FAQ

In winter kindling, the nest and the mother matter more than the temperature: a doe that builds a good nest and pulls plenty of fur keeps her kits alive even in frost. Kits usually freeze from below, so put at least 1 cm of foam board, or wood shavings between two layers of cardboard, under the nest box floor, add 15–20 cm of dry hay or straw on top, and keep drafts out. A nursing doe’s water must not freeze, so top it up with warm water several times a day. Warm a chilled kit gradually, for example 5–10 minutes in water no hotter than 38 °C with the head kept out, dry it well and return it to the nest; do not use heat lamps in a cage full of hay because of the fire risk. To keep kindling away from the coldest weeks, avoid mating does from mid-November to early December.

Rabbits cannot sweat and cope badly with heat above 28–30 °C: bucks become temporarily infertile and take 8–10 weeks to recover, fewer does get pregnant, and more kits die. Keep the rabbitry in deep shade, insulate the roof from the sun, point fans along the cages rather than straight at the rabbits, give cool clean water, and on the hottest days put frozen water bottles in the cages. Clipping the bucks’ fur in late May helps them tolerate heat. Signs of heatstroke are fast breathing, lying stretched out and hot ears: move the rabbit to a cool place at once, wet its ears with cool (not ice-cold) water, and contact a vet.