Found Escapee

animal_kingdom · #1 06/18/05, 03:53 PM

Today we were getting ready the barn for a few hundred bales of hay. One of my dd's yell "There's Hannah's rabbit!" There it went running under a pine tree. It took three of us to get her because we could barely reach under there without getting a good eye poke!

She's been missing since Wednesday morning. She was pudgier than ever and very very thirsty. I am so utterly thankful that she was still alive and well!

This morning I put her nest box in her cage and one of the other dd's asked why. I told them there was always hope. Then a couple of hours later we found the rabbit! I noticed the food was gone out of her dish this morning that I had left on the ground below her pen. I actually didn't think she ate it but was hoping for it. She knew where she lived and apparently the dogs did their job keep night animals away!

animal_kingdom · #2 06/19/05, 06:59 AM

Well..found rabbit had her babies this morning on the wire. She had 4 of them and they looked beautiful. DD came in screaming and crying because they were all dead. Rabbit never used her nest box. I may leave it in there a few days so she can hopefully get used to it.

Now how long until I can rebreed her since she just gave birth? I thought maybe to give her about 4 days and then go for a second try.

Good thing is I know she can have some healthy babies, just got to be more prepared. Also know what she looks like pregnant too! Very pudgy!!! I think maybe the whole mix of her jumping/falling from her pen at about 2.5 feet above ground and then her not having adequate water and then being caught and kinda really shaken up could have contributed. This is her day 28 and the babies looked very nice, just chilled and on the wire so maybe it didn't matter...who knows?

Anyway, dd is ready to give her another chance, we beefed up her latch and will hope for the best!

MaineFarmMom · #3 06/19/05, 07:13 AM

You can breed her now.

Good thing you caught her when you did. Loose rabbits can be problematic when they're born outside and not used to people. It happened to us and while they were fun to watch they were destructive.

YuccaFlatsRanch · #4 06/19/05, 10:07 AM

I have a doe that wouldn't use the nest box. Built a BIG one that would just fit through the door and took up 2/3 the cage or more. She had no choice to use it and it worked.

animal_kingdom · #5 06/19/05, 01:05 PM

I was thinking along those lines...only I was just going to put a board down on the floor so it covered everywhere but the corners she uses to pee/poop in. Then I was going to throw a bit of hay in there. They might survive that way.

I got to thinking, she never pulled fur. She may have already made a nest somewhere else out in the big wide world when she was loose.

She was very very still yesterday afternoon and stayed in a corner. Her babies were spread out on the wire like she dropped them , took a hop, and then dropped another one, etc.

We'll get busy with her tonight. Is there a chance that there are anymore inside of her? I bred her twice in the same day so there's no chance of any two weeks from now but I'm wondering if once they have their babies and you find them like that, they are finished?

YuccaFlatsRanch · #6 06/19/05, 09:46 PM

Rabits ovulate in response to mating. All the second breeding in the same day did was ensure there was fresh sperm to fertilize the eggs.

animal_kingdom · #7 06/20/05, 10:22 AM

Thanks Yucca, I wasn't quite sure why we mated twice in the same day, just knew we were to do it.

We're going for round number two with her. Our other doe is on round two already and loves her nest box. Maybe there's hope for her this time!