Advice wanted :)

[Rach94x]

Hey

, new here, my names Rachel and I have a Netherland Dwarf Rabbit.

Long story short, I have a very unexpected litter, I woke up to a baby roaming around my bunnies cage therefore took her to the vet and she had six in total. Unfortunately I was informed she is producing no milk and I was to hand rear the babies. Unfortunately I have lost one.

The babies are now 10 days old today, however I am struggling to gain advice for them. My vet had said to phone anytime for advice and when I have just shrugs me off and tells me to contact a local charity however I have tried and no response. (I understand the pandemic etc)

This brings me to you guys. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this.

What I have been reading online is very contradictive at times, therefore I would rather ask people who may have experience. I want to know when I should start introducing them to bunny pellets, hay water etc?

None of them have opened their eyes yet, they are all gaining weight really well. I was told to follow the advice for feeding from the vets that they where to be fed 1-1.5ml every two hours for the first week then if they are still looking for more to increase this. I have done that, they are all roughly eating between 10-15ml per day and not every two hours anymore plus I leave them longer through the night as within the first week they where not interested.

I have been reading various information about how their gut changes and they may need certain stuff such as probiotic powder added to their milk/water? I found one on Amazon called Vetark Pro-C? I have also ordered Alfalfa hay for them which is coming tomorrow however unsure when I should be starting to offer such things to them.

Really I am just looking for some guidance and advice. I want to do my absolute best by them.

Sorry for the long winded post. Many thanks

Rachel

 

[Hermelin]

You can offer them food when they start to be active around 3 to 4 weeks they will start to taste hay and pellets but will still be dependent on milk.

Can’t give any tips of the probiotic in milk, but I hope everything goes well with your kits.

 

[Rach94x]

You can offer them food when they start to be active around 3 to 4 weeks they will start to taste hay and pellets but will still be dependent on milk.

Can’t give any tips of the probiotic in milk, but I hope everything goes well with your kits.

Thank you

 

[zuppa]

Hey

, new here, my names Rachel and I have a Netherland Dwarf Rabbit.

Long story short, I have a very unexpected litter, I woke up to a baby roaming around my bunnies cage therefore took her to the vet and she had six in total. Unfortunately I was informed she is producing no milk and I was to hand rear the babies. Unfortunately I have lost one.

The babies are now 10 days old today, however I am struggling to gain advice for them. My vet had said to phone anytime for advice and when I have just shrugs me off and tells me to contact a local charity however I have tried and no response. (I understand the pandemic etc)

This brings me to you guys. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this.

What I have been reading online is very contradictive at times, therefore I would rather ask people who may have experience. I want to know when I should start introducing them to bunny pellets, hay water etc?

None of them have opened their eyes yet, they are all gaining weight really well. I was told to follow the advice for feeding from the vets that they where to be fed 1-1.5ml every two hours for the first week then if they are still looking for more to increase this. I have done that, they are all roughly eating between 10-15ml per day and not every two hours anymore plus I leave them longer through the night as within the first week they where not interested.

I have been reading various information about how their gut changes and they may need certain stuff such as probiotic powder added to their milk/water? I found one on Amazon called Vetark Pro-C? I have also ordered Alfalfa hay for them which is coming tomorrow however unsure when I should be starting to offer such things to them.

Really I am just looking for some guidance and advice. I want to do my absolute best by them.

Sorry for the long winded post. Many thanks

Rachel

Can you post some pictures of them, their mother and their nest/setup? Is there hay in their nest or you use blankets etc?

So I understand that you separated them from their mother and feed by hand, how did you know she didn't have milk, it may take up to 48 hours sometimes before she starts feeding and babies can survive that long when they just born, she can only feed once a day when you can't see that.

What is her diet like? She needs rich diet when pregnant and nursing, unlimited junior pellets with high level of protein min 16% and calcium, generally unlimited food to be able to produce enough milk.

Why was this litter unexpected, where is their father? Is he separated from them now?

How old is she, was this her first litter? Is she indoor or outdoor, how long is she with you? Do you have more rabbits was it first litter for you?

What exactly you feed them?

If you could post some photo it would be easier to suggest.

 

[Rach94x]

Can you post some pictures of them, their mother and their nest/setup? Is there hay in their nest or you use blankets etc?

There in a box with blankets and a snuggle safe with a warm and cold side. There is no hay in with them just blankets that get washed every day and fresh ones put in. I will try post a picture of them.

So I understand that you separated them from their mother and feed by hand, how did you know she didn't have milk, it may take up to 48 hours sometimes before she starts feeding and babies can survive that long when they just born, she can only feed once a day when you can't see that.

the vet confirmed that she is not producing any milk. I understand it can take 48 hours. They are now 12 days old today and I’ve been hand rearing them. The mother tried to attack them.

What is her diet like? She needs rich diet when pregnant and nursing, unlimited junior pellets with high level of protein min 16% and calcium, generally unlimited food to be able to produce enough milk.

she is fed on excel burgees and she is currently on the junior one as advised by the vet as she was on the adult one. She also has unlimited hay.


Why was this litter unexpected, where is their father? Is he separated from them now?
it was unexpected as I only have her.

How old is she, was this her first litter? Is she indoor or outdoor, how long is she with you? Do you have more rabbits was it first litter for you?

She is one year old. It’s her first litter and will be the last. She’s indoor.

What exactly you feed them?

if you are referring to the kits, they are on lactol kitten milk and at the advice of the vet they where to be fed 0.5ml- 1ml every 2 hours and gradually increase. They are now taking between 2ml and 4ml every four hours. They are gaining weight and increasing what they are eating

If you could post some photo it would be easier to suggest.
I will try post a photo.

 

[zuppa]

In a proper nest they have hay and mother's fur so they start nibbling on hay naturally, I would suggest making a hay nest for them. If you get a box with high sides and put a layer of wood pellets to absorb urine then fill it with hay and maybe get some fur from her belly or if they are 12 days old and it's summer now they actually be good without fur they have their own already. Normally they would start hopping out of their nest around day 14 so after that they will spend more time outside of it exploring.
In normal circumstances they start nibbling on mother's food pellets around that time as well, they also need their mother's poos they will eat them to set up their bellies. I don't know you didn't say if they are fully separated from their mother now so if they have access to her poos.

Why was she attacking them, maybe you made too much changes to the nest and also you visited your vet you said maybe they had foreign smells on them. Otherwise mother shouldn't attack her kits, it is best not to intervene and let her take care of her babies, rabbits are best mothers ever, you should just take care of her providing her with rich diet and safe place, so she can have like sheltered place with her nest and can feel safe, if you wanted to control everything you most likely just rearranged it all and she felt stressed.

 

[Rach94x]

In a proper nest they have hay and mother's fur so they start nibbling on hay naturally, I would suggest making a hay nest for them. If you get a box with high sides and put a layer of wood pellets to absorb urine then fill it with hay and maybe get some fur from her belly or if they are 12 days old and it's summer now they actually be good without fur they have their own already. Normally they would start hopping out of their nest around day 14 so after that they will spend more time outside of it exploring.
In normal circumstances they start nibbling on mother's food pellets around that time as well, they also need their mother's poos they will eat them to set up their bellies. I don't know you didn't say if they are fully separated from their mother now so if they have access to her poos.

Why was she attacking them, maybe you made too much changes to the nest and also you visited your vet you said maybe they had foreign smells on them. Otherwise mother shouldn't attack her kits, it is best not to intervene and let her take care of her babies, rabbits are best mothers ever, you should just take care of her providing her with rich diet and safe place, so she can have like sheltered place with her nest and can feel safe, if you wanted to control everything you most likely just rearranged it all and she felt stressed.

okay I will try the nest solution thank you.

the babies are separate from their mother as I said she attacked them. She didn’t build a nest at all. No nest, no signs, nothing. I only noticed one baby and she was struggling with the rest that’s why she went to the vet as it had been almost 24 hours with no other babies and she was making awful noises. They had to help her. I was informed by the vet that she was producing no milk and that she attacked the babies. (They kept her and them in the vets) They asked me to try slow introductions to her with the babies and I tried and she tried again to attack them. Now she shows no interest. I took the advice from the vet as it’s the only advice I had. i didn’t cause her any unessasary stress nor did I want to take control, if she could have done it herself I would have let her as it’s the most natural way. She has no milk and the babies need fed. Therefore I am trying my best by them to help them. They have all opened their eyes today and are moving around a lot! So hopefully with changing around the nest as you have advised they will start exploring and nibbling things.

 

[zuppa]

okay I will try the nest solution thank you.

the babies are separate from their mother as I said she attacked them. She didn’t build a nest at all. No nest, no signs, nothing. I only noticed one baby and she was struggling with the rest that’s why she went to the vet as it had been almost 24 hours with no other babies and she was making awful noises. They had to help her. I was informed by the vet that she was producing no milk and that she attacked the babies. (They kept her and them in the vets) They asked me to try slow introductions to her with the babies and I tried and she tried again to attack them. Now she shows no interest. I took the advice from the vet as it’s the only advice I had. i didn’t cause her any unessasary stress nor did I want to take control, if she could have done it herself I would have let her as it’s the most natural way. She has no milk and the babies need fed. Therefore I am trying my best by them to help them. They have all opened their eyes today and are moving around a lot! So hopefully with changing around the nest as you have advised they will start exploring and nibbling things.

It sounds like you tried your best helping her, many rabbits are only able to nurse after 24-48 hours and they don't have milk immediately after giving birth. I am glad that they survived and growing well so if you add hay to their nest they should start nibbling on it and you can also add some their mother's poos into their nest or sprinkle around so they can eat them to get right bacteria to be able to digest food. You can sprinkle some junior pellets so they will start nibbling on them as well, maybe from week 3-4. They should be eating hay well by then.

Please post some pics of their setup they will be hopping around alot now and will only use nest for hay, sleep and maybe toilet, or they will find another spot for it.