More Baby Bunnies!

After such an easy, great first kindling process, our second has been less stellar.  

Symphony, a New Zealand, delivered today on day 32.  This was her first time, and when I checked on her this morning she was still showing absolutely no interest in her nest box.  All I'd seen her do with it since day 28 when I put it in was drag it around, and pull the hay out.  (Which I replaced.  Twice.)

At noon she was looking antsy.  Hopping around from corner to corner, but still not hair plucking or even getting into the nest box.  

An hour later, she was frantically pulling hair, which was all over the cage.  Figuring that birth was imminent, I left her alone.

A couple of hours later I returned to find a dead kit on the cage floor, two dead kits at one end of the box uncovered, and a writhing mass of fur at the other.  Sym is pretty friendly generally, so I reached in and pet her, then removed the dead kits.  Under the fluff I found five live little kits and I covered them back up and let them be.

We are sad to have lost a couple of kits, but it's obvious that as a first timer she wasn't really sure what she was doing.  When the kits are about a month or so we'll rebreed her and see how the next pregnancy goes.  My general rule with most livestock is three births, then evaluate.  

Update 2/7/13:  Mom and kits are still doing fine.  Sym appears to be settling in to motherhood.  She does keep moving her nest box around though.  Otherwise, she is her usual, friendly self and is enjoying her treats and such.

Update 2/14/13:  The kits have their eyes open and are happily hopping around in their nest box.  Turns out there are 6 in all.