Rabbit Nest Boxes and Chilled Kits
I decided to write up this article after seeing many confused owners in my rabbit groups lately. "What should a nest look like?" "These newborn kits are cold and aren't moving!" "Where does the fur go in the nest?" These are logical questions that everyone should learn the answers to before they start breeding. But, sometimes, we don't realize just how much we still have to learn until we find ourselves in these situations. This article is dedicated to the learning breeder (and honestly, we should all be learning constantly.)
Nest Boxes
This is a rabbit's nest, inside a rabbit's nest box. Notice how the doe built her nest by adding a large amount of hay to her box. Shortly before the babies, called kits, are born the doe will start pulling fur from her belly. This fur is used to line the nest to help the kits stay warm. After the kits are born, the doe will pull even more fur from her belly to put on top of her kits. Rabbit kits can die of hypothermia even when it's warm outside, so it's important to make sure the kits always have a well-insulated nest. While some people show concerns that the babies will get "too hot" in the summers, it has been our experience that the babies will simply move to a cooler place in the box if and when they need to. Always follow your instincts though. If there appears to be a problem, take it seriously! Talk with your mentor about it. If you don't have a mentor, feel free to email us, or reach out to us on our Facebook page. We love to help people!
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Most of the time does are capable of building safe nests with limited supplies. However, in some climates humidity may pose a risk. I recently went out to check on a doe and found her nest was damp and her babies were cold. It didn't smell like she'd urinated in it, and the rabbits are located in a completely enclosed area with electricity and climate control. So how did the nest end up damp? My best guess was that humidity got it. So I re-built the nest using extra supplies that aid in keeping the nest dry. I put a part of a puppy pad in the bottom. Then I put a thin layer of pine pellets (labeled as horse stall bedding at my feed store) on top of the puppy pad. After that, I put plenty of straw in the box and carefully rebuilt the nest as close to mom's original design as I possibly could. This worked very well, keeping the kits warm and dry.
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Chilled Kits
We see this dilemma popping up all the time. "My doe had her kits, but when I found them they were all cold and not moving :( I don't know what happened!" There's a saying in rabbits regarding kits.. THEY'RE NOT DEAD UNTIL THEY'RE WARM AND DEAD!!! This is largely true. Very often people will find kits that they believe are dead, but once they're warmed up they find out that they are very much alive. So how do you warm up the kits? Well the first line of action by bra-wearing gals is to stick them in their bras. That's right. In your bra, while you're wearing it. Your body heat will immediately start warming the kits up. But what if you don't wear bras (you're young, you're male, or you're just a "free spirit.") Well that's okay! There are several other ways to warm them up!
The Hot Bottle of Water Method
This is a super quick way to get some heat going immediately. It's totally portable, too! All you need is an empty plastic bottle with lid, (non-insulated), a towel or paper towel, and some hot tap water. Simply fill the bottle with the hottest water you can get out of your faucet. Put the cap on it, and make sure the bottle is dry and not leaking. Then wrap the bottle in a single layer of thin towel (cheap wash cloths work well) or paper towel (preferred.) The thin wrapping helps slow the loss of heat, and also protects the babies from getting burned. The bottle will continue to stay warm for 2-4 hours, depending on the temperature of the air around it. This bottle can be placed in the nest with the babies, or in a different container that the babies are moved to. Just make sure the babies can get away from the heat, and remained covered. The Heating Pad Method This is another simple way to bring kits up to temperature. This can be dangerous though! You can put them in a container of sorts that is halfway on a heating pad. Be very careful to ensure that the babies can easily escape because, when done incorrectly, kits can die from heating pads. Keep a close eye on them when using heating pads, and check frequently to make sure nobody is struggling to escape. The Hot Water Method Simply hold the baby under running water that is slightly warm to the touch (aiming for about 102 degrees), being careful to keep it's head out of the water. When it starts moving around again, dry it off and return it to it's siblings in the nest. This is most ideal when you're dealing with a single chilled kit, as it would take too long to revive multiple kits this way. The Space Heater Method I recently tried this one for the first time, after seeing others rave about it. It definitely helped. I lined a basket with an old dish towel, except for the side facing the heater. Then I placed the wool from their nest on top of them, being careful to prevent the wool from blocking the heat. This is not my favorite method, as I constantly worried about overheating the kits. It did work though. The Hot Towel Method Wet a rag, small hand towel, or wad of paper towels with hot tap water and stick them in a Ziplock bag. You want it to feel hot, but not so hot it hurts! Place the hot bag with the babies. Microwave for 10 seconds if the bag loses too much temperature before the babies are warm. Make sure the bag is not TOO hot each time you reheat it. The Heat Lamp Method This is another method that can be dangerous. The radiance of the heat emitted from heat lamps is usually bigger than the nest itself. Place the heat lamp close to the kits, constantly monitoring for signs of life. Stick your hand in with the kits often to make sure the heat isn't too intense. Make adjustments as necessary and remove the kits from the heat once they're wiggly again. Do not leave kits unattended under a heat lamp. The "Hare" Dryer Method
Put a wash cloth in a bowl, lay kits on that, then sit and blow them with a hair dryer on medium heat. This method warms both the kits and the cloth they're laying on. -Submitted by Dawn Panda The Bowl of Water Method Fill a bowl with warm water, then the put kit in a ziplock baggie full of air. Float the kit in the bowl, checking frequently to ensure the water is warm. -Submitted by Dawn Panda |
There are many ways to warm up chilled kits! If you have a method we didn't list here, feel free to email us at [email protected] to tell us about them.
**Disclaimer: This article was NOT written by a veterinary professional. Ideas listed are to help people save kits using supplies they likely have on hand, when kits are moments away from death and calling your vet would likely take too long. Use these ideas at your own risk.
**Disclaimer: This article was NOT written by a veterinary professional. Ideas listed are to help people save kits using supplies they likely have on hand, when kits are moments away from death and calling your vet would likely take too long. Use these ideas at your own risk.