My rabbit is getting ready to kindle and I have a few questions

[gumpsgirl]

My son built a lovely kindling box for our rabbit but she doesn't want anything to do with it. She's moved all of the hay we gave her to her potty/litter box and is now pulling her hair out and leaving it in a different corner on the wire. She is due tomorrow, the 18th, so I know she is getting ready, but is there a way to control where she kindles?

I haven't done the baby bunny thing in over 20 years and I was only 9 years old then, so I am a bit clueless here. Thanks for any suggestions and help anyone can give me.

Oh, she is a Netherland Dwarf if that makes any difference and yes, I know about the possibility of peanuts. I'm just clueless about the kindling process.

Thanks!

 

[a7736100]

It seems most of my does like to build their nests some place that is just the same width as them.

At this point I would put in a board and lots of hay so she don't just have a nest on the wires.

Good luck.

 

[Bunnylady]

I have tried moving the nestbox to the corner the doe seems to prefer. Sometimes that works, sometimes she chooses yet another corner. Some does just seem determined to have their litters someplace other than where you want them to.

I have even gone so far as to put a ton of hay in the cage, so that, wherever the litter winds up, at least they have a chance at being well insulated. This has resulted in live litters a few times, and has resulted in in-the-box litters a couple of times, perhaps because the doe couldn't find room anywhere else!

If you do get any live babies, move them and whatever nest material you can salvage to the nestbox. Putting the nestbox in the corner she selected may be good enough, but she may need help figuring out that her babies are in the box. Fortunately, rabbits don't relocate litters like cats will. Good luck!