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Nestbox
All of our litters are handled by us from day one. We closely monitor our kindling mothers with care and respect for her instincts. However the occasion does often arise where we become responsible for the raising of kits. All of our litters are born in doors in our nursery. Expecting mothers are brought inside on day 25 where they can become familiar to their new enclosure to prevent stress so close to delivery. On day 28 we will offer the mother a nest box. We have found that the clear storage containers have made the best nests due to the fact they are clear so we can monitor the kits without disturbing protective mothers. For nesting we offer cotton batting, clean wash clothes, and news paper. If the mother is stressed close to delivery we will offer chamomile tea in lieu of water in her bottle. This has proven in our experience to calm mom in delivery making her transition to motherhood much more comfortable. This also helps with nursing. If we have to separate mom from babies due to possible chance of injuries, we offer her the nest of babies in the morning. She is usually ready for relief and happily nurses within 5 minutes of being offered the opportunity. Once our kits are born we raise them indoors with our family. We handle them daily. When they reach about 8 weeks of age they are fully weaned and ready for new homes. Our rabbits are extremely tame as well as litter trained prior to being adopted.
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