Baby rabbits, killed by something

[Kenzie122_]

My doe gave birth whilst i was on holiday over the weekend, i was gone for only a day and when i came home i found a headless baby bunny in her cage near her food dish. And i dont understand why she killed them, plus the fact that we only found 2 babies. Both headless. My dad threw away her nest immediately and when i went to go get it back for her because i thought she might want to keep it for a few days he threw it in the bin. Should i have kept it for her or was throwing it away the best thing to do? Should i comfort her? Why did she kill them and why was there only two? Should the nest have been left with her?

 

[JBun]

Are your rabbits indoors or out?

Throwing the nest away is fine. With no kits, the nest is not longer needed. Rabbit litter sizes vary, from a singleton to over a dozen.

 

[Kenzie122_]

Are your rabbits indoors or out?

Throwing the nest away is fine. With no kits, the nest is not longer needed. Rabbit litter sizes vary, from a singleton to over a dozen.

Shes been outside for the last two months or so

 

[JBun]

Ok, then I doubt the mom killed them. It sounds more like it was a rat or weasel that slipped through the bars and did it. Mom rabbits will sometimes mutilate their kits due to stress, a predator lurking around, overgrooming, or the kit has a health issue in which it's likely going to die, but when this happens it's unlikely for the mom to mutilate in that way, where the head's gone and the body is left. That's more something a small predator would do.

 

[JBun]

I've edited the thread description and moved it to the Rabbitry subforum. The RO members that respond to threads there, have more experience with this type of question.

 

[Kenzie122_]

Ok, then I doubt the mom killed them. It sounds more like it was a rat or weasel that slipped through the bars and did it. Mom rabbits will sometimes mutilate their kits due to stress, a predator lurking around, overgrooming, or the kit has a health issue in which it's likely going to die, but when this happens it's unlikely for the mom to mutilate in that way, where the head's gone and the body is left. That's more something a small predator would do.

Oh no, thats so sad. I feel really bad for her now? Do you think this will affect her in any way. Thank you for moving it to the forum

 

[JBun]

If she didn't seem spooked or freaked out when you saw her, she has no wounds herself, and she's still eating normally, then it' was probably a critter too small to bother her but large enough to sneak in and go after the kits.

 

[SableSteel]

If the babies die for some other reason, the does will often try to eat them to clean it up. I've witnessed multiple does just eating the heads off of babies. If it was in the cage outside of the nest, maybe she had difficulty in birth, or gave birth outside of the nest and the baby died of exposure. I doubt she was the one to kill them, unless it was by accidentally stepping on them or something.