Switching the nestboxes

[The Tin Mom]

Well -

My dd put our buck in with two junior does. I found out quickly - but he was faster -

We had two litters last week and I made two nestboxes out of cardboard boxes. Now I have my nice new nextboxes and would like to switch these. Can I do this? The kits are about 3 days old.

Thanks!

[o&itw]

If the carboard ones are working adequately, I would wait until the kits are 10 days old. That will be the time to clean out the nest box anyway, and the new does will be more acclimated to having kits then. You can simply put new clean hay (straw, shredded papper,etc....what ever you are using)
in the new nest box, make a little nest similiar to what the doe has made, and transfer a bit of her fur from the old nest box so it has the right smell. Move the babies in the new nest box. If you are are using a table, be careful, sometimes the kits will pop right out of your hand and you don't want them taking a big fall to the floor. Set the new nest box in the same place in the cage. At 10 days their eyes should be starting to open, and you can check each one to make sure they do not have "goop" in their eyes.

[The Tin Mom]

Thanks! These are our first litters.

We have eleven! The first doe to kindle had them on the cage floor (I should have known it was possible and been more on top of things) and we only saved four - but that is better than zero.

Then, just in case, I put a cardboard box in with the second doe (the two does were sharing a cage up until 2 weeks ago) and she had seven more! Hurrah!

I will wait for a few more days and then take care of that. It will be nice to get the cardboard out of there.

What about using a different kind of bedding? I bought some aspen bedding at TSC.

[ladysown]

i use straw.
keep an eye on the cardboard... if it looks to be falling apart give them a new box. You don't want scattered kits.

I've learned that a nice box with a nice nest works for kits and mom easily. Put in the same place as the old box. Put some of their fur/bedding etc with them in the new nest if moving them earlier than 10 days.

[The Tin Mom]

Originally Posted by ladysown

i use straw.
keep an eye on the cardboard... if it looks to be falling apart give them a new box. You don't want scattered kits.

I've learned that a nice box with a nice nest works for kits and mom easily. Put in the same place as the old box. Put some of their fur/bedding etc with them in the new nest if moving them earlier than 10 days.

Okay. Great - They like to chew on the cardboard and I really want to get it out.

Straw would be a great bedding - I have lots of that.

Thanks

[switchman62]

Congrats on the new litters.

[Keepee]

I usually just rebuild the nest, line it with the fur from the old one, pop the kits in and put it back where the other box was, with no problem. Congratulations on the babies

[Bernadette]

I like to put an inch or so of shavings - your aspen would work well - on the bottom of the box. Then put the straw on top of that. I bend the straw around in a circle to contain the kits. Then put some of the fur on the bottom, plop in the kits, then more fur on top. I try to rescue as much clean fur as possible. The shavings in the bottom are very absorbent and seem to help keep the box cleaner long. Last year when I ran out of shavings and used straw only was the first time I had kits ever get nest box eye.

[o&itw]

I use hay (sometimes straw in the winter) the advantages are that it doesn't get caught in the coat and become dusty like wood shavings. Also, the rabbits will start nibbling on the hay even before their eyes open. I know that hay, or even straw has some food value for them, whereas I am not so sure that wood shavings or shredded paper does. Do not use cedar shavings.