Rabbits from Start to Finish: Nest building and Baby Bunnies

In this Start to Finish video Maggie is given her next box on day 28 and gives birth on day 31.

[@TomWylie]

So much helpful info, thanks Eddie for your thoroughness. Cool getting to see her build the nest!

[@rthibour]

I love raising and breeding my bunnies and now my daughter and grand daughter are doing it. Yeah

[@rthibour]

And my Grammy did it.

[@chelleb.9759]

My rabbit doe does the same thing.. She's also more grumpy than before. I hope it's really a sign of pregnancy

[@FoodForThought.]

If she's building, you'll soon see

[@Buckrun11]

My NZ doe kindled yesterday. She has 7!

[@jenniferlynch2266]

My rabbit is potty trained, she is building her nest in the corner too.

[@Jedapoo]

I'll be getting my rabbits (a breeding trio of Silver Fox from a registered breeder) in 2 months and now I'm freaking out! My friends that bred rabbits had terrible mortality rates with new moms (to be fair to the rabbits they got mix breeds from various bad sources) and I was wondering if you had any advice. Should I get one doe that has already successfully kindled before or just start with 2 young does and hope for the best?

[@cloedythemedium]

My female bunny does that right now pulling her fur and hay building a nest, she choose not into her big cage but rahter outside in my home in a quieter corner a bit darker too. She got out as the male was out and it's 28 days ago. Noticied today at she was craving in her cage then I let her out didn't think of it but then seeing her doing all that and seems in a hurry, I let her been though my home looks like a mess now with all the hay around..I guess, bunnies choose their own nest anywhwere..and know, what is best place for them and please fingers crossed all goes well. Thank you, for this good video and congrats to the sweet babies. If one is dead born (hopefully not) should I remove it?

[@FoodForThought.]

I would remove it, but mom will eat it too ensure no harm comes to the others.

[@cloedythemedium]

@@FoodForThought. She has just for a few hours ago giving birth to three babies! What should I do, now? One did crawling out and had him/her put back to the siblings just used her fur but had to use my finger to see if they are alive or not and they are, thankfully. she went on and off to her nest, called the vet and she said give her time and space also at she has time off from her babies for a while until, she will return back again as she feels her babies needs milk but to let nature do it. Thank you, for your advice all three seems fine two more relaxed as the other one crawled out not even one day old, I did cover him/her with mom her fur before putting this curious one back to it's siblings, again. Now, her nest looks more diffent than before that normal? Also, she still keeps plugging her fur off even after birth? What does that mean? PLEASE help!!

[@deejayrodion]

My rabbit just gave birth today! We were sort of stressing because she wasn’t pulling out fur recently. But this morning, fur was scattered everywhere! Her nest was neatly made, and we got to see her give birth! It was awesome. She got out of the nesting box and ta-da! Five teeny tiny rabbits. I was surprised there was only five, since she is a Flemish giant, the biggest rabbit breed. But she is a first time mommy, so I guess I could understand why. I’m just so excited! Although MY mother says we absolutely CANNOT hold them. And I’m not arguing, since well, I already know. Wow, this was a long comment. Uhhh... bye. Heh. Take care.

[@FoodForThought.]

That's awesome! Thanks for letting me know. If your doe is handled daily and doesn't think of you as a threat, then you can hold the babies. You have to keep an eye on them to make sure they are ok. Babies sometimes die for no reason and you don't want it to rot and affect the others.

[@deejayrodion]

@@FoodForThought. Wow! That was a fast reply! Also thank you for the advice. We do handle her often. Well, by handle we pet her and etc. She’s my favorite out of our other two. She’s never bitten us or shown any sign of aggression. Also, love your content. You just got a new subscriber! 😊

[@FoodForThought.]

@@deejayrodion Thank you

[@kaylaweekes7980]

do you have first time moms that actually know what to do when they have kits??

[@FoodForThought.]

They all know what to do, just some do it better than others.

[@killian5207]

Great video - thank you. Quick question - do you worry about smearing your scent on the nest too early? Have you ever had any issues in this regard? I really appreciate your method of teaching.

[@FoodForThought.]

+Killian Family Homestead I have no issue about putting my scent on anything as the rabbits are used to me touching them every day, so for me to have my scent on the nest or the babies hasn't been a problem for my rabbits.

[@FoodForThought.]

+Killian Family Homestead I'm sorry,I don't think I answered your question. The east answer is no, I don't worry about my scent as I stroke and did the rabbits every day so they are very used to my scent on everything.

[@killian5207]

Thanks!

[@RabbitryGirl123]

9 kits that's amazing we have 8 kits

[@FoodForThought.]

8 is a great number. That's average that they give me. Some more, some less.

[@cli_sensei]

Where did you get those waterers at? I've been looking for some but do not know what they are called.

[@FoodForThought.]

grandviewrabbitry.com/store/products.php?product=Galvanized-Water-Cup

[@ElaineHeeringa]

I have a few questions for you We are new to breeding rabbits, and our doe just GA e birth this morning to her first ltter I think there are six little ones... the doe seems to have cleaned up well but I haven't seen her back in to feed them yet I assumed that she would know what to do, am I wrong?

[@FoodForThought.]

Elaine Heeringa Your doe will feed them only twice per day, so it does appear that they aren't getting fed. She'll be ok I'm sure.

[@carolallison9685]

I know this is an old comment but in case anyone else is wondering, ill go ahead and leave some info. Rabbits in the wild build their nests out in open feilds. They have their babies, then they go off into nearby woods to go hide. They watch the nest from afar, but because of predators, mamma cant stay out in an open field all day or she'll be eaten. Its more important mom survives, because even if the babies dont survive, mom can reproduce whenever she wants thanks to the way female rabbits ovulate. Because of the threat of predators, mom will only come back to the nest twice a day to feed, once at dawn and once at dusk because these are the two times a day when visibility for predators is at its lowest. Day time predators dont have enough light, and nocturnal predators are sleeping at these times. If you arent out with your rabbits at the perfect 10 minutes at dawn and dusk, its likely youll never see mom feeding her babies. In fact its unlikely youll ever see mom with her babies since rabbits arent known to be helicopter parents. This is natures way of keeping mom safe. As long as the babies are growing and gaining weight, mom is doing her job and they will be just fine. Hope this is helpful to anyone who may be worried. Remember, your rabbit isnt a bad mom, its just the way nature designed her.

[@TomWylie]

Carol Allison wow, thanks for that info. We're new to rabbits and our first kits are 3 days old now. I've been wondering about this very thing & that helps give me more peace of mind that she's doing the right thing :)

[@megank0011]

Did u put the hay in the nest box for her or did you place it just in the cage?

[@rosiel7614]

Ok! Thank you so much!

[@celticmagiclady]

So what do you recommend for the nest bedding?

[@FoodForThought.]

straw works really well. I've seen people use shredded paper.

[@celticmagiclady]

I have heard of the newspaper, but would you recommend wood shavings? I would think those would not be good for the babies, but someone told me to line my box with them....

[@FoodForThought.]

+celticmagiclady Wood shavings are fine, just don't use Cedar, that's toxic.

[@fhlranch6233]

What is the temperature outside during this? I am new to rabbits and we live in Central Oregon which has extreme cold in the winter... I've been told no heat lamps needed. but I can't believe that..

[@FoodForThought.]

Temperatures in Southern Ontario regularly drop to -30C or -22F.

[@rosiel7614]

Hello! I have a pregnant doe and she is on her 27th day today so I put the nest box in with everything in it, her pine shavings, her straw, and her hay. It is her 2nd litter and the first one didn’t go well and I was hoping this one would. This time she pulled everything out of the nest box and made a new nest somewhere else. Is this ok? Do you have any tips?

[@FoodForThought.]

Rosie L I only ever use straw for bedding. Hey is free and she might just be pulling that out with the rest. You can put some more in but watch her coming up to the day and if she hasn't need the box, I'd pull out everything in the cage apart from the nestbox.

[@colin8532]

Was this litter where some of my rabbits came from?

[@FoodForThought.]

Yes :)

[@rosiel7614]

Hey! I believe my doe is pregnant. When do they start building a nest and pulling fur?

[@FoodForThought.]

Rosie L Put the nest box in the days before but they start pulling hair very soon before giving birth, 3-12 hours

[@mysassy497]

Hi Eddie. Just looking through some of your videos. Would you do a food for thought for me

[@FoodForThought.]

linda losey I haven't done anything in a long time, but what did you have in mind?

[@mysassy497]

Food For Thought Oh I don’t know. Anything. Be funny 😄 Also I like listening to you I love to listen to people with an accent. I could listen to you talk for hours.

[@mysassy497]

Food For Thought ❣️‼️

[@mysassy497]

Hi Eddie I hope you are well. I had surgery on Friday. I really enjoy watching these videos. It takes away my anxiety. (A food for thought )would be so nice.

[@chaizienah4028]

Hi, our rabbit have given birth last night. 5cutes kittens, but the one is died. Now the mother won't giving them milk, i do not know why, and she doesn't give attentions to her babies,

[@lilyjoscott7403]

Does it ever come out of that tiny cage?

[@FoodForThought.]

Yes, I have a 6 for run that they use.

[@dellasangah2461]

Where did you buy your cage from?

[@deejayrodion]

I know I’m replying late. But.. I’m 98% sure they made the cage themselves. I made a cage with my mom and I together in less than 2 hours and it looks pretty similar to the one in the video.

[@kmpr123]

Only female rabbits can do nests? I have a bunny but I dont know the gender and she/he is making a nest

[@deejayrodion]

The doe definitely makes the nest, although you probably know this since your comment is two years old.. 😓

[@carlynoneya8397]

One of my pet doe rabbit got in with my pet buck rabbit and we didnt know if they mated or not. Well now she is in my room and this morning she started making a nest, she pulled a tiny bit of hair to. She had a hour where she was breathing heavy and made me think she was in labor but not she hasnt done anything else with the nest and she isnt breathing hard anymore. I wasnt really prepared for her to be actually pregnant because i palpated her and didn't feel anything so I thought she wasnt pregnant. Is there anything I need to do to help her? I'm prepared for my meat rabbit litters in 2 weeks but wasnt prepared for her. And she is a very loved pet so I don't know what to do for her. Please help and TIA 😊

[@FoodForThought.]

Give her space and give her time, she knows what she is doing.

[@carlynoneya8397]

She gotten to the point she has built her nest, and you can REALLY see the babies moving. They kick her a ton and she grunts and grinds her teeth in discomfort lol. We are hoping for babies by the morning but have also been thinking that for a few days now lol. I think she has at least 3 babies (she's a holland lop)

[@luseewags8290]

Hi I have kept my male and female rabbit together for a while but i didn't know she was pregnant.... She has been trying to make a nest but I didn't know she was pregnant so I kept moving her hay back where it was in the first place... Today I went and checked on her and she was hiding in her hay box and didn't want to be seen and there is a handful of hay next to her litter box with some fur in it... Is she pregnant and when is she due to give birth? I have to surround the cage because the babies will be able to fall out so I need to know asap. She has had babies before but she didn't make a nest for them and we didn't find out that she had babies till the next morning and they were dead.... Plz help!!!!

[@FoodForThought.]

Lusee Wags If she is nesting and pulled fur, there is a high chance of her delivering her babies today

[@luseewags8290]

THANK U ILL GO CHECK NOW!

[@Poopismism]

My mini rex doe is.4 days past her due date. Im worried for her.

[@FoodForThought.]

That's unusual. Are you sure she's pregnant? Did you palpate her?

[@dhruvalpatel5590]

After how many days rabbit gives birth after making nest.

[@SdickLee13]

Dhruval Patel ...this is my question. I watched a cottontail build her nest one morning in our yard and i expected to see babies but nothing is in there.

[@dhruvalpatel5590]

@@SdickLee13 depends on some rabbits some can give birth within 1 week after making nest. But make sure you keep them in good place so that they can have good nest place. You can put pot so that pregnant rabbit can make good nest for giving birth.

[@tlc2010xx]

hi was wondering if you could help me with some advice please, my doe was pregnant but I didn't realise and was making a nest but I moved it, then she started pulling her hair out but that was about 2 weeks ago and nothing since? so could she of had them an eat them?? she also roams the garden an iv looked if they had them out there an she hasn't, also my boy got out yeterday an had her again but she let him as last time he got out she bit him to leave her alone cuz she was already pregnant I think

[@FoodForThought.]

Unfortunately, yes it is possible. If she didn't have nest material, and the babies died of cold, this has happened to me as I wrote the wrong date down on a breeding, she could eat the carcasses of the kits. The reason she would have done this is a natural protection from predators not being able to smell rotting flesh and hunting the rabbits remaining.

[@tlc2010xx]

no she had plenty of hay to make a nest and there nest is still in the cage with loads of fur but like I say no babies

[@FoodForThought.]

You would have seen signs of blood in the hay if she gave birth. Young does can have phantom pregnancies.

[@tlc2010xx]

Food For Thought she's not young as she's had kits October last year, only 4 but one was a peanut I think they call them

[@FoodForThought.]

OKay, well I don't know what to tell you, but it is possible that she ate them, although if she did, there usually some sign.

[@surendarahirwar6470]

Meri reebit ko male reebit se ek bar hi meeting karai thi par bo har month pregnant ho rhi h plz koi solution bataaye ki m kya karu please reply me sir

[@FoodForThought.]

Your rabbit can only get pregnant if she has mated with the buck. If your doe is getting pregnant every month, then it appears that someone is mating her without your knowledge.

[@surendarahirwar6470]

@@FoodForThought. thanks reply karne k liye

[@surendarahirwar6470]

Par sir mene suna h ki female rabbit saal m 8-9 bar bacche deti to kya male rabbit se ek bar hi meeting karne par ye possible h

[@kassiecole4264]

What did you mean by dispatch?

[@FoodForThought.]

Kassie Cole To kill quickly and humanly

[@kassiecole4264]

Thank you, I thought that's what you meant just never heard that term before.

[@miagomoski2739]

Yh thing is my rabbit is building hers out of her fur

[@rosiel7614]

Ok thanks

[@emanueltrejo8804]

Sup

[@briancallahan6894]

You should not put rabbits in metal cages! It's bad for them!😢

[@FoodForThought.]

Thank you for your opinion

[@deejayrodion]

Metal cages aren’t really bad for them..? It’s not toxic or anything. 😐❓

[@FoodForThought.]

@@deejayrodion Not toxic.

[@demirobson7025]

That cage is cruel

[@FoodForThought.]

Thank you for your opinion