# My mini rex had her babies



## DwarfGirl (Jun 24, 2007)

well my thread about adopting a pregnant mini rex is missing, but she did have her babies a week ago. three of them. two of them died. the live one was cold to the touch and i took it out, warmed it up, fed it kitten milk, and put it back in with the mom. it stayed warm after that and she took care of it and it is very healthy so far. i sure could have used this forum during that first day!! i ve missed it really bad. i posted on another forum but it just wasnt the same at all. i didnt know what happened to this forum, i finally found it from that posting on yahoo answers. im glad i found it again! i hope everyone finds it too. ill post a picture of the baby soon.


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## binkies (Jun 24, 2007)

Oh I can't wait to see that baby!!! I'm so very sorry the others didn't make it, but great job on warming up the remaining one!!!


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## DwarfGirl (Jun 24, 2007)

i had gone to that other forum for help and everyone who answered told me no matter what dont touch the baby because if i touched it then the mom WOULD kill it and that its best chance was with the mother.

but i knew it would die if i didnt do something so i just used my own judgement. i know i saved the baby's life 

the mother licks our hands and the baby if we hold it around her. she seems totally fine with it (we just started doing that yesterday).


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## binkies (Jun 24, 2007)

What they told you is rubbish. I'm so glad you used your own instincts and saved that baby.


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## Haley (Jun 24, 2007)

Im so happy you found us!! We sent out a mass email but apparently a lot of people didnt receive it. We saw some posts on yahoo answers and were hoping you guys saw our response. 

Im glad to hear the little one is doing ok. Im so sorry about the other two. Sounds like youre doing a great job though. I cant wait to see some pics of the little one.


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## Flashy (Jun 25, 2007)

*DwarfGirl wrote: *


> i had gone to that other forum for help and everyone who answered told me no matter what dont touch the baby because if i touched it then the mom WOULD kill it and that its best chance was with the mother.


I was totally ripped into for the same thing. Sometimes those people that claim to have experience and knowledge are not right (the woman that ripped into me certainly wasn't, and neither were the people who told you that).

Well done for saving that little one, so sorry about the other two though.

It sounds like you are doing a grand job 

I look forward to seeing the little one.


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## ~Bracon~ (Jun 25, 2007)

Im really sorry that you lost the other two. I cant wait to see pics of the little one, you sure did save its life! Just because some people breed rabbits they automaticly think they know everything after their first litter! Im glad you did the right thing! x x x


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## DwarfGirl (Jun 25, 2007)

right before she gave birth another experienced rabbit person told me to seperate the males from females AS SOON AS they start hopping around andtasting solid food, even if they are still nursing,or the girls will get pregnant....

"As soon as they're up and hopping on their own and IMMEDIATELY
after they've
started eating solid food (even if they're still bursing every now
and then) ,
feel free to give me a call so that I can help you sex them. It's
really
important to seperate the males from females and the mother at that
point
otherwise even the BABY females can get pregnant that early."


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## Flashy (Jun 25, 2007)

That's bullcrap. The babies need to stay with their mother until they are 8 weeks old and then be separated. I currently have a litter of 7 kits, and they came out the nest and started eating at 2 and a half weeks old, that is FAR too young to be separated.

Please please take the advice of the knowledgeable people on this forum (I'm not including me in that, but I do know that people here know what they are talking about), because that will help your kits the best.


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## aurora369 (Jun 25, 2007)

Good job warming that baby up!! You most certainly did save his life! Any experienced breeder or rescuer knows that cold babies are not the same as dead babies and they need to be warmed up asap.

I'm really glad to here that mom is 100% okay with you holding her little baby. All that people time will help him to be friendly and well socialized as an adult bunny.

You need to take some pictures for us!!

How is the nest that momma built? Lots of fur? 

Is the nest in a box or just on the floor of the cage? If it's on the floor, it would be a good idea to transfer it to a box as it helps contain the baby to the warmth of the nest. Otherwise he would start cruising around in search of mom and could get cold and die.

The earliest I would take any baby away from mom is 8 weeks. 10-12 weeks is the latest I would keep boys in the same cage with out neutering. With my fosters, the boys, girls and mom all stay together but the boys get neutered at 10-12 weeks.

Sounds like you are on the right track and everything is going well.

--Dawn


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## DwarfGirl (Jun 25, 2007)

*Flashy wrote: *


> That's bullcrap. The babies need to stay with their mother until they are 8 weeks old and then be separated. I currently have a litter of 7 kits, and they came out the nest and started eating at 2 and a half weeks old, that is FAR too young to be separated.
> 
> Please please take the advice of the knowledgeable people on this forum (I'm not including me in that, but I do know that people here know what they are talking about), because that will help your kits the best.


dont worry, i knew that advice was ridiculous.


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## Flashy (Jun 25, 2007)

I thought you were educated and sensible enough


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## DwarfGirl (Jun 25, 2007)

*aurora369 wrote: *


> Good job warming that baby up!! You most certainly did save his life! Any experienced breeder or rescuer knows that cold babies are not the same as dead babies and they need to be warmed up asap.
> 
> I'm really glad to here that mom is 100% okay with you holding her little baby. All that people time will help him to be friendly and well socialized as an adult bunny.
> 
> ...



yes there is lots of fur in the nest and it is in a box. i found the baby outside the nest box this morning though!her eyes arent even open yet. she was trying to nurse from the mother. now that i think of it she was probably dragged out by accident. i put her back in the nest. ive been trying to make sure she gets held a lot (i dont know the sex but i usuallyrefer toit as either he or she anyway).

can i take out the nest box as soon as the eyes are open?

here are pics


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## binkies (Jun 25, 2007)

Oh my gosh! Look how fat!!!! I love it, gimme!!


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## Flashy (Jun 25, 2007)

So so sweet.

It's probably better to leave the nest box there until the baby decides it doesn't need it anymore. Mine, at three weeks, have decided they don't want a nest and sort of dismantled it, lol, now they just sleep in a huddle together. so take your lead from the baby, I guess.


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## DwarfGirl (Jun 25, 2007)

*Flashy wrote: *


> So so sweet.
> 
> It's probably better to leave the nest box there until the baby decides it doesn't need it anymore. Mine, at three weeks, have decided they don't want a nest and sort of dismantled it, lol, now they just sleep in a huddle together. so take your lead from the baby, I guess.


the nest itself is actually already dismantled but theres still a bunch of hay in the box.


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## DwarfGirl (Jun 25, 2007)

*binkies wrote: *


> Oh my gosh! Look how fat!!!! I love it, gimme!!


that picture is actually from a couple days ago, shes way fatter now lol.


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## 2bunmom (Jun 25, 2007)

How cute is that!!! Looks like you and bunny mom have done a fine job. We look forward to seeing more pictures. Thanks Beckie Trouble and Trixie


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## Starlight Rabbitry (Jun 26, 2007)

I wouldn't remove the nestbox until you see her not using it anymore. Because she has no brothers or sisters, she may still find her nest comforting.

Sharon

BTW - GREAT JOB!!!


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## aurora369 (Jun 26, 2007)

If the nest starts looking dirty, you can change the hay/bedding out for some fresh stuff. Just keep a bit of the cleaner parts of the nest to put in with the new bedding so it still smells like her nest.

She looks so calm and happy all snuggled there!

How is mom doing? I can't remember how friendly or well socialized she was. Is she doing okay?

--Dawn


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## DwarfGirl (Jun 26, 2007)

the mom is very friendly but doesnt like being held because she just wants to run around so much when shes out of the cage, but she does love attention and enjoys being petted. she is super sweet and shes doing great


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## DwarfGirl (Jun 28, 2007)

the babies eyes opened today 

also, i did remove the nest box because i keep finding the baby outside of it anyway. i left a little nest of hay in the corner of the cage though.

this baby is SOOOOO super duper cute i cant stand it!!

i really wish i knew how to tell if its a boy or a girl :/


edit: she is ten days old today, i had read that the eyes dont open until day 14.


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## Flashy (Jun 28, 2007)

Aw, it's good they opened no problems. Now you just need to make sure that they don't close and get infected. So just watch for the eyes closing and also crustiness too.

The eyes tend to open between 10-12 days, but 14 is the maximum to wait before doing anything (this is what I was told).

Sounds like you are doing a good job.


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## Starlight Rabbitry (Jun 28, 2007)

I would put the nestbox back in. The baby was probably out because it was nursing and wouldn't let go. When mom hops out, baby "comes too".

BTW - pics please

Sharon


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## DwarfGirl (Jun 30, 2007)

ok, here are more pics 

just taken today.

is that the color hes going to be or does it change as they get older?

and does anyone know of any diagrams or anything to help me with sexing this baby?


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## Flashy (Jun 30, 2007)

What a super cute little baby 

The colour base will stay the same, i.e. it will remain an agouti (if that is what it is), but as I understand it (and someone might correct meif I am wrong), when they get their adult fur, the subtleties of the colour may change. Hope that makes some sort of sense.

As for the gender, at this age you will struggle to tell the gender. The older they are the easier it is, but the gender fairy might still strike. I have not found any decent pics of 'bits' though because I too am trying to sex mine. Mine are now 4 weeks and it's still hard to tell.

If I find a decent website I'll let you know.


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## Dolores Lindvall (Jun 30, 2007)

Of course, I could be not remembering correctly, but I think it was Pam who always used ..... taco shaped () if a female, and donut shaped O if a male. As they get older, you will see the penis pop out when you press on thegenital area. If you press too hard, you can very easily change an O to an (), tho.

The basic color should stay pretty much the same ... maybe a little difference in the shading.

As far as the nest box ..... When only a single or up to four ... depeding on how big the babies are and how they are doing ... I usually left the nest box in till they were absolutely not using it anymore. Sometimes this is the only relief that Mom gets from the babies latching on to her ALL THE TIME. She can hop up on the top of it (mine are covered half way on the top) and till the babies can hop up there, Mom can enjoy a few minutes of peace.

When decent straw (absorbs better than hay) became so darn hard to find, I stated using the pine chips for the nest boxes. Even kindling in the dead of winter, the babies stayed nice and warm. And I rarely changed any of the bedding.

At first, being new to the rabbit world, I was SO careful when fostering ... using just about anything to make the babies smell the same ... or sometimes just putting whatever it was on the Mom's nose so EVERYTHING smelled the same to her. Then I found out by trial and error that you do not have to do that. And I always handled kits from the get-go just by doing the daily or so head count to see if there were any deads in the nest. I used to go thru 1000 pounds (one thousand) of rabbit food in a week, so I handled a lot of bunnies. I never had a doe refuse a kit just because I had handled it.

I always found that kits open their eyes about the same as kittens ... right about 10 to 12 days. Had very few develop nest box eyes. An old time breeder/show person told me that if I did, just to draw a little regular penicillin up in a syringe, take the needle off, and then hold the eye open and drop the penicillin right into the eye. This did work for me.

I love the Mini Rex ... just have a few Dwarf Hotot and Mini Lop now. Someday ........ I hope to get a couple of the Mini Rex again. They have the darnedest sharp claws, but to feel their hair is like feeling a bit of Heaven. And every one that I had was ever so friendly. One of my house rabbits was a Mini Rex buck ... Mickey ... and he didn't come to the house till he was close to 8 months old and got so terribly sick. And he used my homemade litter box to at least pee in. At one time, I crossed the Mini Rex with the Mini Lop. Ended up with two second generation Velveteens ... male and female ... both solid black. One died before I had the chance to breed the two of them to see what I would get.

The kits grow so darn fast. Enjoy this little one while you can!

~ Dolores


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## Starlight Rabbitry (Jul 2, 2007)

Its color is called Castor. It may change a little...probably get a little darker. You are doing a great job. Sexing it is easier at about 6 weeks. 

Sharon


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## RAL Rabbitry (Jul 5, 2007)

The color on the kit will actually change quite alot. It will get to be a

much deeper reddish mahogany color with black tipping. Castors usually are

pretty dull looking when they are younger and get much prettier

when they mature. At least that is my experience with raising them.

Roger


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## ~Bracon~ (Jul 5, 2007)

I love the pics


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## DwarfGirl (Jul 5, 2007)

*RAL Rabbitry wrote: *


> The color on the kit will actually change quite alot. It will get to be a
> 
> much deeper reddish mahogany color with black tipping. Castors usually are
> 
> ...


aww thats too bad, i think the color he is now is very pretty. but its already started to darken a little. ill post more pics soon.


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## RAL Rabbitry (Jul 5, 2007)

Castor is a very beautiful color especially when the animal matures.

When they are babies they are kind of dull but when they get their

senior fur they are striking. They are one of the most popular colors

for people showing mini-rex. When he gets a little older blow in his

fur and it kind of looks like a rainbow.

Roger


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