April 9, 2014

Opalyn:


Well, I don't know where to start! I could start with the photos of the adult breeders. Or the baby bunnies kindled on March 22. Or the ones born this morning. Lets start with the little-littles. :)

Four kits born this morning to our German Angora doe.

Our black German Angora doe was bred with a white German Angora buck on March 9 and early this morning she delivered four kits. Upon examination three were pink just like I'm used to seeing in our other breeds but one is black. Does that mean that I will have one black bunny and three whites?

Lets go back in time to March 21:

A newborn kit - found "on the wire"

While eagerly awaiting our first baby bunnies, I visited Val and Little Miss often and on March 21, I found Val with two kits on the wire. She had not finished her nest and the little ones were quite cold so I picked them up and tucked them against my skin. One perked up and became active and vocal but all my efforts to get the little one to suckle were to no avail since Val's milk had not come in yet.

The next morning, I checked on them again and both Val and Little Miss had each created a proper nest that was fur lined and moving. Yeah, 2 litters of little ones. Little Miss had kindled 9 kits and Val had six more.

A proper nest box with the little ones nestled all snug in their beds.

The kits are born naked, blind, and deaf. After about a week their fur comes in, a few days later their eyes open and soon they look like baby bunnies

March 30, 2014, and the kits are 8 days old

One week old kits - a few noses poking out.

Here, I've moved the fur aside and you can see five of Val's six little ones and below are the 9 kits kindled by Little Miss. One week old and they look much more like rabbits then they did at birth.

Val's six healthy kits - uncovered for the photo.

Little Miss Jackson's nine kits.

April 3: another photo shoot and they are 12 days old

Val's kits are more active
yet still like to be nestled all snug in their beds.

April 9: the kits are 2-1/2 weeks old.

Val's six kits continue to be more active.

In a few days we will remove the nest box, for hygeine reasons, and depending on night-time temperature, we may give them a cardboard box to snuggle into for another few days.

Little Miss' nine kits.

All the kits are growing and becoming more active. It seems they have out grown the need to be covered in fur and have even started jumping out the the nest box. However, they are not able to get back into the nest box.

This one jumped out of the nest box so I held it for a minute before returning it to the safety and warmth of its siblings.

Another article will follow soon with the pictures of the adults.