# HELP Kits, mom won't go in box...



## norcal (Sep 14, 2010)

We did not know one of our does was pregnant.   She just had 2 babies, we did not yet have a box in there.   So, we quick made a cardboard box, shaped exactly like a nesting box, but maybe a little short.   Anyhow, we put the babies in and she won't go in the dang thing?

What do we do?   I tried to put her IN the box, but she freaked out.  Should we cut the top off of it for now?


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## norcal (Sep 14, 2010)

Should we take the box out & put them on a towel?   I'm scared we're gonna lose them....


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## dbunni (Sep 14, 2010)

Leave her alone.  Put the babies in the box and walk away.  The babies are born with enough reserves for 12-24 hours.  Mother bunnies do not go into the box except when feeding ... often in the middle of the night.  They do not, as a rule, feed during the day.  And you watching is just going to add to the issues.  Let her alone and let mother nature take its course.

Best of luck ...


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## norcal (Sep 15, 2010)

I don't think she's gone in the box.   The hutch is 20 yards away from the house.   I would occasionally shine the light down there last night, and never saw her in the box.


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## glenolam (Sep 15, 2010)

Just keep an eye on the kits - take a look at their bellies today...are they round and full?  

She's probably going in there every once in a while - they back themselves right in, let the kits have a suckle or two, then out they go again.  I wouldn't worry so much about it yet.


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## Citylife (Sep 15, 2010)

glenolam said:
			
		

> Just keep an eye on the kits - take a look at their bellies today...are they round and full?
> 
> She's probably going in there every once in a while - they back themselves right in, let the kits have a suckle or two, then out they go again.  I wouldn't worry so much about it yet.


Ditto!
It's natural to worry about them, but stop.  Dont give yourself gray hairs over it.  Like everyone else said, she will be feeding at night.  And most likely only one or two times.  So, you will most likely never see her in the box.  
You also, do not want to keep putting her in there as she may stomp them and could actually kill them accidentally.
I think we all get a bit nervous with our first litters.  Relax and again..... if the bellys are round and full, she is doing her job.

the lady w/4 dogs, 4 city chickens, 5 meat rabbits, their kits and a lizard
and a STD Poodle I am fostering.


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## norcal (Sep 15, 2010)

We saw her in there twice today.   ??   Hopefully instinct is taking over.   She's such a small doe, her babies seem big for a rabbit her size.  ??


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## Bunnylady (Sep 15, 2010)

A rabbit doe will go into her nest (usually only once or twice _per day_), stand over the kits, and let them nurse. She only stands there for a few minutes, it is up to the kits to get latched on and get a good tummyful before she leaves. As several others have said, check the babies. Unless the bellies are slack and empty looking, the kits are nursing, and things are going as they should. I "kitnap" most of my litters, keeping them in my hall closet and only taking them out to the mothers once or twice a day. Rabbit milk is incredibly rich, the babies really  aren't meant to be fed more often than that (people who hand-feed milk replacer have to feed more often, because the replacer isn't as nutrient dense). 

Frequently, the smaller the litter (numerically), the larger the individual kits are. It isn't unusual for does to lose a litter of only one or two at birth, because the kits are so large, the delivery takes a lot of time and effort. Smaller litters are more prone to getting lost due to cold, simply because they don't have enough collective mass to keep themselves warm. Does don't usually snuggle with their babies, or really have anything at all to do with them when they aren't nursing them (an activity that often occurs at dawn and/or dusk).


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## norcal (Sep 15, 2010)

Thanks for all the advice, hubby made a nice nest box this morning, and she likes it better.        I'll check their little bellies tomorrow, hopefully they're round.   Hubby was the one freaking out and you know that's catchy.   I told him, they're livestock, this is not Charlotte's Web.        But, we're both excited.


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## norcal (Sep 16, 2010)

Well, they're still alive.  I don't know squat, but one looks a little slack bellied & the other looks medium, but not full-bellied.


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## glenolam (Sep 17, 2010)

I think everyone will be fine!  Relax (both you and your hubby!) and enjoy them!

If you start noticing them wiggling less (being as lethargic as they can for few day old kits) then it may be time to consult a vet.  But if they're moving around a little and tummies don't look completely empty, you're all set!

Do some research on what their tummies should look like....at least that'll give you a starting point as to what to look for.

Good luck!!


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## norcal (Sep 18, 2010)

Well, I didn't want to admit it in the beginning but one had fallen through the wire the first day.     It died.   And now we're about to lose a 2nd one - it seemed fine yesterday, now it's shrinking.  

It's a learning experience.......I guess.....


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## Dreaming Of Goats (Sep 18, 2010)

Awwwww.... any pictures?


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## Bunnylady (Sep 18, 2010)

People who use the expression "breed like rabbits" have never bred rabbits, or they'd know it isn't always that easy. I'm sorry for your loss. Sometimes when I breed, for all my care and effort, all I have to show for it is a lot of dead bunnies, so I sympathize.


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