hard birth

[mikenash09]

We are new to rabbits. With some advice we bread a new zealand and a california. The california, who is almost 3 had 11 babies last night and is still continueing to breath hard and just hangs her head. She is feeding her babies but is not acting like herself. We had a dutch that delivered the night before and didn't act like this at all. Should I be worried or is it just because she had more babies. I have pulled hew out and checked for any extra lumps and didn't feel anything. Any advice would be great. Thanks!

 

[woahlookitsme]

That's alot of babies for an older doe. Definitely keep an eye on her. This isn't her first litter is it? How many babies did your dutch have? If it's not alot maybe you could move over some of the new zealand cross kits to give the mom a break

 

[mikenash09]

She had one litter last year that was unexpected and she lost it. The dutch had 7. Is it ok to move them with a new rabbit so early? And do I need to do anything special with the scents of the rabbits so the dutch will except the babies?

 

[woahlookitsme]

7 is quite a bit for the dutch too. If i moved any i would only move one or maybe two. It is okay for you to move them so early. The more important thing is that the babies are right around the same age. We have fostered two litters successfully before. One was from my britannia petite to a polish litter. I had to drive an hour away to a friends house with the nestbox in my car to foster four little babies. Three made it all fine and well.

The second was because my moms polish was found dead after giving birth to two babies. I took them to the same place and just transferred them to the new nest. Both made it and we actually brought them home today.

Since the dutch had a bigger litter also I would watch the new zealand babies. Make sure they are all getting fed equally. If not then I would start moving babies. Make sure mom is eating and drinking water. See if she is feeling any better in the morning. You could try nutridrops (you should be able to find them in a pet store) or pedialyte in the water. Get the non-flavored clear liquid and mix with water. You can mix 1 part water with 1 part pedialyte.

 

[mikenash09]

OK thanks for all the info!

 

[woahlookitsme]

No Problem Keep us updated on how they are!

 

[I_heart_Fraggles]

You might wanna take the doe to a vet if she is still acting unwell tomorrow.

 

[ZRabbits]

Hoping your doe is doing better. I'd feel that way too if I had 11 babies at one time. What a sweet girl, not feeling good but still trying to take care of the babies.

K

 

[tonyshuman]

I hope you don't mind, I moved this to the Rabbitry because most people who post regularly in the Infirmary don't have experience with bunnies giving birth. I'm a mod here and I've never been involved with baby bunnies. In the Rabbitry, you'll encounter more members who have breeding experience.

That being said, I agree that the moms should be seen if they are not acting normally. Sometimes a kit or afterbirth can be retained, although with large litters like that I wouldn't expect that any would still be in her. You might want to palpate the moms to make sure they don't have retained kits. I would also check her temperature. If she is hot, she could have an infection from retained birthing material or blood infection due to something ripping that shouldn't. Also check for a strong pulse and/or signs of bleeding. She could be bleeding internally, which would make her pulse weak. Also, she could be bleeding into the cage, which would be more obvious.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

ray:

 

[CCWelch]

New Zealands can usually handle the large litters, even the older does. Just make sure she is feeding them and has a little more protein in her diet. You might want to give her a half a berry flavored tums for a few days as well, it helps to increase their milk and relax their bodies.