UPDATE ON FIRST BREEDING

JULY 5TH 1998

Well, we are on day 21 of our first breeding experience with Gems Littlest Angel. I had been keeping Angel inside for the first part of her pregnancy but since then I have moved her to a new outside hutch. She seems perfectly content these days to sit and eat hay and pellets. I have increased her food since the 12th day but she hasn't really eaten much more than usual. Still, I keep making it available to her.

So far there have been no real events which is good. Everything seems to be progressing smoothly with her. We have had a string of warm weather which was something new for me to contend with in this adventure. It is very important to keep her cool so I took as many precautions as I could. She seemed most pleased with the freshly frozen plastic bottle she received throughout the warm days. Between that frozen cage toy (which is what it became to her) and a lot of cool fresh water she seemed to make it through the warmest days just fine. The hutch we built stands just behind our house and receives quite a bit of shade throughout the day except for first thing in the morning. I have read that this is the best time for the sun to hit the hutch because the air is still cool from the morning. It's a nice location for me because it is on the patio right outside of my bedroom sliding door. I have a view of the hutch throughout the day and can watch for any changes in the bunnies.

In the next week I will place the nestbox in the cage and watch that she doesn't soil it. I will watch to see when she begins pulling fur and moving hay around to know we are getting close. It was very helpful to me to get previous breeding records from her previous owner to know on what day she has kindled in the past. She has kindled twice on the 31st day so I can be more aware of things as we get closer to that date. I highly recommend that you ask for any previous breeding information on the doe you are purchasing because it may give you some insight into future breeding behavior.  Also, knowing what color of rabbits the doe has had in the past will give you some insight into what lies in her genetics and will help to predict what colors may appear in future litters. I definitely recommend learning as much as you can about a doe if you are purchasing her to breed for you.

Well, I will update this as we get to the big day. Stay tuned for more Angel updates...