I usually have a rule of thumb that most learning curves take 2 weeks. In relationships I think they should require a year at least. In rabbits I am starting to realize it is endless. There are no books, google won't help you. What you think you know, your rabbit will prove otherwise. I conclude you never truly know what to expect, you just become decensitized to the out comes.
My first learning curve I suppose had to be kindling. Trying to revive cold kits born on the wire. The girls being heartbroken that the babies didn't make it. All of us working to warm and revive them. Next having healthy kits and learning about peanuts. My brain refuses to accept this living thing has no chance. I play tricks with myself and try to convince myself it's possibly just a runt. My daughters however quickly see it for what it is and would prefer to put them down.
So just when I think I understand my does one throws me a curve ball. When she is bred, weather she takes or not, she begins scratching usually by day 25 and carrying hay. I give her a nest box and voila, nest galore. Well, this time around, no sign of nesting. In fact she ate most of the straw from her nest box. She never showed a single sign. To make matters worse, I got her out to feel for kits on day 27 and felt nothing. No movement at all. So I truly did not think she would kindle. Then on day 31 she gobbled up her morning food, which again made me think, yep she missed. So later in the afternoon I go out and there she is kindling. She had eaten most of the straw and pulled no fur. So my first goal was to warm the babies up. I added a bunch of cotton balls. I did save some of her fur from her previous nesting. All seemed well. 2 healthy torts and a peanut. So later I go to make sure they are retaining heat and notice right off they are not. I took them inside and notice she had eaten one of the healthy babies ears. This was long after they had been cleaned. I don't know how you could ever prepare for the unpredictable antics of a rabbit. So we finally have a live litter from Nixie. How long they will last in her care is unknown.
My first learning curve I suppose had to be kindling. Trying to revive cold kits born on the wire. The girls being heartbroken that the babies didn't make it. All of us working to warm and revive them. Next having healthy kits and learning about peanuts. My brain refuses to accept this living thing has no chance. I play tricks with myself and try to convince myself it's possibly just a runt. My daughters however quickly see it for what it is and would prefer to put them down.
So just when I think I understand my does one throws me a curve ball. When she is bred, weather she takes or not, she begins scratching usually by day 25 and carrying hay. I give her a nest box and voila, nest galore. Well, this time around, no sign of nesting. In fact she ate most of the straw from her nest box. She never showed a single sign. To make matters worse, I got her out to feel for kits on day 27 and felt nothing. No movement at all. So I truly did not think she would kindle. Then on day 31 she gobbled up her morning food, which again made me think, yep she missed. So later in the afternoon I go out and there she is kindling. She had eaten most of the straw and pulled no fur. So my first goal was to warm the babies up. I added a bunch of cotton balls. I did save some of her fur from her previous nesting. All seemed well. 2 healthy torts and a peanut. So later I go to make sure they are retaining heat and notice right off they are not. I took them inside and notice she had eaten one of the healthy babies ears. This was long after they had been cleaned. I don't know how you could ever prepare for the unpredictable antics of a rabbit. So we finally have a live litter from Nixie. How long they will last in her care is unknown.
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