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i syringe fed the first baby about 1 ml. it was really hard to feed. the second baby i fed about 2 ml. please tell me what you think!
Does can sometimes abandon a litter in stressful situations. I don’t know if that’s the case here. Have you left them with the mom even though you’re trying to hand feed? Ideally, you would be able to catch the doe nursing, or possibly place a camera on the cage so you can review the recording later if she is.
And young kits can squeal for no reason...doesn’t necessarily mean anything.
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thank you! the photos are after they have been handfed so they may be a bit misleading... how do i ensure that the doe eats and drinks properly? they are on top of a sweater with it folded over them. do you think that this will keep them warm enough?
Here's how nest looks from inside, there's like a hole in hay and it lined with fur, then babies and you cover them with more fur, or they will burrow into it themselves. This is nest after about 10 days I cleaned it removed all wet stuff from underneath put some fresh pellets with shavings then shredded paper and hay and on top all that fur from the old nest removed some dirty. Nest is on the right and they are in a small box just for cleaning time. So just make a hole in hay and line it with cotton wool or dryer lint or get some fur from their moms belly
This is how it looks around 3 weeks. They just constantly moving and fluffing it mixing with hay so it creates really warm cloud around them
This is how it looks around 3 weeks. They just constantly moving and fluffing it mixing with hay so it creates really warm cloud around them
Julie&Bunnies
Well-Known Member
How I would do it is I would start them on the milk replacer while they had still some of the mother's milk in their tummy, or find a foster Doe. That's how I would do it. I certainly would not allow them to starve to death and do nothing. That's plain cruelty. three of them already starved to death so I don't see what point you're making by saying that they couldn't still be alive if the mother wasn't feeding them.
I would, however, never hand feed an Internet troll... That's for their mother to do.
I would, however, never hand feed an Internet troll... That's for their mother to do.
Julie&Bunnies
Well-Known Member
Yes! They are fed. Great! So the mom can probably take it from here. Ditto pottying. Just watch them daily that they look fed.
We don’t know if the other ones starved to death. Without pictures of the deceased kits, and based on how they acted just before death they could’ve passed from other causes.
Julie&Bunnies
Well-Known Member
Pictures were posted further back. The last one that died was really emaciated.
Mariam+Theo
Well-Known Member
She should continue to feed them later. Some rabbits prefer to not feed in front of people.
the mom is acting a bit aggressive. i wanted to pet her as i heard that its good to pet the mom before handling the babies so her smell is on your hands. i was gently petting her back when she turned around and bit me! i know that in her previous environment, she did not have much human interaction. can this be the cause? or is it because she is a new mom? how can i build her trust?
Maybe she is just protective needs some privacy rabbits are prey animals and generally don't like when anyone see them nursing or touching their kits, I don't know if you take them out of nest once a day for 5 mins that's fine but some mothers don't like it, one of my girls Bernie is happy to share and I can take them when she is there and she is happy, but Smokey wouldn't let me go near her nest I remove her and then check the kits quickly, if they look good and fed I check max once a day for first week and then just leave it to her, also I place something like a blanket over it to make her feel safe. You did great job you gave her nest and babies are fed and she will take care of them, rabbits are good mothers.
If you want to bond with her and build trust you better don't approach her in her cage and don't pick her up, sit next to her reading and give her time to come out and approach you if she wants, but honestly nursing mother maybe just doesn't want much contact, it is normal.
Lovely kits, now look a bit overfed sure they have much milk for only two of them. I had one overfed kit once I named him Spud he was real big fat lazy boy. Soon when they are 2-3 weeks they will start exploring territory and exercise they still have to stay in their cage but you can attach a playpen to it and let their mother out for day so she can be active and get some rest from them. Then you can sit next to playpen and read or play with your phone not paying attention, get to her level sit or lay on the floor, do it regularly for a week or two and you will see changes
If you want to bond with her and build trust you better don't approach her in her cage and don't pick her up, sit next to her reading and give her time to come out and approach you if she wants, but honestly nursing mother maybe just doesn't want much contact, it is normal.
Lovely kits, now look a bit overfed sure they have much milk for only two of them. I had one overfed kit once I named him Spud he was real big fat lazy boy. Soon when they are 2-3 weeks they will start exploring territory and exercise they still have to stay in their cage but you can attach a playpen to it and let their mother out for day so she can be active and get some rest from them. Then you can sit next to playpen and read or play with your phone not paying attention, get to her level sit or lay on the floor, do it regularly for a week or two and you will see changes
By the way, you said that father was separated from them after they were born so it is very possible that you will have another litter in about 3 weeks from now. If you see her collecting hay in her mouth and digging building nest maybe in a couple weeks you'd need to prepare nest box for her and when she gives birth you will need to remove older babies from cage, they will be about 4 weeks old by then so they will start eating her food and hay already and they will survive, but it will be more important that she feeds new babies first because they won't survive without her milk, and older babies can get what's left, and they will start eating more hay/food then.
Well maybe you are lucky and she's not pregnant but be prepared. This also can be why she doesn't want to communicate if she's pregnant. But maybe not, maybe she just doesn't want you to touch her belly because of she's nursing.
Let us know when babies open their eyes it will help with estimating their birth date. She could get pregnant even same day after giving birth
Well maybe you are lucky and she's not pregnant but be prepared. This also can be why she doesn't want to communicate if she's pregnant. But maybe not, maybe she just doesn't want you to touch her belly because of she's nursing.
Let us know when babies open their eyes it will help with estimating their birth date. She could get pregnant even same day after giving birth
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