Accidental litter

[sibelabmom]

Help!!!!! We have a litter as of today. This was  not intentional. I've been keeping them separated, for the last two months, but apparently at some point Loki got through to Bragi and the deed was done. As I said, not intentional. The plan has always been having my three fixed, but there are personal things going on right now that have interfered with that timeline. Now that they're here, I need advice so I can take good care of them. First question: fathers and kits. Loki is frantic to get into the hutch, and I haven't allowed it. Bragi seems to want him nearby too, but I don't want to take the chance.

2. I have not touched the kits. I don't know exactly how many there are, but there are at least five for certain.

3. Should I alter anything in Bragi's diet to help her with lactation and such?

Normally I'd be asking a vet these questions, but there isn't a rabbit-savvy vet nearby.

 

[Janellek]

Congrats on the babies!!! I used to breed Hollands and I do not let the fathers in as they can attack the babies. I handle the kits daily, to make sure they are getting enough milk from mama and so they get used to my scent so as thyme get older there not afraid of me Make sure mom has lots of water and of course unlimited hay, if she gets pellets I would increase the amount she will need lots of nutrients, make sure she is getting her fresh veggies as well and she needs to be plenty hydrated so she can feed all those babies!

 

[JBun]

Some males can be fine with the kits, some will attack. You just don't know, so it's a risk.

The kits need to be checked daily, carefully, as they are squirmy and can pop right out of your hand. I liked to check morning and evening minimum, to make sure they're fed(bellies full, not wrinkly and dehydrated), they're all nestled together in the nestbox and staying warm(none have wandered away and become chilled), and also that none have died (a dead kit can chill the others).

Some momma buns don't like you messing with their nest, some don't mind. Rabbits generally are only in the nest a few minutes to nurse, morning and/or evening, and ignore the babies the rest of the time. If it bothers the mom to have you checking them, try distracting her with something (eg her usual veggies, something to check out, etc), then check them over. I always just pulled the whole nest box out to check them over (and have snuggle time ), but my momma bun was never bothered by it.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Pregnant_rabbits
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Baby_rabbits_(domestic)
https://web.as.miami.edu/hare/surpriselitter.html
Nursing rabbits need a lot more food, often at least 3x the usual amount. She'll need a lot more pellets, preferably alfalfa based (or supplement with some alfalfa hay), unlimited pellets if she continues eating grass hay really well too. Grass hay should be always be free fed.

And enjoy the experience! They're absolutely adorable and fun to raise

 

[Tinytailsrabbits]

Feed her extra food and make sure she has clean water available at all times. You can and should handle those babies. You need to make sure there are none with deformities and no stillborn babies. If there are any dead ones, you need to remove them immediately so they don’t get stinky or eaten by mom. If you need any help I would be glad to give it to you. I am a current lionhead breeder. I have 5 adults and 7 babies atm. I will keep a watch on this forum to see if you have any question/issues. I have plenty of experience and connections to help get you through almost anything.

 

[sibelabmom]

Feed her extra food and make sure she has clean water available at all times. You can and should handle those babies. You need to make sure there are none with deformities and no stillborn babies. If there are any dead ones, you need to remove them immediately so they don’t get stinky or eaten by mom. If you need any help I would be glad to give it to you. I am a current lionhead breeder. I have 5 adults and 7 babies atm. I will keep a watch on this forum to see if you have any question/issues. I have plenty of experience and connections to help get you through almost anything.

Thank you so much! I'll start handling them now, and weighing them.

 

[sibelabmom]

Some males can be fine with the kits, some will attack. You just don't know, so it's a risk.

The kits need to be checked daily, carefully, as they are squirmy and can pop right out of your hand. I liked to check morning and evening minimum, to make sure they're fed(bellies full, not wrinkly and dehydrated), they're all nestled together in the nestbox and staying warm(none have wandered away and become chilled), and also that none have died (a dead kit can chill the others).

Some momma buns don't like you messing with their nest, some don't mind. Rabbits generally are only in the nest a few minutes to nurse, morning and/or evening, and ignore the babies the rest of the time. If it bothers the mom to have you checking them, try distracting her with something (eg her usual veggies, something to check out, etc), then check them over. I always just pulled the whole nest box out to check them over (and have snuggle time ), but my momma bun was never bothered by it.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Pregnant_rabbits
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Baby_rabbits_(domestic)
https://web.as.miami.edu/hare/surpriselitter.html
Nursing rabbits need a lot more food, often at least 3x the usual amount. She'll need a lot more pellets, preferably alfalfa based (or supplement with some alfalfa hay), unlimited pellets if she continues eating grass hay really well too. Grass hay should be always be free fed.

And enjoy the experience! They're absolutely adorable and fun to raise

Thank you for those articles!!! I was looking for something like them!

Some males can be fine with the kits, some will attack. You just don't know, so it's a risk.

The kits need to be checked daily, carefully, as they are squirmy and can pop right out of your hand. I liked to check morning and evening minimum, to make sure they're fed(bellies full, not wrinkly and dehydrated), they're all nestled together in the nestbox and staying warm(none have wandered away and become chilled), and also that none have died (a dead kit can chill the others).

Some momma buns don't like you messing with their nest, some don't mind. Rabbits generally are only in the nest a few minutes to nurse, morning and/or evening, and ignore the babies the rest of the time. If it bothers the mom to have you checking them, try distracting her with something (eg her usual veggies, something to check out, etc), then check them over. I always just pulled the whole nest box out to check them over (and have snuggle time ), but my momma bun was never bothered by it.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Pregnant_rabbits
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Baby_rabbits_(domestic)
https://web.as.miami.edu/hare/surpriselitter.html
Nursing rabbits need a lot more food, often at least 3x the usual amount. She'll need a lot more pellets, preferably alfalfa based (or supplement with some alfalfa hay), unlimited pellets if she continues eating grass hay really well too. Grass hay should be always be free fed.

And enjoy the experience! They're absolutely adorable and fun to raise

Thank you for those articles!!! I was looking for something like them!

 

[sibelabmom]

Feed her extra food and make sure she has clean water available at all times. You can and should handle those babies. You need to make sure there are none with deformities and no stillborn babies. If there are any dead ones, you need to remove them immediately so they don’t get stinky or eaten by mom. If you need any help I would be glad to give it to you. I am a current lionhead breeder. I have 5 adults and 7 babies atm. I will keep a watch on this forum to see if you have any question/issues. I have plenty of experience and connections to help get you through almost anything.

I've handled them for a minute or two, long enough to get weights on them. We have 1.2, 1.5, 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, and 1.0 ounces on all of them. No readily apparent deformities, but the one that only weighs one ounce is visibly smaller than the other five. Not SIGNIFICANTLY smaller, just enough that you can tell. How do I know if I have a peanut or just a small baby?

 

[Preitler]

Just give her some privacy around dusk and dawn for nursing, some of my does do not nurse when I'm around. An instinct to protect the nest.

I check and clean the nest after kindling, then I just put my hand on it to feel if everything is ok, I don't take them out much the first week.

You only can have peanuts if both parents are true dwarfs. No point in worrying, nothing to do about it anyway. Runts can happen in every litter, not much of a problem in small litters. Small differences in size are rather normal

 

[Tinytailsrabbits]

I've handled them for a minute or two, long enough to get weights on them. We have 1.2, 1.5, 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, and 1.0 ounces on all of them. No readily apparent deformities, but the one that only weighs one ounce is visibly smaller than the other five. Not SIGNIFICANTLY smaller, just enough that you can tell. How do I know if I have a peanut or just a small baby?

That is totally normal. It will be small until it is an adult (at least that has been my experience) so I would not worry about it too much. Usually they just grow a little slower but you can help speed it up by making sure it is as plump as the others. If you notice that any of them are skinny and wrinkly, you may want to either hold the mom on her back in your arm (be sure to keep her head above her heart) and hold her still while you let the babies feed on her, or you can buy KMR but I have not had great success with getting them full that way. If you send me some photos of them I would be happy to confirm that the mom is feeding them.

 

[Tinytailsrabbits]

Just give her some privacy around dusk and dawn for nursing, some of my does do not nurse when I'm around. An instinct to protect the nest.

I check and clean the nest after kindling, then I just put my hand on it to feel if everything is ok, I don't take them out much the first week.

You only can have peanuts if both parents are true dwarfs. No point in worrying, nothing to do about it anyway. Runts can happen in every litter, not much of a problem in small litters. Small differences in size are rather normal

Handling them is not an issue. The moms don't care as long as your scent is the scent they are used to and not a strangers or someone they don't trust.

I am not saying you are wrong but my does (even my aggressive one) do not care if I am watching them nurse/give birth/hay stash. I just figured I would say that so they know that is they go near her in the morning/evening, they don't need to worry. Either way I would keep any loud noises/kids/other pets away from her from late evening (dusk) to early morning (around 7). That is the feeding time.

 

[Tinytailsrabbits]

I've handled them for a minute or two, long enough to get weights on them. We have 1.2, 1.5, 1.2, 1.3, 1.6, and 1.0 ounces on all of them. No readily apparent deformities, but the one that only weighs one ounce is visibly smaller than the other five. Not SIGNIFICANTLY smaller, just enough that you can tell. How do I know if I have a peanut or just a small baby?

Also, I just wanted to tell you that you did a good thing in weighing them. When I did it, it helped me to know if one of them needed some more food or even to just me peace that they were growing and developing correctly. I had a litter of 7 and a litter of 3 so I could compare them to make sure they were the right size. I searched up the weight of a newborn baby medium sized rabbit, and it said between 1 and 1.5 ounces so you are all good. Let me know if you have any more questions!

 

[Jocee]

you are doing fantastic, just keep checking them once or twice a day, to make sure their tummies are full, ur smaller kit, might not get as full as the others due to its smallness now, but I have found in my Buns litter's, the runt/smaller kit seems to catch up around 7-10 days. Just keep the water full, and plenty of grass/hay, pellets, and fresh greens.

 

[sibelabmom]

Another question: do I need to be concerned about the fact that the parents are siblings? I definitely did not want them breeding with each other!

I was told the parents are Holland lops, but I believe they're either minilops (the American version,, not the UK), or mixed with something else, because they look nothing like my  actual Holland lop and are about twice his size, so I'm guessing they could still carry the dwarf gene?

 

[sibelabmom]

Today, the weights are 1.8, 1.5, 1.5, and 1.3 ounces. Sadly, we lost two during the night.

 

[JBun]

Make sure the mom is nursing them. They can't go more than 36-48 hours without nursing, before they start getting too weak. If mom's not nursing and/or they aren't getting a full belly when nursing, you may need to intervene.

 

[sibelabmom]

Make sure the mom is nursing them. They can't go more than 36-48 hours without nursing, before they start getting too weak. If mom's not nursing and/or they aren't getting a full belly when nursing, you may need to intervene.

I've been checking them and weighing them

 

[sibelabmom]

Today's weights are 2.7, 2.0, 2.5, and 1.9 ounces. Their bellies are so fat I was worried about them!

 

[JBun]

Boy are they taking advantage of the milk buffet

One thing I thought I would mention, is if you notice the very full bellies is significantly affecting their mobility, you may need to find a way to slightly reduce feedings. You just don't want them having overly full bellies to affect their leg and mobility development and risk possible splay leg issues. This would really only be the case if they are consistently having extremely overfull bellies and it's causing them to struggle moving around as they get bigger, especially at 10-14 days when their eyes open and they should start walking around and trying to get out of the nest.

 

[sibelabmom]

I'll look out for that. After the two died, I've been paranoid. Now I check them every couple of hours. I only weigh them in the morning, but I make sure everyone is breathing and moving every couple of hours.

 

[Tinytailsrabbits]

Another question: do I need to be concerned about the fact that the parents are siblings? I definitely did not want them breeding with each other!

I was told the parents are Holland lops, but I believe they're either minilops (the American version,, not the UK), or mixed with something else, because they look nothing like my  actual Holland lop and are about twice his size, so I'm guessing they could still carry the dwarf gene?

Today, the weights are 1.8, 1.5, 1.5, and 1.3 ounces. Sadly, we lost two during the night.

This could be related. Keep a close eye on them and make sure they continue to be fed. I might be a bit concerned about it because the only pairing you do NOT ever want to do (related ones I mean) is siblings. There is nothing you can do about it now. Just watch them and let me know if anything starts to be abnormal. It was not your fault so don't feel guilty about it. Just make sure this does not happen again.

The babies look beautiful. They look well fed and don't look to have any issues so you may have gotten lucky.

I'll look out for that. After the two died, I've been paranoid. Now I check them every couple of hours. I only weigh them in the morning, but I make sure everyone is breathing and moving every couple of hours.

Just make sure you don't handle them TOO much. You don't want to stress them out by constant handling. Just check on them in the morning, once or twice midday, and in the evening.