Ok so my doe, Lilly, has 3 kits, there 1 month old now. We moved them in from the shed about a week ago, coz it was getting too cold for them, and now the 4 of them live in a big cage in my room.
Ive noticed Lilly lies down alot, and sometimes pants.Is she distressed? This is her first litter, shes 8 months old, she has lived in the house before, so its no big deal for her, she lives in the corner of my room , and ive draped a sheet over like half of her cage, so its more peaceful, and it definately isnt too hot in my room, or too cold, and the babies are fine, is she just tired of them, or is something wrong with her?? The Buck, Oscar, lives in my room too, but she is never in contact with him, and cant even see him. So whats wrong with her ????
The heat buildup because of her winter coat. Take the sheet off and see if that does not help. If not put a small fan next to the cage to cool then down they are not use to the controlled environment. You should separate the babies from the mother if they are wined on regular rabbit feed. She is also probably tiered of the babies try separating them.
Taking care of babies is tiring. Constantly checking on them, washing them, cleaning the nest, feeding them. She is just a little tired. Mommy bunnies are usually very attentive to their litters. I've raised hundreds of bunnies. She may also be just a little hot. They usually get a thicker undercoat of fur when it starts to get cold. It will work itself out though. She will shed if she stays in a warm temperature. You could brush her fur with a dog brush to take out the loose extra fur. Also, if your local store or pet store carries BONZ for dogs. Get them and give her one or two. Be sure to replace them after she eats them. They have calcium in them (which she needs) and helps keep the teeth from overgrowing. Be sure to handle the babies a lot to get them used to people. Good Luck and have fun.
