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- #11
PinkFox
Chillin' with the herd
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- Nov 16, 2011
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well i can say shes VERY attentive, her hutch is 4ft long and she spends much of her day activly checking her babies...if i go neer the hutch too she runs into the house and watches what im doing, shell let me check them and then once ive put them back shell go over to the next check them all over and cover or uncover them depending (if the nest was uncovered when i opend up to check them and i cover the kits with fur shel uncover them, and visa versa.
i swear she gives me this look like "ugh silly human messing up my hard work" she certinaly doesnt need to be anywhere neer her nest (relitivly) shes a rex in a 48" long hutch) but i spend alot of time outside and i do see her popping in and out frequently, sometimes ill see her rearranging her nest ect.
Rex are commonly refered to as "good mommas" though, they tend to be "overly attentative" in some cases (can be a problem in none secure colonies) so i wonder if the heavy domestication of some breeds, particularly breeding for mothers who raise large healthy litters with high survivor rate in fur and meat breeds) has effected their natural instincts in such a way that there more attentive than wild rabbits would be nder normal circumstances.
I noticed with my grams rex too (she raised hers in a colony) that her rex does checked the nest alot more frequently than her mixed breed does, eventually she phased out the mixed bred girls for rex because their litters tended to do better overall...but she also noted that had it not been a secure area, it would have been very detrimental because of the extra activity going into the nest boxes...they would have been much easier prey for predators and thier nests were much more "public"
but i do understand its not "normal" which is why i posted here...you dont have to belive me, though...ill try to record it but the camera freeks her out...the only time ive heard this bunny thump is when i broke out the camera when she was in with the babies, she thumped and dove at the camera...once i removed the camera she stopped and came right over for ear scritches...
I think she was a dog in a past life LOL. i certaintly dont think without being somehow sneaky about it id be able to get it on vid, but ill try lol.
i swear she gives me this look like "ugh silly human messing up my hard work" she certinaly doesnt need to be anywhere neer her nest (relitivly) shes a rex in a 48" long hutch) but i spend alot of time outside and i do see her popping in and out frequently, sometimes ill see her rearranging her nest ect.
Rex are commonly refered to as "good mommas" though, they tend to be "overly attentative" in some cases (can be a problem in none secure colonies) so i wonder if the heavy domestication of some breeds, particularly breeding for mothers who raise large healthy litters with high survivor rate in fur and meat breeds) has effected their natural instincts in such a way that there more attentive than wild rabbits would be nder normal circumstances.
I noticed with my grams rex too (she raised hers in a colony) that her rex does checked the nest alot more frequently than her mixed breed does, eventually she phased out the mixed bred girls for rex because their litters tended to do better overall...but she also noted that had it not been a secure area, it would have been very detrimental because of the extra activity going into the nest boxes...they would have been much easier prey for predators and thier nests were much more "public"
but i do understand its not "normal" which is why i posted here...you dont have to belive me, though...ill try to record it but the camera freeks her out...the only time ive heard this bunny thump is when i broke out the camera when she was in with the babies, she thumped and dove at the camera...once i removed the camera she stopped and came right over for ear scritches...
I think she was a dog in a past life LOL. i certaintly dont think without being somehow sneaky about it id be able to get it on vid, but ill try lol.
2 of our does kindled today, and the black doe ALWAYS goes back to "rearrange things" when I finish poking in there...the brown and white girl..eh...not so much...but my all black mama...DON'T move HER stuff! She gets to pulling more fur, dragging over more hay...and shooting me the stink eye the WHOLE TIME like "WHY did you mess up my work of art over there huh?!?!"
