New Babie and Early Summer Heat

I had to laugh when I glanced over my previous post before adding this one - not so long ago we were experiencing unusual cold, and now summer is here with a vengeance! We have litters arriving, and I feel bad for the moms having to endure pregnancy in the kind of heat we have been having. I never expected these late spring/early summer litters to arrive in such horrible heat and humidity! Well, the does are very appreciative of the chilled tiles that I provide for them, and all seem to be hanging in there... I know alot of people use frozen water bottles to provide relief during the summer heat, but my rabbits all seem to move away from the bottles rather than lying next to them to benefit from the cold. But they all quickly get the knack of lying on the ceramic tiles which I chill in the refrigerator, and the tiles seem to provide some relief even after they have lost their initial chill. The 12" x 12"  tiles can be picked up inexpensively from home stores like Home Depot or Lowe's.

I have said before that I am always amused by hay-carrying expectant moms, but soon-to-be new mom Two Oaks' Ciara, pictured below, came up with a new variant on this - she has been into "fur carrying" in a big way! I first noticed her carrying some fur a few days ago, and gave her a substantial supply of hay to play with instead. Well, she did indeed set to work on the hay, and built a nest in one corner of her cage. And then the next day I found her carrying a big mouthfull of pulled fur just like most does carry hay, with large amounts of pulled fur in her cage, too.....

Well, so far Ciara is showing every sign of following in her mom's footsteps and being a good, attentive mom. She is bred to D'Artagnan, and I can't wait to see this litter! There should be blacks and pearls as well. Some other does are showing some more traditional signs of being pregnant, so I am hoping for a colorful summer!

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