I read the rules and things and I promise I won’t post anything after they are born. I have another forum site that I go to to ask questions but no one has answered these questions yet. It’s not an emergency but there’s a few things I would like to know just to prep for after the big day arrives.
I just got my rabbits 21 days ago. I didn’t know that they were a boy and a girl. But she didn’t get pregnant when I was with her. About 6 days after I got them I realized that Oregano (the female) was a female! I’m a first time rabbit owner so I’m going to worry myself to death until she has them. About a week ago I stayed up for 37 hours because I was afraid she was going to have them and she would have complications. lol. When I found out she was a girl I palpated her and she had several little bumps that were the size of small grapes. The people who had them before me didn’t know that one was a boy and one was a girl either and they had them in the same cage for at least 2 months when I got them. She might have a double litter because of that. I did some math and figured that if she had grape sized babies when I got her then she was probably about 10 days along. Which would put the due date as today/tonight. Since Monday of this week she hasn’t really eaten very much, she’s normally very sweet and timid but sometimes she gets cranky and she is so this week (I figure it’s because she’s almost due), her belly is super firm and today it’s the most firm it’s been. How firm do their bellies actually get? Like a rock or just firm like a balloon that has a lot of air in it (where it’s still kind of squishy but still really firm)?
I know that they don’t really need any help birthing unless there’s a complication. So What do I do after they are born? I’ve read a lot of places that say that you shouldn’t handle the babies for a week after they are born but I read another place that says that you have to check a couple hours and remove the dead ones because they start to rot pretty fast and that you’re supposed to get the rest of the plecenta (sp) out of the cage that she didn’t eat. What is the best time to check the kits? Oregano is comfortable with me that I don’t think she’s going to gaurd them or hurt them if I try to look and touch them. She’s kind of nonchallant about everything.
I read that after she gives birth you’re not supposed to give her greens. What can I give her? What food is good for milk production? Should I take her out for play time after she’s had them? If so, How long should it be? Do I need to do anything medical to her after she’s had them? What will she do after she has them? Should I keep pellet food in the cage to make sure if she’s hungry after she has them? Will she be hungry or will she just sleep?
Thank you for being so patient with me and reading this whole long thing lol. I have a lot of questions and the internet has so many different views on this topic. And not all of them sound the best to me.