Now, Back to the Rabbits--Litters of Phantom and Fudge

Phantom and Fudge kindled their litters on December 12.  Both were first-time mothers.  Phantom pulled plenty of wool for her litter of six.  Two were stillborn; four survive. 

There are two blacks, a chocolate, and what may turn out to be a sable.  They are now 17 days old.

Fudge was a first-timer like Phantom, but her maternal instinct did not kick in, unfortunately.  She did not pull any wool and kindled her kits all in the front of the nest box and did not cover them at all.  She did not clean them, either.  Lydia was gone for the day, and when I checked the kits, they all looked dead.  I quickly brought them inside.  Jared and I found three of the six still alive.  We cleaned and warmed them and hoped for the best.  One of the kits died about three hours later.  A second was just fine when Charlotte took them out for feeding, but was dead when she brought them back in fifteen minutes later.  We think Phantom may have stepped on him and broken his neck.  The last of the three died a week later, reasons unknown.  Lydia was heartbroken.