My doe just destroyed her nest with healthy kits.

[Momto2by22]

Nori, my doe, gave birth a week ago. We have been giving her space but still lifting the lid of her “cave” to check the kits. She has been feeding them and caring for them. 2 are same size as at birth so we are not expecting them to live for long. I was actually checking this morning to see if one had made it thru the night. I came back a little later to see she was frantic and had completely destroyed her nest, which was amazing, honestly I didn’t know they could construct a nest like that! When our other doe had kits she never built a nest and abandoned the babies right after birth.
Anyway, she dug up the nest including all 7 kits and is pushing the bedding and the kits all around her hutch. She fed one while I was petting her, because it crawled over to her and found a spot. I left and she freaked again.
Also is sneezing really bad. Our other male and female are also really upset. I’m worried about the safety of the kits, but then again I don’t know what’s normal. Is it normal for them to move the nest with 7 kits (3 fat, 2 medium size, 2 still birth size)? This is her first. Is she stressed out? We blocked off the bunny room from the kids and they haven’t been in here since the birth. My heart tells me remove the kits until she calms but I don’t know it this will make it worse.

[Bam]

I think you should separate mum from the kits because shes being aggressive. Then you have to help them feed once or twice per day. You’ll need to hold mama bun so she doesnt hurt the kits while they feed. If mama bun isnt feeling well (the sneezing) the kits could be annoying her. The kits should be placed in a box that they cant accidentally climb out of, and be covered with fur from mama bun or bedding and hay. Mama buns don’t lie with their kits like dogs and cats do, and they only feed them once or twice per day, but you must have noticed that already, since it’s been a week. 

Please note that the subject of intentional breeding is prohibited on the Binky Bunny forums. Because of this, we don’t have very many members with baby bunny experience. There is another forum, Rabbits Online, that has a section dedicated to breeding, the Rabbitry and Showroom. Here’s a link to the relevant section: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=20 Rabbits Online is an active rabbit forum. 

Here are four links with baby bunny info, from our resources page:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/surpriselitter.html
http://www.rabbit.org/care/babies.html
http://www.rabbit.org/care/newborn.html
http://www.mybunny.org/info/caring-for-newborn-baby-rabbits/

If mama bun sneezes a lot she could have a respiratory infection, and there is a high risk the kits could catch it. Do you see any white or otherwise colored discharge around her nose? If there is, you should contact a vet. Bunny “colds” are most often caused by a bacterium called pasteurella multocida. It’s as a rule treated with Baytril (enrofloxacine).

[Author]

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