Surprise Babies

It's been quite an exciting week around here.

Taking advantage of a rare 60+ degree day, Tim set about dumping trays while I took over feeding and watering duties for the rabbits.

I noticed Epiphany, the only rabbit with young babies, has been camping out in her nestbox.  E gave me quite a bit of trouble kindling.  Her first baby was born while Tim was outside dumping trays on a different occasion.  He was able to make a nest for the baby and keep it warm until I got home.  That night, I found a second baby wedged between the box and the urine guards.  It was extremely chilled, but I was able to warm it up.  The next day, both babies looked great.

Anyway, E had been camping out in her nestbox and I was worried that she had been eating the hay as well, since her food dish had been licked cleaned for the past week.  I feed Miss Piggy and then pull out her box to rearrange the hay a bit and check on the two babies.  I caught a sight of white fur and I was disappointed. I had thought the second baby wasn't a pointed, but clearly I was wrong.

Imagine my greater surprise when I poke a finger in to the nest and find more than two wiggly bodies!

Muttering to E, I clear a place for her nestbox on my grooming table and start peeking in through the wool- one, two, three, four, five!

Apparently E. had dealt with a rough labor and ended up kindling more than a day apart between the first baby and the last.  It has been very cold here, so I hadn't checked the box again since the morning after the first two were born.

This explains why she's been such a pig around feeding time.

I am happy to report she has three shaded babies and two pointeds, all looking great.  If she hadn't been sitting in the nest, what a real surprise I'd have had when those five started leaving their nestboxes!

-Kristen