Delilah gave birth on March 1st, and I had the opportunity to record the process in pictures and video. For those of you with rabbits who haven’t seen a rabbit kindling firsthand, hopefully this helps you prepare for when your rabbits kindle.
28 days after the mating, we put a nesting box in the doe’s cage. The nesting box has a cardboard liner during cold weather, a base layer of shavings, and is filled with hay.
Our rabbits average a 31 day gestation period. We put the nesting box in earlier in case the rabbit kindles early, and to give her plenty of time to make her nest. In the days prior to kindling, the rabbit usually eats a lot of the hay. We replenish the hay daily, so the nesting box is kept full.
When the doe is close to kindling, she usually pulls hair from her belly and makes a nest. Here you can see Delilah’s dark fur lining a nest she burrowed in the hay. Once we see her doing this, we start checking her cage frequently. Babies could come any minute!
In this photo Delilah is in labor. After seeing a lot of pregnant rabbit does, I’ve learned it’s possible to identify when they’re very pregnant and ready to get those babies out! They tend to lay in positions that are unusual for them. You can see how her foot is in an awkward position here, and how she’s wedged her head behind the nesting box. Neither of these actions is normal for Delilah.
I came back about thirty minutes labor, and found this beautiful sight:
Delilah kindled, and had all her kits in the nest she made! Here’s a video of the nest, where you can see the hay and fur moving due to the hidden kits.
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