2 days to go- no sign she's getting ready

[Kaye]

Last night she had babies all over over the cage... I cought her right after she had them and put them Ina box lined with a t shirt and the one tuft of hair she pulled. We walked out about 20 minutes later to show my daughter and she ended up finding another baby on the ground outside the cage. I warmed him back up and put him back in the box. This morning I checked her and there were three of her five. I figured she um, 'did away' with the oter two. Fast forward about an HOUR and I walk back to check on them when I almost step on one on the ground. I put number four back in with the others and look around for number five. Found it about five feet away from the cage on the ground under the travel trailer. It had wedged itself under a pipe. These are only hours old bunnies, mind you, and with five cats and the neighbors lab running around. I once again warmed the bunny up and put it in with the other four.... So far we have no fatalities and she looks like she's going to take care of them
I also have another doe coming to me Sunday and she's already preggo from a different buck!! I'm very excited at this point

 

[Genipher]

How are they getting out?

Hopefully they'll stay put now!

 

[chiques chicks]

Sounds as if you need wire with smaller holes around the bottom of the cage/hutch. ½" hardware cloth or 1x½ wire on the bottom four inches is good.

 

[Kaye]

I have NO IDEA how they were getting out. I put them in a different box and they were all there this morning. We had one that died last night. And it looked as tho she had pushed it away from the others. She seems to be taking care of them so I'm hopeful they make it, but she bit the tip of one of thems ear off.

 

[Kaye]

This is the one she bit the tip of it's ear off....

 

[Genipher]

I have NO IDEA how they were getting out. I put them in a different box and they were all there this morning. We had one that died last night. And it looked as tho she had pushed it away from the others. She seems to be taking care of them so I'm hopeful they make it, but she bit the tip of one of thems ear off.

Aw,

I wonder if the one that died was one of the ones you found outside the cage. Bunny#4 or #5?

Is the one with the missing ear-tips alive...or dead?

 

[Bunnylady]

Congrats on a live litter!

Baby bunnies are surprisingly mobile. They do a lot of crawling; if the weather is cool, they instinctively creep around trying to find each other to stay warm. During hot weather, they spread out, and may crawl out of a box if the sides are low enough. Many, many years ago, I had a Mini Rex litter in a cage that had regular 1" x 2" wire on the sides, and these kits crawled out of the nest box, fell out of the cage, and crawled across the rabbitry floor at least once every day until they got too big to fit through the wire. Drove me nuts! One or two hanging on and getting pulled out I could see, but this was the entire litter of 5. Amazingly, they survived, but that litter and others taught me to check where I put my feet if I had little babies out there (my cages for does with litters are all 1/2" x 1" wire now, so this isn't an issue any more.)

 

[Kaye]

Aw,

I wonder if the one that died was one of the ones you found outside the cage. Bunny#4 or #5?

Is the one with the missing ear-tips alive...or dead?

It was infact #5. And yes the one with the missing ear tip is still alive and wiggling!!

Congrats on a live litter!

Baby bunnies are surprisingly mobile. They do a lot of crawling; if the weather is cool, they instinctively creep around trying to find each other to stay warm. During hot weather, they spread out, and may crawl out of a box if the sides are low enough. Many, many years ago, I had a Mini Rex litter in a cage that had regular 1" x 2" wire on the sides, and these kits crawled out of the nest box, fell out of the cage, and crawled across the rabbitry floor at least once every day until they got too big to fit through the wire. Drove me nuts! One or two hanging on and getting pulled out I could see, but this was the entire litter of 5. Amazingly, they survived, but that litter and others taught me to check where I put my feet if I had little babies out there (my cages for does with litters are all 1/2" x 1" wire now, so this isn't an issue any more.)

I can only imagine!! The wire might be a factor, but these are pretty big bunnies. They definitely took after their mother. Lol. And my wire is bigger on the sides and I think 1/2 x 1" on the bottom although I'm pretty sure they're just escape artists. It's just those two that got out. The one that died was also te one that KayLynne had found after I had put the others in the box and left them alone. I think maybe he just didn't get that colostrum that the others got. Ormaybe it got too cold before I found it (both times). I have definately been tiptoeing to the box like a ninja so I don't step on one. I'm so lucky I hadn't already stepped on #4 previously. She has pulled even more fur since this morning and is finally starting to consume feed hay water and fresh greens like a rabbit who's nursing fat babies. They've stayed put so far and are looking good, except that #4 has a few ant bites from being on the ground. What can I do about this, if I can do anything?? Thanks for the congrats and advice!!

 

[Kaye]

It is exhausting being a baby bunny!!

 

[Genipher]

It was infact #5. And yes the one with the missing ear tip is still alive and wiggling!!


I can only imagine!! The wire might be a factor, but these are pretty big bunnies. They definitely took after their mother. Lol. And my wire is bigger on the sides and I think 1/2 x 1" on the bottom although I'm pretty sure they're just escape artists. It's just those two that got out. The one that died was also te one that KayLynne had found after I had put the others in the box and left them alone. I think maybe he just didn't get that colostrum that the others got. Ormaybe it got too cold before I found it (both times). I have definately been tiptoeing to the box like a ninja so I don't step on one. I'm so lucky I hadn't already stepped on #4 previously. She has pulled even more fur since this morning and is finally starting to consume feed hay water and fresh greens like a rabbit who's nursing fat babies. They've stayed put so far and are looking good, except that #4 has a few ant bites from being on the ground. What can I do about this, if I can do anything?? Thanks for the congrats and advice!!

I'm not sure...as long as the bites aren't infected my gut-instinct would be to leave them alone and let them heal.