UPDATE TO OUR FIRST BREEDING EXPERIENCE
THREE WEEKS ALREADY?
AUGUST 5TH, 1998

Well, it's been three weeks already and the babies are all doing well. They are beginning to bounce around like little ping pong balls in the cage. It is a real kick to see these little furballs and remember that three short weeks ago they were blind and unable to fend for themselves.

This week marks their third week and we will be dealing with taking out the nestbox in the next couple of days.  I have been keeping the little ones and Angel in a cage indoors so I could watch their development closely. There is no need in this situation or at this time of year to worry about such things as exposure to the elements which might normally be a consideration when removing the nestbox.  In the last week or so they have been in and out of the box and seem to prefer exploring the cage and cuddling with Angel more than staying in the nestbox anymore. Angel has been having a hard time with the adjustment as the kits began thinking she was a 24 hour nursing station since she could no longer escape them.  In the last couple of days she has been patiently but firmly putting her foot down literally by stomping at them and hopping away. They seem to be getting the message that she is off limits except for their usual once or twice a day feeding.

For the last week they have been eating hay which is a normal part of their development. Now that they can get out of the box they have shown an interest in the pellets already. I have been careful to put the pellets in a dish up high where I was hoping they wouldn't find it for awhile. However, in the last two days they have managed to hop right up into the dish and sample some of the pellets. I asked a local breeder if this was too soon for eating pellets and she commented that it is the normal time for them to show interest in them. It is, however, also a time when I should watch them closely for any stomach problems such as diarrhea and bloating. It is between weeks four and six that the kits are most susceptible to stomach related problems due to their sudden interest in pellets. I will continue to monitor them closely to make sure all is well in the coming weeks.

I have finally reached a point where I can feel more confident in figuring out who is a buck and who is a doe. It appears that we have one black silver marten doe and three black self bucks. At some point I will be selling a few kits so I will post pictures and information about each of them soon.  If you think you might be interested in any of these kits, please email me to the address on my homepage and let me know. These kits have a Grand Champion Black Silver Marten Sire and Angel has two legs herself.  It will be a lot of fun in the coming weeks to watch them change and continue to grow. To our family they are the most beautiful baby bunnies we have ever seen!!!!