Cause of death in week old kits.

[Sam88]

Hi, I've done some research but can't find any answers.

I've recently gone on holiday, and I've been gone for a week. My doe was due to kindle the day I left, but she waited untill a couple days after, she had 6 kits, it was her first litter and I hated to have to leave her, but I had no choice. I left clear written and verbal instructions for the caretaker and I've been getting daily updates about the kits, they've been feeding well and everything has been normal.

But she told me today that all 6 had died and one she could not find at all. The cage is secure so I know that a predator could not have gotten in, as the mother is fine.

Has anyone ever experienced this? The doe was handraised herself as her mother died, but I know she had been feeding them so I know that's not the cause.

The weather is a little on the chilly side but they were not exposed to the cold.

How common is it for the doe to eat a kindling? Especially one thats 6-7 days old and outwardly healthy?

The doe has adequate nutrition, she has a lucerne chaff/oat/corn mix with fresh vegetables and grass daily as well as vitamin and mineral supplement, she is up to date with shots and worming, so I don't think nutrition or diseasehas caused this tragedy.

This is the first litter I have ever bred so I'm a bit upset about it, I was really looking forward to seeing them when I got home as I've been really homesick the last 2 days and my animals keep my chin up and keep me looking forward.

Thanks for your time

 

[Flashy]

Hi Sam,

Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry its not under happier circumstances. I'm also sorry you lost the kits.

Are you sure she was feeding them?

Was there anything left in the nest from the kindling? Were the babies checked daily? Were they in a nest box?

Can you maybe tell us a bit about mum, age, breed, healthy? etc, and also about dad.

This will probably get moved to the Rabbitry Forum because the breeders there should be able to give you more specific advice.

Also, if you could post your location in your profile that would be really helpful, thanks. It will enable people to give you more specific advice and help.

 

[Sam88]

Thanks for the quick reply.

As far as what the caretaker was telling me daily, they were being fed, had fat tummies and were quite strong and healthy. I wish I could have been there, my leaving was short notice family situation so I had to go.

They were in a nest box and the mum had pulled plenty offur.

Both parents are about 12 months old and medium breed.

There was no trace of the un-accounted for kindling.

I live in south west Western Australia, it's winter now and can get quite cold at night, but my animals are all out of the cold.

Thankyou again

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

condolences,,tis a sad day when parents eat their young,..i had doe which did the same thing,,the only explaination i can come up with is,,she thought there was something wrong with them,..sincerely james waller

 

[BlueGiants]

I'm truly sorry you lose the whole litter. And I'm sorry you weren't there to see them. Your caretaker may have done an excellent job, but the doe just decided she wasn't raising them. First time mothers sometimes do things that we can't explain. Maybe she didn't know how to handle the hormones as they changed. Or she could have seen something outside that she perceived as a threat. (The shadow of a bird flying by is enough to spook some bunnies.)

I suspect that if you take the nestbox apart and really go through the hay and nesting material, you'll find the lost baby. When they die, they can shrivel up and blend into the nesting materials. It is possible that if the baby died first, the mother ate the baby to protect the others (clean up anything that is a threat to the other babies.) And for some reason, she rejected the others.

Check her over when you get home. Make sure she doesn't have mastitis (Infection of the mammary glands). Check her over to see if she looks healthy and in good condition.

If you want a litter out of her, I'd breed her again. A lot of does get it right the second time around. Give her another chance. And have patience. You didn't do anything wrong, neither did the person caring for her. Animals can be unpredictable. If we love them, we have to accept that.

 

[Pipp]

Posting a 'morbid' comic may not be appropriate, but Saudade sent this to me awhile ago, and it may fit the bill.

http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs32/f/2008/202/1/f/McMorbid___Bunny_by_Rimfrost.jpg

Sorry for your loss. If it was filicide (the act of killing one's own offspring), at least it seems to be a pretty rare event in the rabbit world. Even infantcide -- the killing of newborns -- isn't even that common I don't think.

:rip:

sas

 

[Sam88]

Thankyou all for your replies

I had dream last night that when I got home, they were all still there, and when I woke up I wasn't sure if I'd dreamt it all.

I plan to re-breed when I get back, providing she is healthy and all is right for it. I asked the caretaker to clean out her cage thoroughly,but she said she didn't find any remains, whether or not she looked really hard is another thing...but even if their were remains, at least they're no longer in the cage.

She really is a sweet rabbit, because she was hand raised she is very friendly and affectionate.

Here she is at about 4 months old her name is Pepperhttp://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1464127&l=9312e58973&id=697359283

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1464128&l=2fb7105ea4&id=697359283 excuse the blurry-ness it was inside on a dim day

My friend bred the buck, that I now have, I also got his mum, because my friend moved house and could no longer keep her, heres a picture of him about 6 weeks old http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1464125&l=759fcd403d&id=697359283we named him Jesus as a baby kit because he reminded us of an easter bunny, it was only a nickname, but it stuck Here's another pic of him and his mum just before he was weaned http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1464126&l=a0ff19d662&id=697359283

 

[Sam88]

lol Pipp, the comic is funny thanks for the laugh!

 

[Pipp]

Not to gross anybody out or anything, but are you sure rats couldn't have gotten through the cage bars?


sas :?

 

[Sam88]

No, the wire front is about 3gauge mesh wire and the square gaps are about a half inch across. The only way into the hutch is through lifting up the roof which weighs quite a bit, and would not be able to be lifted by any animal, I also have two paving bricks resting on top of it just in case. There is small Australian Cattle dog as well as a large Malamute X Akita on the property (I live on a throughbred racing property) the yard is fenced in, no foxes or feral cats can get in easily and the dogs would keep them away,the ACD sleeps in the yard at night and the big dog has roam of the property, he's not allowed near the small animals as he's been known to kill and eat feral cats and rabbits etc. So I'm very sure that it's not due to a predator, the caretaker did not mention anything of the nature consistant with a predator invading.

My best guess is that maybe the doe was not feeding them, the caretaker told me that they were fat and active (as active as newborns can be)...but maybe she was mistaken.

Anyway, I've hopefully got her next litter to look forward to, fingers crossed things turn out better than the first attempt hopefully I'll be there for it this time. I feel funny, I begin to wonder if the caretaker is looking after them properly, I trust the person 100% but I guess it's just my way of trying to find the answer. It was probably just mother nature doing her job, there must have a reason for the deaths, I just wish I knew so I could do my best to avoid it in the future :/

 

[Pipp]

You can thank Saudade/Dave for finding the comic...

 

[Pipp]

And I still wouldn't rule out hypothermia. It's really hard to keep small kits warm enough.


sas