If you’re going to breed rabbits, you are going to need nest boxes. Best practice is to have one nest box for each doe to prevent cross-contamination. However, you can get by having enough nestboxes for the most number of litters you’ll have at one time. I figure it by looking at how many does might you breed in a 30 day period, that way each doe can have her nestbox before she kindles and keep it until the kits are starting to jump out on their own.
Nestboxes can be made completely of wood, completely of metal, a combination of the two, or even plastic. Plastic is usually only used in emergency cases or by inexperienced “pet” owners. Don’t use plastic if you can avoid it since it can be chewed on and is no good for the rabbit.
You can make your own nestboxes out of wood if you have a few boards lying about. Just keep in mind that hardwoods are the safest for rabbits. Hardwoods are trees like alder, poplar, maple and oak. Pine can be used, but avoid fresh pine that is particularly sappy or aromatic. And avoid cedar at all costs. Rabbit respiratory systems are pretty sensitive.
Wooden nestboxes are harder to keep clean, and cannot be truly sterilized. What that means is that if you have a litter that contracts any disease--coccidiosis or mucoid enteritis, for example--you’ll have to destroy the nestbox (firewood, anyone?). However, if you have a scrap pile of safe wood, it may still be a cheaper option.
Metal nestboxes are the ones you usually end up buying from suppliers and feed stores. Metal has the advantage of being easily sterilized. The downside is that because of how lightweight they are, most does will try to move them around the cage, and then may later decide that the corner of the cage BEHIND the box looks like a good nest, which usually results in dead kits. This can be remedied by using something to secure the nestbox into its corner. (I use a pair of spring clips attached to the floor to wedge the box into the corner). Another downside is that metal nestboxes have NO insulation. This can result in overheated kits during the summer, or frozen kits during the winter (meaning dead kits in either case). Frozen kits can be remedied through the use of a nestbox warmer (available from most equipment suppliers). Or, you can bring the nestbox inside your house when the temperature in the rabbit area is getting too extreme for the kits.
Whether you use a wooden or metal nestbox, you’ll find that the floor will wear out the fastest. For this reason, I prefer to design my nestboxes with a removable floor. Many commercially available metal nestboxes actually have a removable wooden floor (which helps with the insulation problem a little bit).
There are actually several types of nestboxes in use. The most common has a rectangular floor, with a short wall on one narrow side, a tall wall on the opposite narrow side, and trapezoidal walls that have an angle cut from the top of the short wall the top of the tall wall. Sometimes these will also have a bit of a ceiling coming out from the taller waller. For a meat-type breed, this means a 10”x18” floor, with a 10”x4-6” front wall, 10”x10” back wall, For the sides, take two more 10”x18” pieces, and cut an angle out of it from 4-6” up one 10” side to the opposite corner.
You can also take a regular, straight-sided box, and cut an opening for the doe to hop in through. Just make sure that it is at least 4” above the floor, and no more than 6”. This keeps the kits from crawling out of the nest.
Some nestboxes have a “baby scraper” lip on the bottom of the opening ledge. Essentially, it’s just a lip that hangs over into the nest area and catches any kits still attached to the teat when mom decides to jump out.
Another style of nestbox that is gaining popularity with the “natural way” movement is the “subterranean” nest, which is essentially a box that is dropped into a hole in the bottom of the doe’s cage. However, this requires that you have a hole in the bottom of each doe’s cage. You then either have to always leave the nest in her cage or have some way of replacing the floor when she’s not nesting. This style doesn’t work very well for stacked cages because of the extra clearance you need under each cage.
When choosing or making your nest box, consider the size of the doe you’ll be breeding. The nest box should be just barely bigger than her. A nest that is too big will encourage to lounge around in it. She may choose to turn it into a litter box, or just hang out in there which poses a risk for trampling the kits. The doe should only be going in there once or twice a day to feed for a few minutes and then get out. Obviously, a nest that’s too small just won’t get used.
Nestboxes can be made completely of wood, completely of metal, a combination of the two, or even plastic. Plastic is usually only used in emergency cases or by inexperienced “pet” owners. Don’t use plastic if you can avoid it since it can be chewed on and is no good for the rabbit.
You can make your own nestboxes out of wood if you have a few boards lying about. Just keep in mind that hardwoods are the safest for rabbits. Hardwoods are trees like alder, poplar, maple and oak. Pine can be used, but avoid fresh pine that is particularly sappy or aromatic. And avoid cedar at all costs. Rabbit respiratory systems are pretty sensitive.
Wooden nestboxes are harder to keep clean, and cannot be truly sterilized. What that means is that if you have a litter that contracts any disease--coccidiosis or mucoid enteritis, for example--you’ll have to destroy the nestbox (firewood, anyone?). However, if you have a scrap pile of safe wood, it may still be a cheaper option.
Metal nestboxes are the ones you usually end up buying from suppliers and feed stores. Metal has the advantage of being easily sterilized. The downside is that because of how lightweight they are, most does will try to move them around the cage, and then may later decide that the corner of the cage BEHIND the box looks like a good nest, which usually results in dead kits. This can be remedied by using something to secure the nestbox into its corner. (I use a pair of spring clips attached to the floor to wedge the box into the corner). Another downside is that metal nestboxes have NO insulation. This can result in overheated kits during the summer, or frozen kits during the winter (meaning dead kits in either case). Frozen kits can be remedied through the use of a nestbox warmer (available from most equipment suppliers). Or, you can bring the nestbox inside your house when the temperature in the rabbit area is getting too extreme for the kits.
Whether you use a wooden or metal nestbox, you’ll find that the floor will wear out the fastest. For this reason, I prefer to design my nestboxes with a removable floor. Many commercially available metal nestboxes actually have a removable wooden floor (which helps with the insulation problem a little bit).
There are actually several types of nestboxes in use. The most common has a rectangular floor, with a short wall on one narrow side, a tall wall on the opposite narrow side, and trapezoidal walls that have an angle cut from the top of the short wall the top of the tall wall. Sometimes these will also have a bit of a ceiling coming out from the taller waller. For a meat-type breed, this means a 10”x18” floor, with a 10”x4-6” front wall, 10”x10” back wall, For the sides, take two more 10”x18” pieces, and cut an angle out of it from 4-6” up one 10” side to the opposite corner.
You can also take a regular, straight-sided box, and cut an opening for the doe to hop in through. Just make sure that it is at least 4” above the floor, and no more than 6”. This keeps the kits from crawling out of the nest.
Some nestboxes have a “baby scraper” lip on the bottom of the opening ledge. Essentially, it’s just a lip that hangs over into the nest area and catches any kits still attached to the teat when mom decides to jump out.
Another style of nestbox that is gaining popularity with the “natural way” movement is the “subterranean” nest, which is essentially a box that is dropped into a hole in the bottom of the doe’s cage. However, this requires that you have a hole in the bottom of each doe’s cage. You then either have to always leave the nest in her cage or have some way of replacing the floor when she’s not nesting. This style doesn’t work very well for stacked cages because of the extra clearance you need under each cage.
When choosing or making your nest box, consider the size of the doe you’ll be breeding. The nest box should be just barely bigger than her. A nest that is too big will encourage to lounge around in it. She may choose to turn it into a litter box, or just hang out in there which poses a risk for trampling the kits. The doe should only be going in there once or twice a day to feed for a few minutes and then get out. Obviously, a nest that’s too small just won’t get used.
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