# Is it to cold for a single kit to stay warm in 20 to30 degree nights?



## flemish lops (Apr 7, 2012)

I have a netherland dwarf that had 4 kits yesterday, 1 is a peanute, and a jersey wooly that had one kit today. With it being lower 30's and 20's (degrees) at night should I move the one kit in with the netherlad dwarf or would the kit be ok by itself? I have never had one kit in a nest so Im not sure  .


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## brentr (Apr 7, 2012)

I raise Cali/NZ rabbits.  I had a single kit litter last fall when the overnight low was high 20's.  It didn't survive.  Without littermates to snuggle against and share some warmth, it is tough for a single kit to keep warm, even if it is healthy and well-fed and in a nest filled with hair.

I would foster the single kit into the other litter if it were me.  They're close enough in age to make it work.


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## bunnylovincowgirl (Apr 8, 2012)

Yes, definitely foster.


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## yankee'n'moxie (Apr 9, 2012)

I'm a newbie, but just wanted to ask, would it be more worth it to foster some of the other kits to the single litter? So that this mom still had kits to take care of? Or would that not work? Sorry if I am hijacking the thread, just curious...


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## brentr (Apr 9, 2012)

yankee'n'moxie said:
			
		

> I'm a newbie, but just wanted to ask, would it be more worth it to foster some of the other kits to the single litter? So that this mom still had kits to take care of? Or would that not work? Sorry if I am hijacking the thread, just curious...


Great question.  It depends on the litter size, and the prospective foster moms.  Say Doe A kindled 8 kits, Doe B kindled 1.  You could move 2-3 kits from A to B.  Or you could simply move the B kit to litter A.  Depends on the mother rabbits, if they'll accept the changes.  I had a litter of 8 and a single kit born same day last fall.  I moved the single into the litter of 8 and the doe raised all 9 successfully.   In my opinion the risk is lower: 1 kit rejected by foster mom, or 2-3 kits rejected by foster mom.  I prefer the lower odds.

If a doe ends up with no kits (fostered off a single kit, kits die, whatever), the best thing to do is remove the nest box completely to help her "abandon" the litter/nest.  She'll forget about it pretty quickly, and she can be re-bred in 1-2 days.


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## Citylife (Apr 9, 2012)

bunnylovincowgirl said:
			
		

> Yes, definitely foster.


had to foster out one this morning.  she had 7 babies all cold dead.  I brought 4 back to life.  Gave them back to her and had to leave.  Four hours later one was alive.  I put it in with the litter born yesterday.  I will check on them in the morning.  Now, this week I have a doe to cull.  This was her last chance at raising a litter.  

wish you luck with your bunny


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## flemish lops (Apr 10, 2012)

Thanks all for the replies! I put the little J Wooly kit in with my netherland dwarf's litter and all is going great. Though the next day when I went out to feed them my jersey wooly had pulled out all of her fur  . She has fur left only on her head and a strip along her back. (Note to self, take nest box out when kits are out  .)


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## Bunnylady (Apr 11, 2012)

flemish lops said:
			
		

> Thanks all for the replies! I put the little J Wooly kit in with my netherland dwarf's litter and all is going great. Though the next day when I went out to feed them my *jersey wooly had pulled out all of her fur*  . She has fur left only on her head and a strip along her back. (Note to self, take nest box out when kits are out  .)


She'd have done that whether she had a box or not. I can't count the number of times I've had a doe that didn't pull any fur at the time of kindling pull like crazy a day or so later. I often take my litters into my house at night; on many, many mornings I have seen drifts of fur piled in corners of mommas' cages. The rabbit that pulls herself completely bald, though - I've only had one of those, it was a JW, too!


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## adorable (Apr 18, 2012)

yankee'n'moxie said:
			
		

> I'm a newbie, but just wanted to ask, would it be more worth it to foster some of the other kits to the single litter? So that this mom still had kits to take care of? Or would that not work? Sorry if I am hijacking the thread, just curious...


This is what i would of done. It gives the other babies from the netherland better chances. Adding another baby puts more stain on the moms milk. Not all moms are good milker. I would never take a baby on a mom unless there is a good reason to. And this is not one of them. You had enough babies from the other mom to pass at least one to the other doe. She would of liked being a mom. ...What you did is fine to. But I wouldnt of done it this way.


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## adorable (Apr 18, 2012)

brentr said:
			
		

> yankee'n'moxie said:
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THis is not true. Mothers do not reject a baby of the same age or close to it.


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## flemish lops (Apr 18, 2012)

adorable said:
			
		

> yankee'n'moxie said:
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Thanks for the info but I seem to have over counted the netherland dwarfs  .The mother had 3 kits , not 4, and one was a peanut. I would have put one of the NDs with my jersy wooly but because one of them being a peanut woud make the other nest have only one kit in it again.


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