Help! My bunny just became Mama!

[theekeem]

I'm new to the forum, but I kind need advice now...

So my female bunny had a baby! I wasn't even aware she was pregnant! I took her in unexpectedly about a month and a half ago, but kept her separated from my bun, Harvey until I could them both fixed. I got him fixed first, for several reasons, and was planning to get fixed soon. I guess they had a rendezvous when I wasn't looking because he managed to make himself an heir before getting snipped!

I came home from work, and after dinner, went to check on my bunnies. I was cleaning Penelope's cage when I saw the cage move--it's black. Then I realized it was a tiny gray baby bunny! It was just squirming and rolling about, but Penelope was paying no mind to it. I know this is natural, for them to "ignore" their young expect at feeding. She hadn't made a nest yet--though hindsight later told me that what I thought was shedding the last couple of weeks actually her trying to nest (doh!). I flipped her igloo over, put a washcloth down as a base and then put hay over that. I moved the bunny over there, but Penelope went to hop around the room. She hung out by Harvey's cage A LOT though.

Anyway, she hasn't really paid attention to at all, and I've been observing them for hours. Again, I know it's normal, but I'm just terrified she may not feed him. I also know that trying to feed himself will kill him anyway. Not sure if she has more coming or not, though so far it seems not.

Are there any suggestions to help her out or is this just a "let nature take its coarse and hope for the best" scenario. I've never dealt with newborn bunnies before.

 

[theekeem]

Also, I know some animals won't go near the babies if they smell human on them, so I made sure to wear latex gloves or pick it up with a washcloth when I was moving the kit around. Not sure if that's important to know or not.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Hi theekeem,

I moved your post over to the Rabbitry Forum since you'll receive more help here than in the main forum.

I'm no expert on breeding, but the best way to tell if the baby is being fed is if it has a round tummy. It should look like it's swallowed a ping pong ball!Though it can take about 24 hours forthe mama'smilk to come in and they only feed twice a day, so it might be awhile before you see the ping pong.

I wouldn't worry about getting your scent on the baby. Most domestic rabbits don't mind their humans touching their babies. Not that I'd mess with the nest much other than to check on the babies once or twice a day.

Hopefully one of the rabbitry members will be along soon to help you out!

Rue

 

[LindyS]

If the babies stomach is not looking pretty full I would recommend what my breeder has told me. Take the mom on your lap and flip her over where her stomach is facing up and place the baby carfully on on the mama"s stomach while putting your hands on the side as barriers. It will find a nipple and latch on. Keep that baby warm as well always covered with mamas fur. Singles are hard to get to live and this is why we breed doe's together so if there is a single we move it to another nest where it can be with other kits to keep each other warm. This is the issue I had. Just one kit from one rabbit. Nestboxes help the kit from rolling out. I would make sure it's in something close to that like a shoe bow with the lip off. Pile the fur ontop of the baby and keep fans turned off. Don't want the room to cool.

 

[SNM]

It's better to just hold the Momma over the little darling vs. flipping he over.
Make a nestbox if you already haven't.... A shoebox with her fur and hay in it will do. Wait... Did she make a nestbox???

The baby won't live past 2 days without milk. She'll either feed him/her in the early morning or right before dusk. Just watch the baby closely .Good Luck

 

[LindyS]

Yes if the mom is willing to let you dangle it. If not use a back up method.

 

[LindyS]

Oh my first post was suppose to say shoebox but autospell on iphones suck.

 

[theekeem]

First, thank you for all of the replies, and moving my thread to where it would be seen. Second, sorry for all of the typos in my original post. I posted it at 1:30 in the morning without proofreading.

I made the nestbox for her. She gave birth to it on the floor of her cage, so I had to take matters into my own hands. I have a feeling she had been trying to make a nest the last week or so because I would find tufts of fur around her cage, but I had no idea she was pregnant so I thought it was because of the seasons changing. Needless to say, I would throw it away when I cleaned up her cage every day.

I went upstairs this morning to find that the nestbox had been tipped to its side. The kit was fine, still in place actually, but I keep getting more worried that she isn't paying attention to it, unless perhaps it tipped when she jumped out of the box after feeding it. There is no fur for me to put over or around the baby, but I have all fans turned off and it is on a dry washcloth with hay around it. It made it through the night, so I don't think it's at risk of freezing.

The mama won't let me pick her up is the only problem about helping with the feeding. She's still getting used to me, for one thing, since I have only had her a couple of months. She runs when I try, and she is faaaaast. I don't want to stress her our by trying to hard. Therefore, it's nearly impossible for me to catch her, much more hold her in order to get the baby fed.

I'll keep an eye for a round belly. If it seems like it's not being fed, I'll attempt to hold Penelope with the baby and get it to eat that way. I may need to get someone else in for reinforcements!

Any other advice is welcome. Thanks again! I hope he makes it.

 

[theekeem]

Here is a picture of the little guy. Looks like a puppy!

 

[mistyjr]

It's very hard to hold the momma down when feeding the baby. The mother will kick and buck around and she will kick the baby and it will go flying. I had this happen before.
If the momma didnt pull no fur, You need to pull for her. Loose fur would be around her neck, on her stomach and legs. You need to pull some so the baby can stay warm, Since its the only baby there is. The mothers only go to there babies 1-2 times a day just to feed. It will not hang around the baby, Just to feed it and that's all. If the baby haves a ping pong belly it haves been feed.




Looks like its been feed a little, I cant hardly see it god enough, Some momma's will over feed them until their bellies are huge, But thats fine. It looks like its more then a day old too.

 

[theekeem]

Okay, I'll pull some fur when I get home tonight. Harvey, the dad, has a lot of fur. Could I get some from him in the event Mama doesn't like me pulling from her? She only likes me to touch her when she approaches me, but Harvey is more likely to let me have some of his fur. I mean, I'd have to cut it off of him, but he's a lionhead. I'm glad it looks like it's been fed! Whew. I was looking for a biiiig round belly, but a belly at all is good enough for me at this point.

More than a day?! She must have had it the night before and I didn't realize it was there in the morning then. Wow! That's good news then, that it's made it this long without me intervening.

 

[mistyjr]

Some mother's dont like other rabbits sent fur in there nesting boxes. But I know some breeders do it. I tried it but that didnt work out to well.

I said that because it looks like the baby haves fur and not just pur naked baby. About 3 days + they start to get fur on their bodies. I have 4 litters of 9 babies right now.

I have some babies dont have bigger bellies like the rest of the babies and they are doing great..

 

[theekeem]

Well, I've been checking on them periodically since I got home from work, and my boyfriend was home all day and checked on them twice--we're trying not to bother them too much. I went and bought one of those rabbit/ferret beds--tiny tiny looking dog bed--and some bedding in the event she wouldn't let me pull some of fur. She wouldn't, so I took some of that bedding and placed it around him.

I just went up there and he was laying on the other side of the cage, squirming about. I have a feeling she meant to put her nest on that side of the cage, although it is odd for a mama rabbit to move her babies I hear. I took that as a sign that maybe moving the nest might help the situation. I think it may have. I moved it to the other side and she immediately went over there and started licking on the kit and checking on it. Good sign? I hope?

Tonight is kind of the deciding factor on if he makes it or not, I guess. I mean, I realize he could still die at any point, but I figure the first 24-48 hours are the most crucial.

 

[TinysMom]

From that photo I don't think she's feeding it - I'm currently hand raising five bunnies with the recipe found here.

Good luck! I'll try to check on this thread before I leave tomorrow for a show in Seguin.

 

[theekeem]

Oh no.

I'm so scared to feed it because I hear it can do more harm than good. But if she isn't doing it I will have to, I suppose.

Any chance you know why I found the kit so far from the nest?

 

[theekeem]

He is still alive and warm and resting well. No crying or anything, which is a good sign from what I understand. His belly still hasn't looked full to me yet, but it's hard to gauge since if he gets fed at, say, 3am, but the time I check on him probably won't look anything like a ping pong.

I tried to work from home today, but apparently feeding a bunny wasn't a good enough last minute reason. I'm going to go home during lunch and check again though.

 

[Acacia-Berry]

Aw, little bunny. It may have been that the male got at her post-op. Males can hold their 'stuff' for a while I heard. Even though it was an accident and what's done is done,just wanted to let you in on that! ^^ BTW, are you keeping the little guy?

 

[theekeem]

Yeah, there was a point about a week after his operation that she managed to get into his play pen--no idea how!--so it may have happened then because who knows how long she'd been in there by the time I found them.

I would love to keep it, but I don't think I can. Taking care of two dogs and two rabbits is expensive and hard enough. I have a friend who has offered to take him though, so at least I will know he is in good hands.

 

[theekeem]

The kit didn't make it.

I found him this morning not very much alive. In fact, I thought he was dead at first but he moved slightly while I was holding him. I tried warm him up and feed him the formula I was told to make here, but he wouldn't take it. I think he was too weak.

Eventually I took him to the vet. They said he was in critical condition and his chances of making it were slim--he hadn't been fed by Mama at all and was severely dehydrated. They said they could put a catheter in his leg to get fluids in him, incubate him and give him honey, but that even then it was a long shot. I decided that it was best to have him euthanized and save him the pain of the slightest chance of recovery. They gave him anesthesia so he wouldn't feel any pain from the needle and then put him down.

I wish I had intervened sooner, which is hard for me to get past, but I was so scared I would make things worse in doing so. At least now I know what to look for, although the chances of a more kits in the future are slim now. I'm also fighting anger at Penelope for not feeding him and taking care of him. It's been a hard day. I cried for a good two hours after they put the little guy to sleep. I buried him and placed rocks over the grave with a little headstone in my backyard.

Thank you all for trying to help. I appreciate it. Sorry I didn't have a happy ending to share.

 

[TinysMom]

I'm so sorry for your loss - I know it is a hard thing to experience as I'm currently hand-feeding five (I have also lost 7 from the last three litters...long story).

Please remember your buck is fertile for something like 6-8 weeks after neutering!