# nest box for flemish giant



## jupiterannette (Sep 14, 2007)

i have been reading into this, and majority of people use pine, and or card board...

cami has a little card board box just big enough for her to huddle in, but when it comes time to make a nest and have her babies wont she need something bigger...

what is a good size, and meterial...

also is cardboard, straw,a nd woven straw mats, good for her to nest with?

any suggestions and ideas would be appreciated?


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## Bo B Bunny (Sep 14, 2007)

how about a nice big storage bin? You can even get the ones like the postal service uses that are made of coroplast.


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## jupiterannette (Sep 14, 2007)

I didnt even think of that... tiped on its side?

so she can get in and out? wont the babiesrol out?

can it be to big.. i was kinda thinking of building one maybe, i dunno

if coroplast would be safe thaty would be great!

im so scared im gonna give her somehting not safe and she is gonna die.

i worry alot!


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## Bo B Bunny (Sep 14, 2007)

I wouldn't even tip it. Maybe one of these would be good! 

http://www.quantumstorage.com/img/3a-01.jpg

Bo used to have a tiny plastic basket this shape and it was his little bed - he can't fit into it very easily anymore LOL!

OR!!!

A cat litter box! You can get some nice ones and she would probably love that!


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## jupiterannette (Sep 14, 2007)

i was thinking that... do you think it would be big enough?

what are normal demensions for a big bun?


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## tundrakatiebean (Sep 14, 2007)

If I remember correctly it needs to have four sides so the babies can't get out but the mama can still get in. I think the cat box would be a great idea if you shoved some fleece in it!


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## jupiterannette (Sep 14, 2007)

awesome...

im sorry im so nervous, 

i have just been scared she would crush the babies in something too smalla, nd she would lounge in something too big,a nd eat bedding and get a blockage.... 


i guess i shouldnt worry so much, if she were at the farm she would have jsut had to have them in a pile of poo with her fir... maybe some hey if she was lucky....

so coverd litter box and flece it is!


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## Bo B Bunny (Sep 14, 2007)

I just realized something!!!:shock2:

YOU SAID BABY FLEMISH ARE ON THE WAY!!!!!! ullhair:

When? when? when?!!!!

Do you have a camera so you can take pics and put them here?

:camera


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## gentle giants (Sep 14, 2007)

What I always went with is measure your rabbit, and make the nestbox 2 inches longer and2 inches wider than the rabbit. You want the sides to at least come a little more than halfway up the doe's sides when there is bedding in it. (When she is in the box, that is. I always used straw or hay as bedding, they like to make a little tunel in it. Don't put it in her cage more than two or three days before she is due, so she won't make a litterpan out of it. 

What you need to do after that is-relax! Everything will be fine. Flemish are great moms, and the babies are the most fun! From the time they can walk, they will be giving you nose kissesand exploring everything.... Gee, nowI miss having kits of my own.....


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## Bo B Bunny (Sep 14, 2007)

GG - that avatar - the ears!!! I have been meaning to tell you how wonderful they are!


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## RAL Rabbitry (Sep 14, 2007)

Don't put any fleece in it!! Just some pine shavings on the bottom and

hay or straw the rest of the way. The doe will rearrange it to suit herself.

If you are using a plastic box make sure that it is heavy enough that the doe

doesn't tip it over. You might have to drill a few holes in it and zip tie it to

the side of the cage.

Good luck with the babies.

Roger


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## jupiterannette (Sep 14, 2007)

i was scared she would chew and eat the fleece....

i put the card board box in yesterday, and it is about 2 inches all around.... so i think that will wor.. she is due oct 3rd ish

lots of pics will follow!


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## Pipp (Sep 14, 2007)

Yay! Flemish! 

Just make sure the sides are high enough to keep the babies from climbingout, but low enough so that Mom can jump in without landing on them. If the sides are too high and she jumps in blind from too high up, she can hurt them.  

Here's a great site link and thread -- the one pinned to the top of the Rabbitry from Deb Mark's site. (She recommends a foot-high box for a Flemish). 

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=5541&forum_id=8

:goodluck



sas


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## Pipp (Sep 14, 2007)

*jupiterannette wrote: *


> i put the card board box in yesterday, and it is about 2 inches all around.... so i think that will wor.. she is due oct 3rd ish



Oh, and don't put the box in until a few days before she's due in case she decides it makes a better litter box. 

sas


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## jupiterannette (Sep 14, 2007)

ok ill take her box out and give it back what 3-4 days before she is due... well i THINK she would be due oct 3rd.

because she came fromt he stock yard on the 4th of sept.... and was put in with the male, and then i got her the 8th, so sometime between the 4-th and the 8th then right.. ok so i will give her the box ont he 1st of oct?!

ok


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## gentle giants (Sep 15, 2007)

*Bo B Bunny wrote: *


> GG - that avatar - the ears!!! I have been meaning to tell you how wonderful they are!


Thanks! I will tell Sally, she won't be surprised someone was admiring her. :biggrin2:


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## jupiterannette (Sep 17, 2007)

SOOO i think i know what to use as a nest!!!

A rubber made bucket witha hole inthe side!

its big, easy to clean, and sturdy!







like this but with some vetilation holes drilled in the top, and a door hole cut in the front!


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## Bo B Bunny (Sep 17, 2007)

Great idea! That was something I was thinking about.

Cloverbunny grew up (her first few months) in a rubbermaid tub with vent holes. She could escape the grids in a NIC cage since she was so tiny. That's something to be aware of with the babies... might want to reinforce your pen/cage with some smaller gauged wire or something. Clover got through a cat carrier door.


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## jupiterannette (Sep 17, 2007)

how big ar flemish babies when there born?

could they get htrough 1 inch x pen?


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## Bo B Bunny (Sep 17, 2007)

I don't know for sure but Clover was about 3 weeks I'd say and she got through easily!


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## gentle giants (Sep 17, 2007)

You might want to put some hardware cloth around the bottom of the x pen if the babies will be spending time in there while they are little. They might not be able to get all of thier bodies through the wire, but there is a risk of them getting their heads caught in the wire.


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## jupiterannette (Sep 19, 2007)

i rebuilt the pen with wire grates... looks nice too!


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## BlueGiants (Sep 20, 2007)

*jupiterannette wrote: *


> SOOO i think i know what to use as a nest!!!
> 
> A rubber made bucket witha hole inthe side!
> 
> ...



I'd be very careful with a bucket like this. It's a nice idea and would clean up well, but my girls would tip this over in a heartbeat. I do prefer a wooden or wide based metal nest box, 24" long, 14" wide and 14" tall. (Short enough that she can't stand up all the way in it...). I also use a thick layer of shavings covered with straw. And I give her a few handfulls of straw that she can pick up and arrange anyway she likes. The Flemish girls generally make wonderful nests and tend to be very good mothers. (I don't suggest fleece in the nestbox. The babies will poop and pee all over the place and it will be very difficult to keep clean. The momma will try to eat the droppings, cleaning up after the babies,and may try to eat the fleece.)

I also prefer a nestbox with a "lip" at the entrance, to prevent "hanger-ons" from falling out. And yes, until they are at least2 weeksold, they can worm themselves through a 1" opening. (I've saved enough babies from the floor to attest to that!). A cardboard box will work for a while, but make sure you remove it by time they are 21 days old. At that age, it will get soiled quickly and will be difficult to clean. It is good if you can give the Momma a place she can go without the babies.I set up adivider that only she can hop over. Gives her a place to rest. Those babies get big fast and it can take a lot out of her.

Good Luck with the litter!


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## jupiterannette (Sep 20, 2007)

Thank you sooooo much for the info..

im over whelmed, and i know im in over my head. But im trying my hardest! 

she is very fearfull of new things, and it took her 2 days to go near the box i gave her to hide in, and i let her see the rubbermaid box, and she jumped right in.... i cut a hole inthe side, with a lip underneith that is 4 inches from the bottom... and i poked some holes int he roof... i was thinking about puting a weight on top, to keep it still.... like a granit tile, int he groove of the top. so it wont fall on her. and she can jump up there to get away fromt he babies....

i am gonna do the shavings and straw.... she has a fleece blanket in her pen i will be removing before she ahs her kits.

do you know about how many i should expect?

i know this isnt her first litter. and she is about 1.5 years old.

the vet said she was underweight... 10.8 lbs at 1.5 weeks prego.

we are now at 2 weeks 2 days as best i can guess... as i didnt have her when she got prego.

and she is definatly gaining weight, she is rounding out around her belly, and her niples are getting bigger....

and she wants to nest allready.

i cant feel her rib very easily any more... so i think she is a better weight. i cant weight her though! LOL my scale only goes to 10lbs! LOL


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## Bo B Bunny (Sep 20, 2007)

If you add a weight, be sure that it can't fall in on the babies. Could you possibly hotglue the tile to the bottom of it? underneath on the outside? 

Sounds crazy but it would probably work well 

OR if you put it on top, could you secure the lid to the box itself with wire or ties or something?


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## BlueGiants (Sep 20, 2007)

10.8 lbs is a little small for a Flemish Giant. My girlshave anywhere from 4 to 14 babies per litter. I'd say 6-8 is average. (I hesitate letting any doe raise more than 8. It's not good for the babies OR the mom.)

If she is very fearful, as long as she isn't using the nest box as a litter box, you can leave the nestbox there for her. You have to base it on the doe herself. If it takes her two days to get used to something new, put it in 5 days early. Give her a pile of straw to "play" with. Let her arrange the nest the way she wants. Don't expect her to pull fur until the babies are on the way. (Some does pull the day before, some pull as they are delivering and I had one doe that didn't pull fur til she was done delivering.) 

Don't get overwhelmed.ullhair: She will know exactly what to do when the time comes. Especially cause she's done this before! :nod You just need patience. :waiting:

I always check a litter a few hours after they are born. Most of my girls are OK with me touching the nest. Make sure all the babies are alive and clean. Remove them and place them in a clean towel. Check the nest for debris (afterbirth). She may not nurse them for several hours after birth. But check them the next morning to make sure they all have full, round tummies. (And PLEASE let us know AS SOON as she has them!)


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## jupiterannette (Sep 20, 2007)

i will!

she is a small flemmy, but she is also skiny... well from what ive seen, i have only seen prolly 15 flemies, ever and they were all "fuller" then her. daddy bun is skiny shape, but larger then her. and prolly some ones dinner by now. grrrrrr

any whoo....

ive been letting her play out of her pen with the box so she is ok with it and knows its safe!


excelent idea, with gluing the tile tot he bottom! will do!


I just want to thank yall for all the help and suggestions!

no as far as diet.. unlimited greens and hay, ok?

im not limiting her pellets right now, cause shes preg, and skiny.. but she is eating almost a cup a day, plus.... 2 handfulls of greens, and 2 carrots with the tops.... and......... 1 teaspoon of oatmeal in her pellets.... and......a piece of papya for digestion aid.... and..... some aloe. vet said it would be good for her skin and tummy.

she is pooing nicly dry, coco pufs!
and peeing ALOT

she drinks about 2-3 cups a day in her bowl!


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## gentle giants (Sep 20, 2007)

Yes, definatly make sure she has a ton of water, and as she is underweight (and pregnant!) make sure she gets all she wants to eat. Otherwise, all she should need is a good nestbox, which it sounds like you have taken care of, and she will do the rest.


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## Bo B Bunny (Sep 21, 2007)

glad the tile idea helps! I was looking through some ads yesterday and saw cinderblocks and thought..... Oooo one of those would add weight.... LOL!


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## jupiterannette (Sep 21, 2007)

i hot glued it on and it is holding!

she isnt very ruff and tough, very calm, but who knows!

she was very glad to see me wheni got home today, she "binkied" as much as a prego bun can! LOL she is getting big. hanging downthough not really out wide much yet.


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## Bo B Bunny (Sep 22, 2007)

AWESOME! I hope it works well.

I have found I can really adapt things for my bunnies! I get creative and it costs less, is safer than a lot of stuff we can purchase, and functions better!

Just think, after all is said and done - that's going to be a fun play hut for her! LOL!


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## jupiterannette (Sep 22, 2007)

very true!

when she is out she likes jumping on top of it! so she will be able to go up there to escape the babies! LOL


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## jupiterannette (Sep 27, 2007)

to further fallow cami, and her soon to be kits...

visit her blog.

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=27781&forum_id=6


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## Pipp (Oct 3, 2007)

This is sort of out of left field, but you said you're givingher Aloe?

First off,it is wrongly listed as 'toxic to rabbits'on a few sites, the opposite is true, it actuallyfights toxins.

However, the study done to prove that also observed weight loss in many of the bunniesalthoughwith no related health issues. 

If she's underweight and you haven't found another reason, maybe hold off on the Aloe and see what happens? 



sas :?


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