works out!


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## drstratton (May 20, 2020)

Miss mouse said:


> This afternoon when I got home and was doing the evening feeding she had a second one. She had it on her resting pad and then I think she cleaned it up before moving away from it. It started squawking which is how I found out it was there. I scooped it up and it was still warm so I tucked it into the nesting box and showed her where it was. After sniffing a bit she went back to ignoring it. Then she started digging and taking hay out of the box and I was worried she would hurt it so I pulled it out again and it was cold. I took it into the house and got it warm on a heating pad and gave it 2 ml of formula. My BF decided it would be best to move her back out to the first cage she was in when she got here as it is more spacious and familiar to her despite being outside. We made the move, took the top off the nesting box, and gave the baby some fur I had from grooming as she still hasn't pulled any fur. Now we'll leave her to do her thing and hopefully she figures out how to nest and have the rest of the litter. It's so hard to just sit back and let nature take it's course but you also don't really get a choice. Here's hoping it all works out!


Wow, I hope that she gets it figured out. Seems like a good sign that she hasn't killed the second one.


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## Miss mouse (May 21, 2020)

We woke up to 4 babies in a nest in the nest box, one under developed DOA, and one ice cube near the edge of the nesting box. I've warmed it up and I think it's going to make it so 5/7! Pretty good considering how this started! Hopefully she has it all figured out now 🤞


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## drstratton (May 21, 2020)

Miss mouse said:


> We woke up to 4 babies in a nest in the nest box, one under developed DOA, and one ice cube near the edge of the nesting box. I've warmed it up and I think it's going to make it so 5/7! Pretty good considering how this started! Hopefully she has it all figured out now 🤞


That's such good news! 💞


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## Miss mouse (May 22, 2020)

So we're two days in and I had my numbers wrong last time so it's actually 6/9 alive and they are gaining weight like pros and mom is super protective but luckily is willing to be distracted by dandelions  😂 
We are going to pick up our cows from a province over and leave tonight so I had my friend over to give her the run down on taking care of our critters last night. It's so nice to have someone who loves the bunnies as much as I do available to take care of them! We're paying her in the form of Pepper, a proven 8 month old buck we don't need anymore. He's super snuggly.
I'll post a picture update shortly


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## Miss mouse (May 22, 2020)




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