Popples

Well, I bred Meg and Molly (the Californian Rabbits) on March 2,3, &4  Which meant that they should have kindled about April 2-5.  On the 8th, I became impatient and figured no one was pregnant since all 4 of us (Meg, Molly, Robbie, & I) are totally new a rabbit breeding. Neither pulled any fur to line the nests.  Actually they ate all the hay out of the nest so all was left was sawdust.  So I did what the books said and moved the nest boxes back out of the cages and proceeded to put Robbie back in with Meg on the 9th and Molly on the 10th.  Things are still awkward romantically.

Then I came home from work yesterday(today 4/12) and went for my morning nap only to be awakened LOUDLY by boy hollaring "Mama, we have popples.  There are popples in the cage.  I think they are dead."  Yea, just they way you want to wake up...yes?  So I threw on shorts (it is way too cold for shorts, btw) and ran out to the barn.  Sure enough, 3 naked little bunnies.  Completely cold and definitely dead.  I went to pull them out and...ok...whoever said rabbits are docile....apparently have only seen the ones on Disney movies.  She was fierce with really sharp teeth!@! So after blocking and covering up Meg, I was able to the get the kits out.  So little.  I'm not sure if they only succumbed to the cold, or if Meg tried to keep them warm and sat on them and crushed them.  The one had some blood on her so I think they might have been crushed too. 

The nest boxes are back in the cages.  We'll see if Molly goes into labor tonight as she was bred a day later than Meg.  Plus, I guess maybe having Robbie visit may have started Meg's labor.  Either way, they may already be pregnant again.  We'll have to see.  I'll update tomorrow after I see if Molly had any babies.

 I realized that I have never posted a picture of Thumper, our little boy lop ear.  He doesn't look great in this picture as he currently has "snuffles".  We are hoping he will survive, but despite the cute name it is highly contagious and can get bad quickly.