Muddy Creek's Maybeline was due on June 9.
Day 30 came and went with no babies. I expected this, since with her previous litter, May delivered in the morning on day 31.
But alas, day 31 also came and went. At 11:30pm on day 31, I saw that May had FINALLY begun labor and was pulling fur and nesting.
I checked on her again at midnight, but she was still pulling fur. I peeked in again at 12:30 but still - pulling fur, nesting.
At this point, I was exhausted. I had stayed up almost all night the previous night on baby watch. I estimated that it wouldn't be another 30 minutes until May actually started labor, and 30 minutes after that kindling (giving birth). Then, judging by her previous litter, May would probably stay in the box cleaning for another 30 minutes or more after that.
I decided to go to bed, and wake up at 2:30am to check on her. I was pretty sure she would deliver in the box, but everything would be fine, but with her last litter, it wasn't positioned in the box correctly and the baby got too cold.
At 2:30am, wakened by my alarm, I went to check on May. She was out of her box resting, and had two kits inside the box. One was dead, most likely it died on arrival, since it was very big and stretched. The surviving baby was a sweet little blue nestled in the back. May pulled a lot more fur this time, and the baby was warm and cozy.
When I went back to bad, I was feeling frustrated, worried for Butterfly, and grateful for at least one live kit. I was frustrated because, as a huge brood doe, May should be having large litters of 5-6. Instead, she's having these tiny litters. I was worried for Butterfly because although I was (and still am), pretty sure she's not pregnant, I'm a worrier and Butterfly's my baby. Despite all of that, I am grateful for at least one live kit out of May, and I'm hoping and praying it thrives in my rabbitry.
For some strange reason, I woke up again at 5:00am to check on the baby and to check on Butterfly. No babies from Butterfly, but the blue kit was still cozy and warm.
I'm so thankful I decided to breed the does to deliver after my finals had ended...I couldn't imagine getting no sleep on top of finishing finals.
Well, if Butterfly really isn't pregnant, I'll be breeding her in the next week or so at the same time as Angie. Here's May's precious kit. It's a cutie for sure! I'm surprised it's not a chestnut, since Wicket is and that's so dominant. I'm excited to see it grow up :)
Day 30 came and went with no babies. I expected this, since with her previous litter, May delivered in the morning on day 31.
But alas, day 31 also came and went. At 11:30pm on day 31, I saw that May had FINALLY begun labor and was pulling fur and nesting.
I checked on her again at midnight, but she was still pulling fur. I peeked in again at 12:30 but still - pulling fur, nesting.
At this point, I was exhausted. I had stayed up almost all night the previous night on baby watch. I estimated that it wouldn't be another 30 minutes until May actually started labor, and 30 minutes after that kindling (giving birth). Then, judging by her previous litter, May would probably stay in the box cleaning for another 30 minutes or more after that.
I decided to go to bed, and wake up at 2:30am to check on her. I was pretty sure she would deliver in the box, but everything would be fine, but with her last litter, it wasn't positioned in the box correctly and the baby got too cold.
At 2:30am, wakened by my alarm, I went to check on May. She was out of her box resting, and had two kits inside the box. One was dead, most likely it died on arrival, since it was very big and stretched. The surviving baby was a sweet little blue nestled in the back. May pulled a lot more fur this time, and the baby was warm and cozy.
When I went back to bad, I was feeling frustrated, worried for Butterfly, and grateful for at least one live kit. I was frustrated because, as a huge brood doe, May should be having large litters of 5-6. Instead, she's having these tiny litters. I was worried for Butterfly because although I was (and still am), pretty sure she's not pregnant, I'm a worrier and Butterfly's my baby. Despite all of that, I am grateful for at least one live kit out of May, and I'm hoping and praying it thrives in my rabbitry.
For some strange reason, I woke up again at 5:00am to check on the baby and to check on Butterfly. No babies from Butterfly, but the blue kit was still cozy and warm.
I'm so thankful I decided to breed the does to deliver after my finals had ended...I couldn't imagine getting no sleep on top of finishing finals.
Well, if Butterfly really isn't pregnant, I'll be breeding her in the next week or so at the same time as Angie. Here's May's precious kit. It's a cutie for sure! I'm surprised it's not a chestnut, since Wicket is and that's so dominant. I'm excited to see it grow up :)
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