Feeding New Borns

[cmany]

Wasn't sure where to put this...so I figured this was the best place...

So one of my does had a litter...unfortunately she did not make a nest...and we nearly lost them...

One died right off...3 died after I had gotten them warmed up and they had seemed ok...guess not...

So we have 3 left...

She ended up tearing apart what little bit she had of a nest...so we decided to go a head and raise them ourselves...

I am giving them goats milk...since I have plenty of it...

I am just not completely sure how many times a day I should be feeding them...I know to do it in small amounts...

They are 2 days old and looking pretty good...

I have also read when they are a couple of weeks old that I should be able to give it to them in a water feeder...but for how long? 6-8 weeks??

Any ideas/advise would be appreciated...

Christine

 

[Imbrium]

here are some good sites on baby bunny care:
http://www3.telus.net/raisinghouserabbits/orphans.htm
http://www.mybunny.org/info/newborn.htm

it's best to feed them KMR (kitten milk replacer)

 

[majorv]

Goat's milk is okay. Nothing is a good substitute for the mother's milk, though. There's no way you can get her to cooperate and be still long enough for them to nurse?

Feed them 1-2 times/day. The hardest thing is to make sure they don't aspirate any of the milk, so don't lie them flat to feed them. Once their eyes are open and they're moving around goodthey usually start nibbling on pellets and hay.

Your chances of successare pretty slim. If the doe is this bad of a mom then I wouldn't breed her again, unless you breed another doe at the same time to foster them to.

 

[Imbrium]

I've heard something about holding the mom on her back (/trancing her if she's uncooperative about that) and putting the kits on her tummy for a few minutes to nurse... never dealt with kits myself so I can't verify that, though

 

[Nancy McClelland]

If you could hold her without squirming, you could put her in with them in the am and pm. Normally, they get fed twice a day.

 

[cmany]

I can give it a try..but she tends to be nasty with me...I don't know if she will let me tho...

I do have 2 that are due this weekend, although they would both be first time moms...

But will give it a go...

Thanks...

 

[majorv]

Do what you can. If you could get her to nurse them a few times and you supplement a few times then you can foster them to another doe this weekend.

Good luck!

 

[cmany]

Well we tried that...didn't work too well...she was not happy at all...thankfully we all had quick hands when she started kicking....

Also it seems that she didn't produce enough milk this time...they scrambled from nipple to nipple...not getting enough...

I put her back...and offered them the goat milk...which they eagerly consumed...they were really hungry...

Not sure why this time things have turned out this way...her previous litters...she did really well...although we lost the last one to all the heat we had...she still did a good job...once she built her nest that is...and her first litter...she raised them like a pro...

Anyway...they seem to be doing really well...as far as I can tell...moving around the box..renesting themselves...and they sure are little fighters...squiggling around...so cute...

I hope I can help them survive...

Thanks again for everything...


Christine

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Never, ever hold a doe on her back while trying to nurse kits. This is an easy way to have them injured or killed when she starts kicking, like you experienced. Instead, it is best to spread your knees a little and lay the doe on your lap (right side up). Then have someone else hold the kits under her instead, between your knees. This way, there is a "hole" for the kits between her front and back legs to safely nurse.

Kits nurse laying on their backs, so if you try holding them upright, they likely won't latch on. Instead, feed them on their backs and be very careful about how much you're feeding them. Use a dropper or syringe that will let out very small amounts of milk at a time so that they have a moment to lick it up before it runs into their nose.

The goat's milk is a good option, so keep going with that. KMR is fine if needed in the future, but not as rich.

Handfeeding is difficult though and very rarely raises healthy kits. If you can, I would leave the nest in with your doe. She may not have built it on her own, but usually once you give them the corrected nest/babies, they do just fine with it.

 

[majorv]

They do normally nurse on their backs, but they are sucking and in control of which pipe the milk goes down.If they'll suck from a kitten baby bottle then no problem, but if you're giving the milk from a dropper or syringe then I do not believe they should be flat on their back. We held ours at an angle.

If you put them in the cage with her then watch them closely. I did that with one litter, thinking she might feed them. She just ignored them and when they came out of the nestbox looking for food shefreaked and trampled one. You'll know after a day whether she'snursing them or not. If she won't, then I probably wouldn't leave them in there with her...but that's just me.

 

[cmany]

Thanks...I did try putting her on her side...but she is SO ornery...eesh...the only way I could get her to cooperate was to have her on her back...but with her upper body raised...kinda scrunching up her legs under her chin to immobilize her...

She is really temperamental...stomps, bites...even the males have a hard time with her...only my Californian/Flemish cross can handle her...because he is bigger...not by much...

Still going to keep trying...maybe she will get used to it...but when I went out to check them this morning...she started barking and stomping at me when I walked passed...

She just hates me I think...she is better with the kids...they are allowed to pet her but not pick her up...maybe she just does not like being handled...anyway...don't think it is a good idea to have the kids try and make her nurse...don't want her to turn nasty on them too...

As for building her a nest...have tried that too...she tears it apart the minute I close the door on her hutch...as if to say screw you lady!

But the babies do seem to be doing well...their fur is coming in...one in particular is a bit of a piggy...very happy to eat and eats quite a bit......

 

[majorv]

Good, hopefully one of your does will have a litter this weekend and you can foster these three!