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One doe, two nests.
Topic Started: Aug 28 2013, 03:43 AM (460 Views)
redbunny
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I'd never seen this before. She's an experienced doe, the best I've ever had for maternal care, yet she's made two nests one has one kit the other two. One nest is in the darkened section of the hutch whilst the other is in the open section. Do I leave alone or move the single one into the other nest?
Thanks.
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ZRabbits
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redbunny
Aug 28 2013, 03:43 AM
I'd never seen this before. She's an experienced doe, the best I've ever had for maternal care, yet she's made two nests one has one kit the other two. One nest is in the darkened section of the hutch whilst the other is in the open section. Do I leave alone or move the single one into the other nest?
Thanks.
I've read where does do split their litters. Especially the bigger breeds that have many in a litter. Does will split the big healthy from the smaller kits. And usually applies more mothering to the smaller group as she knows the other bigger kits are stronger. Does are amazing when it comes to their kits.

With the one kit, I would move to the other nest so it doesn't get cold. Kits need others to keep warm. The body warmth is important.

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sidd-says-gimme
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I have also heard that about does with big litters, too. I thought it was so they could feed the groups separately (less competition for them). Neat that some will help the weaker ones.

I agree, I would put the other nest and kit with the others.
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I'm amazed myself how some does are just so maternal. Some people, because rabbits don't spend tons of time with their kits, think rabbits don't care. But that's just instinctive for a doe because spending loads of time at the nest will bring predators.

Watched Luna with her kits. She spent twice a day with them, lasted 5 minutes each. But what she passed on to them in those short visits, is priceless.


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redbunny
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Your advice Zrabbits and Sidd is what my head was telling me. However, I went with the doe on this one. The kit on its own had died in the night! A hard lesson....won't go with the heart next time.
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redbunny
Aug 29 2013, 04:11 AM
Your advice Zrabbits and Sidd is what my head was telling me. However, I went with the doe on this one. The kit on its own had died in the night! A hard lesson....won't go with the heart next time.
Well I guess the doe knew what she was doing. Nature has a very strict policy and does know there is something wrong. It may have been for the best.

So sorry for the loss.
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sidd-says-gimme
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So you kept them separate? If so, there's a good chance that it passed because it was chilled (my bunnies are in the basement, so fairly temperature controlled and I always lose my singletons unless I foster). Or maybe she decided to only feed the other group. You never know though.

Always sad to see a little one pass away.
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sidd-says-gimme
Aug 29 2013, 07:55 AM
So you kept them separate? If so, there's a good chance that it passed because it was chilled (my bunnies are in the basement, so fairly temperature controlled and I always lose my singletons unless I foster). Or maybe she decided to only feed the other group. You never know though.

Always sad to see a little one pass away.
Could be she only fed the one group because she knew the other had problems? Will never know I guess unless a necropsy is done on the little one to truly find out why she did what she did.

Again hate to see any little ones pass, but sometimes Nature knows. It's the "strongest survive" to pass on to the future generations.
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redbunny
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I agree. When I was deciding about putting the kits together I thought about chilling and feeding and that set the alarm bells ringing but I still went and left it. Yes very sad seeing a perfectly formed baby and knowing a poor decision caused the death.
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redbunny
Aug 29 2013, 09:30 AM
I agree. When I was deciding about putting the kits together I thought about chilling and feeding and that set the alarm bells ringing but I still went and left it. Yes very sad seeing a perfectly formed baby and knowing a poor decision caused the death.
Might have been perfectly formed, but Mum doe could have sensed something else. Can't fool Mother Nature.

Don't think it was a poor decision. You went with the decision of your doe. Sometime Mum knows best. It's not like she was ignoring all of them. Just the one, so it's not bad mothering on her part.

Sad, but it's just a reality of life in the animal world.



Edited by ZRabbits, Aug 30 2013, 06:40 AM.
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redbunny
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Zrabbits I think you may be right. The doe must have known what was going on.
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redbunny
Aug 30 2013, 10:30 AM
Zrabbits I think you may be right. The doe must have known what was going on.
Nature has it's own checklist. It's really tough for humans to understand because their mindset is to save them all. Which is great, but reality is nature takes it's course. The strongest survive. And your doe knows that. It's their imperial task to see the strongest survive. It's for their genes.
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Speaking of Mother Nature, sad event here. Jake uncovered another bunny nest. Four little ones. Had a lot of white stuff all over them which was drawing flies. Sadly this morning, all had passed. My husband buried them.

We were seeing a rabbit in our yard a lot lately so we figured there had to be a nest. Didn't see her yesterday or today, but noticed the nest was fixed last night. The doe did come back but not today.

Truly sad. Was hoping to watch another litter grow. But again, only the strongest survive.
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redbunny
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Dear Zrabbits this is sad news. Tough to witness I reckon.
I get the wild rabbits here but they keep themselves to themselves and never visit. I wonder if some predator disturbed her from tending the brood. We see foxes, cats, dogs, weasels, stoats, mink, rats and even hedgehogs giving young kits issues.
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redbunny
Sep 1 2013, 05:41 AM
Dear Zrabbits this is sad news. Tough to witness I reckon.
I get the wild rabbits here but they keep themselves to themselves and never visit. I wonder if some predator disturbed her from tending the brood. We see foxes, cats, dogs, weasels, stoats, mink, rats and even hedgehogs giving young kits issues.
We think it was younger doe's first litter. We are very fortunate to have many rabbits here who feel safe in our backyard. They feel no threat from us, or even Jake.

Funniest thing I ever witnessed was the "double take" a wild rabbit did when he spotted Fawkes. It was just hilarious. Like, what the heck is that?

The rabbits in our neighborhood know where it's safe. I should say all the wildlife that still hide in our suburban neighborhood. We have had tons of rabbits, skunks, groundhogs, birds of all kind, including falcons, hawks. And I need not to include the squirrels, They are everywhere.

Turn the sprinklers on, the birds come to a point there is no room on the ground. It's amazing.
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