Doe Sitting on Nest to Warm Bunnies - Anyone Had this?

[brentr]

My NZ doe kindled last Tuesday. She had plenty of bedding (I have attached nest boxes). She made her nest in the back corner straight in from the door. Eight kits. She didn't pull a lot of hair, and it is a pretty shallow nest, but it has a bit of an overhang in the back - like she tunneled straight back to make her nest instead of digging down in the straw to make it. The interesting thing is that she will lay with her head and shoulders out of the opening, and her hindquarters over the nest - almost like a hen sitting on a clutch of eggs. She effectively seals off all the nest with her body and covers the kits.

I was worried that she would crush the litter, but no damage at all. She doesn't really cover them with hair, but she'll lay in that same spot for hours, getting up only to eat and drink. The kits stay toasty warm and they are growing well. My biggest worry is how exposed the kits are when she isn't laying in that spot.

I thought this was a bit contrary to typical rabbit mothering behavior. This doe has had multiple litters, but this is the first one she's done it this way. It is kind of neat and unsettling at the same time - I keep expecting to find cold kits in the box when I go out in the mornings. They'll be a week old on Tuesday, and I figure they're growing well enough that the worst threat is over and I need to just let her do her thing.

Anyone else had anything like this?

 

[TherapyBunnies]

Interesting....first time I have heard this.

 

[secuono]

Are you sure she's not going potty in the nest? Does she have a resting board in her cage?

 

[brentr]

She does have a resting board, and there has been nary a pellet in the nest. We hit an unseasonally warm stretch starting end of last week, and since then she hasn't been doing this as much. I'm pretty convinced this was intentional behavior by her to keep her nest warm by putting her hindquarters right up against the nest.

Litter will be 2 wks on Tuesday, and all 8 are fat, growing great, and their eyes are starting to crack open.

This doe won't be bred again for a few weeks, but it will be interesting to see if she does this again (it will be much warmer temps when litter is born).