Watch the development process that occurs in a litter of Holland Lops!!   
The litter of six kits portrayed in the following photos were sired by a solid tort buck by the name of Quinton whom we were given by our friend Donna Williams.  The dam of these little guys is a broken blue doe named Celine whom we were also fortunate enough to be given by our friend Tasia Thomas.   The babies were born on Tuesday, April 5th at approximately 7 p.m..  We hope that you enjoy watching them grow up.
Sire: Snowberry's Quinton
Dam:  P.M.'s Celine
Wednesday, April 6th, 2005

Upon completing the first 24 hours of life, these kits appear to be quite healthy.  There were no "peanuts" in the litter.  (Celine is a "normal" doe and therefore does not carry the "dwarf" gene.) 

Already the skin on these babies is beginning to feel velvety as the first inclinations of fuzz are established.

It appears that there are 2 solid blue kits, 1 broken blue kit, 1 solid blue tort kit & 2 broken blue tort kits in this litter. 
Thursday, April 7th, 2005

Two day old kits look fairly similar to one day old kits.  Notice how the color is beginning to darken.  As the fuzz comes in on these little guys and then turns to fur, a drastic transformation will occur.

When I checked on these kits today they were wet.  It appears that Celine chose to use her nest box as a bathroom.  It's still a little cold outside, so I changed the bedding and brought the babies inside the house.  In the morning I will take them to Celine for some milk.

 
Friday, April 8th, 2005

Wow!!  Three day old kits are little bundles of energy!!  As you can see in the photo two of the babies are quickly escaping the scene.  I had to work quickly to snap this shot.

The fuzz growth continues at a very quick rate.  Unfortunately, the photo doesn't quite show this detail. 
The "blues" may actually be "blacks".  They are extremely dark. 

The babies just have a completely different feel to them today.  They are very wiggly!


Saturday, April 9th, 2005

I've officially changed my mind on the initial colors I'd projected.  The "blue torts" are actually torts.....and the "blues" are actually blacks.

By now you can see some definite differences between 1 day old Hollands and 4 day old Hollands.  Pick a baby of a specific color out of this picture and compare it with a baby of the same color in the day 1 picture.  The changes are obvious.

The pink on the broken kits is quickly turning to white fur.  In another day or two you won't see any more pink skin at all.  It's amazing how fast these guys grow!!
Sunday, April 10th, 2005

The broken tort kit laying on the yardstick is one of the smallest kits in the litter.  From the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, that kit is 4 1/2 inches long.  The big solid black kit and the solid tort kit are easily 5 inches long.

Typically, by day 5 I feel pretty good about the survival chances of the kits.  By this time "peanuts" have perished & it's become obvious that the mother is feeding her babies.  In this particular litter I didn't have to worry about "peanuts"...and because it's about the 5th litter for Celine, I can feel pretty comfortable in her "auto-pilot" mothering skills.  Can't beat a good brood doe!!
Monday, April 11th, 2005

The amount of pink on the broken kits is very minimal by day 6.   It's amazing how quickly the fur grows!  It's still very short though...and if you attempted to tug at it with your fingers, you'd never be able to get a grasp on it.  In another few days that will change.

The size variance in the kits is also quite noticeable.  Quite often in a litter this size there is a difference in growth rate of the babies.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as they're all getting proper nutrition.  In one of our recent litters we had a kit that was easily twice the size of it's littermates.  By 5 weeks of age, you could see no size variance in any of the babies in the litter.
Tuesday, April 12th, 2005

By the 7th day, the kits are actually starting to look like bunnies!  They get cuter and cuter each and every day!!

The next couple of days will see the lengthening of fur and the continuous growth of their little bodies. 

The babies are still deaf and blind...but this too will change very soon. 

My plan is to take you through the first 14 days of life for these guys with a daily photo.  After that I will take one photo a week until they are 8 weeks old.
Wednesday, April 13th, 2005

Celine chose to pee on the babies just before I took this photo.....so they look like wet rats. 

The kits continue to grow bigger and stronger each day.  Getting them to sit still for a family photograph is becoming increasingly difficult. 

The entire litter appears to be very healthy!  A litter of six kits is somewhat uncommon in Hollands.  Typically you'd expect an average of about 4 kits or even less.  The double dwarf "peanut" factor plays a big role in reducing this number.
Thursday, April 14th, 2005

By day 9 the fur has begun to lengthen.  Absolutley all pink pigmentation has now changed to white fur.

The babies are like little firecrackers and jump in the air when touched.  Any sense of contact coming from above may mean a visit from mom and a potential meal of nourishing milk.   Healthy, active kits are always ready to eat.

These little guys were taking off in all directions at full speed (without sight) and had to be captured time and time again in order to snap this shot. 

We're about to enter the eye opening phase!!
Friday, April 15th, 2005

Rabbit books and articles often state that day 10 is eye opening day.  While this is certainly a possibility, I have found it to be more of an exception than a rule. 

We once had a litter open their eyes at 9 days of age, but more frequently this seems to happen on the 12th day or later.

One article suggests gently opening eyes with a warm, moist cloth if they're still closed around the 14th day.  I see no medical reason for this.  We've had litters open their eyes on the 18th day.  They were completely healthy.  It'll happen when it's supposed to.
Saturday, April 16th, 2005

Eyes still closed, these kits are growing like weeds. The entire litter is very healthy and active and looking great!!

At this point it's easy to get ahold of the fur between your fingers and tug at it.  Just a few short days ago this could not be done.  It's amazing how the nutrients in mothers' milk can cause such a spectacular transformation.
Sunday, April 17th, 2005

If they look a little wet today....it's because they are.  Yep...for the 3rd time they were urinated upon.  This time though....I think they did it to themselves.   Six babies in such a small area needing to go to the bathroom can have this outcome.  This is why babies should be examined frequently.  Never hurts to make sure they're ok.

Eyes are still closed.
Monday, April 18th, 2005

Well...on day 13, the black kit with it's head on the ruler has opened its' eyes.  This is the only kit in the litter that has done so thus far.  The "eye slits" on the other babies look as though they'll allow for sight any time. 

The babies seemed much more attentive to sound today too.  The little ears were flapping around during photo time.  They grow up so fast!
Tuesday, April 19th, 2005

Two weeks old!!  By day 14, most of the kits have opened their eyes.  With sight comes curiosity and in turn...exploration.   At two weeks of age, baby rabbits still enjoy napping during most of the day...but when they wake up....those new little eyes take in everything that they possibly can.

Baby bunnies spend a lot of time scratching themselves. Growing new fur is itchy business.  You'll notice that the broken tort kit in the lower right hand side of the picture was caught in mid scratching motion. 


Tuesday, April 26th, 2005

The only thing cuter than a 3 week old bunny is six 3 week old bunnies!!!  Every time I see these little guys I just wanna kiss their fat little cheeks. 

Three week old kits are little fluff balls of fur.  They're soft, cuddly little critters that still spend a bunch of time sleeping.  When they're awake.....you'll see their little heads poppin right over the top of the nest box as they stand on their tippy toes.  NOTHING...I mean NOTHING is cuter!!!  They want sooooo bad to get to the "unknown" outside of the nest box.  When they do though...I gently put them back into the hay covered safety that the box provides.  I don't want these little guys gettin stuck in cage wire or stepped on by big momma Celine.  After all...she's nearly 6 pounds!!