Way to go Gamble - another live litter!
The typical gestation period for rabbits is 31 days, though larger litters often get born earlier than that. I had one Harlequin doe that kindled on day 28 with a litter of 13; she raised 11 of them. I had one Holland Lop doe that always kindled on day 30, regardless of litter size, so you might make a note of this for future Gamble litters.
You made a good call to bring the litter in. My litters spend their early days in my hall closet, only visiting their mothers during times when I can be there to make sure nobody gets pulled out onto the wire. Losses are "par for the course", but it is entirely possible for a doe to raise 9 babies. I remember reading about a study someone did a number of years ago, where they determined that 6 seemed to be the optimum number in a litter. It seems that the litter as a whole gains weight at the same rate, regardless of how many kits are in the litter - evidently the limiting factor is the amount of milk the doe produces. The kits in numerically large litters gain weight at a slower rate than the kits in small litters. The kits from really small litters seem to gain weight too fast, and sometimes wind up with bone deformities or digestive problems as a result. I usually try to get several does bred at the same time, so that I can move kits around to make litter sizes that work better for all concerned.
And here, at the very beginning, you got to experience the miracle of the "Lazarus babies". How cool is that?! You did exactly the right thing, they need to be warmed up gently. If you try to warm them up too fast, they may start to revive, then crash - and that is heartbreak x2.
Fingers crossed for litter #3!
The typical gestation period for rabbits is 31 days, though larger litters often get born earlier than that. I had one Harlequin doe that kindled on day 28 with a litter of 13; she raised 11 of them. I had one Holland Lop doe that always kindled on day 30, regardless of litter size, so you might make a note of this for future Gamble litters.
You made a good call to bring the litter in. My litters spend their early days in my hall closet, only visiting their mothers during times when I can be there to make sure nobody gets pulled out onto the wire. Losses are "par for the course", but it is entirely possible for a doe to raise 9 babies. I remember reading about a study someone did a number of years ago, where they determined that 6 seemed to be the optimum number in a litter. It seems that the litter as a whole gains weight at the same rate, regardless of how many kits are in the litter - evidently the limiting factor is the amount of milk the doe produces. The kits in numerically large litters gain weight at a slower rate than the kits in small litters. The kits from really small litters seem to gain weight too fast, and sometimes wind up with bone deformities or digestive problems as a result. I usually try to get several does bred at the same time, so that I can move kits around to make litter sizes that work better for all concerned.
And here, at the very beginning, you got to experience the miracle of the "Lazarus babies". How cool is that?! You did exactly the right thing, they need to be warmed up gently. If you try to warm them up too fast, they may start to revive, then crash - and that is heartbreak x2.
Fingers crossed for litter #3!
Congratulations on the big healthy litter.
