# My lionhead doe had her babies! Have a few questions



## Alicia G (Jan 24, 2013)

So my blue eyed white lionhead doe had 5 big, fat, happy healthy kits! She is living in my house at the moment, and the kits we born in my closet (I setup her nest box/food/water in there). I have a few questions though.
She had a litter before this one, and she did not care for them. She was beside a very needy buck though so I think she was stressed. Anyways she has been on and off this litter today and hasn't been too interested in them from what I can tell. Should I be worried?
The other big issue I have is, she had them on the floor. I gave her two nest boxes and she decided to build the next on my wood floor! Should I be worried about that? 
I have a carpet mat I could slide under the kits, but am unsure if I should or not.
Thanks for all the help!


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## Bunnylady (Jan 24, 2013)

Rabbit mothers can be really dopey. I would put the babies into a nest box, if only to keep them from spreading out all over the place (though they instinctively seek the warmth of their littermates, if they lose contact, they can wander quite a bit!) 

Rabbit does normally feed their litters around dawn and dusk, but otherwise stay away from them. Some people feel that that is poor mothering, but look at it this way: in the wild, most of the things that would threaten the litter are a threat to the mother as well. She wouldn't be effective at protecting the babies from most threats, and her coming and going from the nest could draw predators' attention to it. Staying away from the litter may be the best thing she can do to protect them.

If you don't see the doe nursing the litter, pull the babies out and check their tummies. They should look full in the morning, with a white blob in the middle (the stomach full of milk, of course). Some does don't seem to know that they have to feed their babies. If I have one of those, I will put the nest box into a carrier that is only slightly larger than the nest box, put the mother into the nest box, and close the lid of the carrier. Most of the time what happens is the doe settles down in the box, the babies find her, and all works out fine. I have had a few does that I had to do this to, most get the idea after a couple sessions, and nurse the babies without my involvement after that.


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## Alicia G (Jan 24, 2013)

Ok I've moved them into the next box, there is a carpet mat bottom and hay and fur all around them. She has been going in and out of the box but doesn't stay long enough for them to feed


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## BYJR1434 (Jan 24, 2013)

Very same thing that my first time mom is doing, she had em on the wire all survived doing wonderful now. I put them in the nest box i provided, she would jump in and use it as a bathroom and not pay any attention to em, so i took the nest box out and just have it in the same room and every day 2-3 times aday i take her out and set her up and let the babies crawl under and feed, once early in the morning after i get home from school and or late at night, some dont have the ability to do this but it is working for me, when they get to about 2/1/2- 3 weeks i will put them back in with her. and theyll find there way under her to fill up. there inside for now so no worries about the cold. I dont want them in there getting trampled and pooped on, when theres other options, im hoping shell figure it out with the next litter. goodluck


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## Alicia G (Jan 29, 2013)

Well all the babies died


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## Gagroundhog (Jan 29, 2013)

So sorry, thats sad.    Hopefolly she'll do better next time.


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