Two days before our breeder does are due to give birth, we put in about 2-3 inches thick of shredded newspapers inside their nest box and scatter the rest of the shredded newspapers on the floor. As soon as the nest box is inside the cage, the doe will jump right in and would make a scratching motion as if she is digging for gold and everything would come flying out of the box. Then she would lie down to take a rest and get back with her mission of digging once again. Soon after, all the shredded newspapers strewn all over the floor would be gathered by using her lips and she would bring these back inside the nest box. Huh? Doesn't make sense but that's how it is and that's how it's always been with them. They arrange their nest according to their own design. So their next job is to pull some furs from their dewlap and put these in with the shredded newspapers inside their nest box. Then once they are content with their work, then they do what they do best, give birth to their litters.
We usually breed our does by twos or by threes or sometimes even by four does at a time. The advantage of this system is that the does with a fewer litter could foster the kits of the other does with a bigger litter. So anyway, we were expecting these two does to give birth that night. The next morning, my sister-in-law Emy was wondering why one of the expectant does did not come out of her nest box whereas the other doe was already out and about. So Emy looked inside the box and found this Chinchilla doe stretched to her full length inside the nest box and was already dead. The doe was doing fine just last night when we fed her and we were expecting her to give birth that night.We do not know what caused her death and this is our first time to lose a doe in giving birth. There was no injury on any part of her body so we just assumed that she may have had a difficult time in giving birth last night. So we were all saddened by this loss. She was a very good breeder and we wanted to honor her life so we buried her in the flower beds in the garden.
Hello Emy! I have been raising rabbits as hobby for 4 years. I can relate to your blog. have experience a lot of joy and tears. last year my expecting doe was in her nest box in the morning, when I got home I was so excited to see a kit wiggling in her belly! took a lot of pic to commemorate the event. later I notice the doe eyes were open and wasnt breathing! she die giving birth! ( it was her first time, I have experienced 2 birth process with her mom years ago) . I love my pets and never throw them to the trash! I buried her in our flower lot. I took care of the kit for 2 weeks until i blunder giving the kit the wrong "poop", it was suppose to be the other nutricious grapelike poop ! I took the kit to a vet in san juan which treat and prescribe a medicine, there is no parasite. in the afternoon I discover the kit was lifeless! Feel so frustrated!
ReplyDeleteHello Wilson,
ReplyDeleteThis is Lou, owner of this blog and Emy is my sister-in-law. It's nice to know that you can relate to our experience on losing a doe. I guess that is all part of being a "rabbit farmer". Knowing that we gave them the best of care while they were with us is what matters most. Thanks for reading this blog. Regards and Happy Rabbit Farming!
Hello Lou! hehe I got confuse kala Emy is your alias. It is when I got into rabbits that i realize that important info and support on rabbits are not as available as I thought. I am glad to found your blog. someone who have gone through it and willing to share. Thanks for sharing ! :-)
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