My adopted Rabbit gave birth!

[LedaHartwood]

Alright. So I adopted an English spot from a woman. I asked why she was giving her Netherland Dwarf buck and her English Spot doe away. She explained that the children had broken the rules (Don't put the boy bunny with the girl bunny!) She warned us that the rabbit may be pregnate. Knowing this, we took Mya home. A week later, Mya had 8 kits in her nest box. Seven of them look like momma, and one looks like daddy. I'm not a breeder, infact, I've never owned an animal that gave birth. I know that nature with take it's course. But I don't think any amount of online research could prepare me. I'm gental hearted and don't want to loose any of the dears.

Is there anything I can do to help Mya and her kit's out?

 

[kirst3buns]

You may want to post your questions in the breeders section. They are always willing to help out in these situations and have the experience. They may not see it as quickly in this section.

 

[gentle giants]

When did she give birth? Are the babies tummies round and fat, or do they look sort of shriveled up and wrinkly? Have you checked the nestbox for any babies that may not have made it?You most likely won't see the doe nursing them, they like to do it when no one is around, and it only takes a few minutes. Keep the doe on her regular feed, and slowly increase the amount she gets as the babies grow. Other than that, she will pretty much do it all herself.

 

[LedaHartwood]

Well, I know that I need to clear the nest of any dead peanuts or kits that didn't make it (luckly all eight babies are still alive.) She gave birth around Saturday-Monday. I wasn't home and so can be sure when they where born. But she seems to be feeding them. My friend is a Holland Lop breeder, and warned me that I may never see the mother nursing.

My worry is that the babies keep geting out of the nest. Some do this via hanging on to the mother while nursing. Others I've seen kick and crawl out. Would it be safe to put a one inch lip on the nest so the the kits don't end up on the out side? I just don't want to lose one to the cold.

 

[tonyshuman]

I agree that this should be moved to the Rabbitry section so breeders can post. In the meantime, check out some other posts of a similar nature there, like this one: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=40071&forum_id=8

GentleGiants has some good suggestions on nestboxes and how to make ones that the babies can't get out of.

 

[slavetoabunny]

Moved to the Rabbitry :biggrin2:.

 

[LedaHartwood]

Okay, now I'm afraid I'm about to lose one of the babies. The dear is a bit cold and I can see the outline of his ribs. The others are warm and seem well fed.

To much checking on them? If I don't I find them all over the place, and they could die... If I check on them too much, I don't want the mother to stress.

 

[NZminilops]

They should definetly be in something with a lip - as long as the mother can jump over it to feed them it should be ok. I'm not a breeder but have had baby rabbits around a couple of times.

You can make a nest box, depending on how big mamma bunny is, should be big enough for her to get in and feed the babies, turn around in it etc. You can transfer the nest into the box, make a depression in the middle and put the babies in this, and cover them with fur.

Hopefully someone with more concrete knowledge can advise you on this process better.

 

[gentle giants]

You can put a small lip on the box to help keep the babies in. If the kit seems cold, try warming it up by wrapping it in a soft cloth just out of the dryer. What I usually do is carry them in the front of my bra, LOL. If it seems that the kit is not being fed enough, you can also flip the doe over on her back and set the kit on her belly to nurse, so that it gets extra without the competition of the others. You have to be careful doing this, though, if she kicks the kit could go flying.

 

[TinysMom]

If I have a kit or two that needs some extra nursing - I like to put mama in a basket or small box with a bunch of treats in it - or some hay or something for mama to munch on.

I try to have her get comfortable and munching and then put the kit under her and let it nurse.

Some mamas I have to hold down (just a little bit) and give the kit some time for the milk to drop - especially first time mamas. Other mamas will just stay there and keep on snacking while the baby gets some extra milk.

However- I would definitely warm the kit up first (I put them in the front of my bra too) because if it is chilled - it won't be able to nurse. Get it to the normal body temperature and then do the putting it in the box with mama. Don't leave mama alone with the kit though - stay there and watch over it....

 

[naturestee]

A quick tip on nest boxes- I used a kitten-sized litter box for my mini rex/lop mix foster doe. It was a good size for her. You can also use an appropriately sized plastic bin or a cardboard box if you need to. Put something absorbent like aspen shavings and hay in the bottom, then scoop the whole nest up and put it in the box. A nest box is really needed to help keep the babies from wriggling out or being pulled out if they hold on to the mom when she hops away.

Also, what kind of cage are they in? Is it possible for babies to accidentally fall out of the side or through a wire floor? My foster doe was in a dog crate and I zip-tied cardboard to it so the bottom 5 inches or so was solid, just to be safe. You could also use wire mesh, just be careful about rough edges.

I had to give extra feedings to some of the foster babies. The mom was very scared about being handled and wouldn't sit still- and freaked out when flipped over- so I held her in a normal upright position on my lap and then would hold a baby under her belly. It worked really well.

 

[LedaHartwood]

Well, everyone else has big, fat pink bellys. but we lost one of the kits. We're down to seven. This is not a good day.

This morning my rat Diego died. I miss her. My cell phone was shut off, and now i've lost a kit.

Thank you to everyone whos posted in here.

 

[BlueGiants]

Please don't blame yourself. Not all the babies born always survive. Sometimes they have defects that we can not see, digestive issues,neurological problems, internal injuries, etc. (It's one of the reasons that rabbits have so MANY babies.) It's not your fault.

Sounds like momma is taking good care of the rest. I'm sure there was nothing that could have been done for the one that passed. My sympathy, it's never easy...

 

[LedaHartwood]

Thank you.... Oy


But my day gets worse! With all me panic I just realized that I forgot to give "Big Boy" and Ginger their breakfast! Hopefully they can forgive me:bunnyhug:

 

[BlueGiants]

You may get some "bunny butt" for a few minutes, but I think they will forgive and forget!

 

[Star and Stone Rabbitry]

I hope everyone is doing okay still! =)

 

[LedaHartwood]

Alright Mya's Baby's update!


I came in to check on them this morning. I found that one had been rejected, and it was far gone. Bless it's heart :rainbow:Another was on it's way out. I tried to warm it up, but it past on.:rainbow:Now we're down to five bunny babies. I've given them nicknames to try to keep track of their nursing. Mya with only allow two at a time.

Orion- Obviously "his" father was a Netherland dwarf.
Little Brother- The largest by far. White from head to toe.
"Two-tone"- A tone of grey on "his" ears and black around his eyes.
"One-tone"- Black around the eyes and ears.
"Grey Bun"- A slight grey around the ears. Looks like Little Brother, only pocket sized.

I'm thinking of started a Blog for them. Pictures to come as soon as I figure it out.

 

[tonyshuman]

RIP little ones. :bunnyangel: Here's a link to that thread I was thinking of (sorry, bluegiants, i got you and gentlegiants confused, although you both give good advice on nestboxes!): http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=40388&forum_id=8 . Can't wait to see pics.

 

[LedaHartwood]

Okay, It's day two. Mya seems to look violated every time we do a feeding. But she, allows them to suckle. The babies are kept... in all things.... a fluffy towel in inside of... An Easter basket.

Curtis, My boyfriend, hadn't seen them nurse, so I warned him that they look very enthusiastic, and some what epileptic. He didn't believe me.. Until he saw the little dears feed. His eyes got really wide, and a confused smile crawled across his face.

After feeding, all five bunnies had their potty break. And everyone went with no problems.

Orion is the dwarf baby, but has the fattest, roundest belly. I may bat my eyes to keep this one rivateeyes. But then there's Little Brother, the biggest bunny butt in the bunch. But I don't think Curtis will let me keep three more rabbits.

I've given one of the buns a new name.

One tone, is now Crusoe. The little bun is so adventurous! It's usually the one we hear scratching about in the nest basket. "He" nearly made it out to. I hope I'm not falling in love :/

 

[aurora369]

A cautionary warning about towels being used for nest material. If a thread comes loose or a loop gets pulled out, it can seriously injure or kill a baby. The thread can wrap itself around limbs or necks and pull tighter as the baby tries to get away.

I recommend finding a nest box that you can fill with lots of hay. A mother will build her nest with hay or straw by filling the box and then making a nice fist sized hole in the middle to keep the babies collected.

Here's some pictures I have of some nests.

Homemade wooden box:



And you can see a nice fur lined nest in this picture in the background:


A dish bin or shoe box works well too:


--Dawn