09/19/2024
About 6 years ago, I was desperate for nest boxes and didn’t really have the time or money to drive to my cage dealer 3 hours away. I had litters due in a week and I headed over to my neighbor, Bob Bergene’s, house to help him with something or other. He had a few ancient nest boxes in the corner he offered me. I was skeptical, they were old, chewed up, and just boxes. None of the slant on the front new nest boxes, no lid, and about 8 inches tall all the way around. I was worried my babies wouldn’t be able to get back in if they got out. But I decided to take them home and give them a try.
At the time I was having issues with Rhinelander mamas having babies at the front of boxes and dragging them out while feeding. I was seeing a lot of trampled babies and babies too young to be on the wire out. I couldn’t figure out why, I was using the biggest boxes available that could fit through my cage doors. The mamas could turn around and had plenty of room on either side of them. My French Lops also used the same boxes without issue. I started using the boxes, and soon found my issues were gone. I was confused, but grateful to find a solution.
It’s important to tailor your equipment to your breed. And over the past several years I’ve observed why these boxes work so much better for my Rhinelanders!
-The boxes dont have a lid, making them suitable for rabbits that are much taller. Rhinelanders have a very high side profile compared to commercial breeds, and when they were giving birth, they were squashed uncomfortably against the top of the box. This is also what led to many of them being squashed by moms who have to walk over babies to exit the box. Having no lid also allows mamas to enter from any side and chose where they want to have their kits.
-The boxes have a very high front. Rhinelander babies are very active and very jumpy. They are more inclined to accidentally pop out the front of shorter boxes. This also leads to over zealous mamas leaving the box too early during feeding and dragging babies out. Now mama have to jump higher to exit and I think it makes them think a bit more.
-These boxes have (most likely) increased the athleticism of kits. This definitely could be due to genetics as well, but my babies seem much more inclined to run and show off the first time I put them on the table. They rarely come out of the nest box soft in flesh, or lacking in muscle tone, even for very small juniors.
Buy equipment for YOUR animals, not what’s trending or popular. And don’t be afraid to try out some old tech.
Here’s a pic of a similar box to the ones I use (just with a cut out instead of a flat lip.)
