UPDATE ON OUR FIRST BREEDING-THE BIG DAY!!!
July 15th, 1998

     The day I have been waiting for has finally arrived!! Angel kindled this afternoon on the 31st day right on schedule. The last twenty four hours were very nerve wracking. I was trying to prepare myself for all the possible troubles that we might have to face that I have read and been told about. I have briefed myself on what to do incase of delivery problems such as a stuck or retained kit. I have prepared myself for the possibility of a stillborn kit or a peanut. Still, with all the reading and asking advice I still felt totally unprepared for this first kindling. I was lucky to have an experienced bunny mom to make this first experience a smooth one. In thinking about what advice I would give a beginner regarding their first experience with kindling I would have to say that getting a proven doe is most important. Secondly a doe that will cooperate and allow you to feel and "educate your hands"  to gain knowledge and experience  is invaluable. I was lucky to have both of these things in Angel.
     Two days ago I took Angel out of her cage and put her down facing me. I began feeling her tummy for signs of the little ones. At this point it is very easy to feel the little arms moving around. It was very exciting to feel all the activity inside the doe! If you look carefully at the doe's tummy, the movement should be fairly obvious at this point. This was a good sign that things were going well up to this point. I hope to gain enough experience over the coming years to be able to feel the fetuses at a much earlier stage. This is why I think it's a wonderful advantage to find a doe that will be cooperative and allow this type of touch education.
     Yesterday, Angel began feverishly rebuilding her nest in the nestbox with hay. She also began pulling fur which made me think we were very close to the delivery time. She did this starting early in the morning and it continued for about an hour. After this, she spent the remainder of the day outside the nestbox resting. She rarely went inside the box again which made me wonder if I wasn't being premature in thinking the time had come. As it turned out I watched impatiently for the entire day with no results. She remained content to rest and guard the box.
     It wasn't until today, the 31st day, at 8:30 am that she started acting anxious again. She had kindled her first two times on the 31st day so I shouldn't have expected much before this day. That is one advantage to knowing the history of the doe. This time it was more rebuilding of the nest and even more fur pulling. It surprised me that the doe will pull hair from all over her body in preparation. I was told by an experienced breeder that at this time a hormone is present in the doe that loosens the hair and makes it easier to pull. Still, it looked very uncomfortable to me!! The difference with today is that she would stay in the nestbox in-between pulling fur and packing hay. I almost began to wonder if this was an attempt to warm the nest with her body heat before the babies came. Of course that is just an observation but I will say that when those babies did arrive it was very warm and cozy in the nest!!
     She continued with changes and additions to the nest throughout the day and I was beginning to think the big moment would never arrive. Then suddenly I became aware of a little noise coming from the box. It appeared to be Angel in the act of kindling. I listened further and watched and the sound I originally heard was now accompanied by a little squeaking noise. It was a beautiful little bunny! Angel jumped from the nestbox for just a moment and I was able to see the little blind creature wriggling around in the box. Then Angel jumped back in and there was more activity. When she jumped from the nest again there were two more babies. Three identical little gems!! At this point Angel jumped in the box one more time and a fourth was born. I couldn't believe that we had four little bunnies in the nestbox. All appeared healthy and squeaked much louder than their size might suggest . As a novice to this I'm glad I had read as much as I could find on the subject of breeding. It prepared me for such details as the doe ingesting the placentas. This act apparently assists in the release of very important hormones in the doe and should not be interfered with at all. I had tried to prepare as much as I could and still it amazed me that we now had four new bunnies!
     I'm still a little uncertain as to their color. I was told that an experienced breeder could tell at this point what colors they are but I am uncertain. From what I have had described, they appear  to all be blue netherland dwarfs, three self and one silver marten. Still, I will have an experienced breeder take a look and give me an opinion. I'm just thrilled that at this early stage they are all doing well! I hope to do some research on genetics and write a little about what I've learned from this breeding about the genetics of the kits parents. I know that a litter can expose a lot about the genotype of the parents and maybe the fact that they  all appear blue will yield some good information  about Angel and Sport for  future breeding. I will be posting pictures of the little rascals in the coming week to show what a little newborn looks like for those of you who are beginners to this like myself. Also, I hope to accompany  the pictures with some brief developmental facts about the growing kits for those who are learning what to expect in a new litter. I hope all of this helps to give one perspective on what to look for in a typical breeding.
     Check back with us soon to watch the kits develop and learn a little about these little blue treasures!!