New baby (care info needed)

[Hailey Hinckley]

Hey guys so im entirely new to this whole process and i just wanna start by saying i have a 6 month old female lionhead and she is a first time mom she gave birth 9/19/24 at 3AM to just one kit. Now she didnt make the nest she only pulled her fur out and scattered it everywhere so i made the nest for her and then i put her and the baby into a clean environment and i took her fur with me for the cage. Now my mama wants nothing to do with the baby she will lick and look at it but she wont feed it she also tries to step on it and i was told by a few people that the baby needs to get out of there and i have been trying to forcefully feed the newborn. The newborn weighed 37.9 grams and then on the first feeding i got to happen the baby had weighed 38.1 grams which im not sure if thats enough for the little guy to live off of the entire day? I also had to believe she might have more in her but if she does is it too late? And will they be dead? I also wanted to say that because shes a new time mom how much can i help her? And as for the baby what should i do i dont want the baby to die? Heres some pics

 

[JBun]

I think you may have a misunderstanding of what the mother rabbit caring and nursing process is. If she had the kit yesterday morning, it's barely been 24 hours at this point. And it can be 24-36 hours before a mother rabbit will feed the kits for the first time. Until then it's perfectly normal for her to completely ignore them. But no more than 36 hours before she nurses the first time, or it becomes necessary to intervene or kits can become too weak to nurse.

That kit isn't looking too dehydrated and wrinkly to me. So it may have got some milk from nursing. Usually how you tell is they'll have a big fat belly. You may even be able to see a white splotch where the belly is full of milk. Kits that haven't nursed or aren't getting enough milk, won't have a fat belly and may start to look wrinkly and dehydrated. They will start getting weak as well.

Kits usually only nurse once, maybe twice a day, in the early morning or late evening. The rest of the time the mom pretty much ignores her kits. It's her milk coming in and creating pressure in her nipples, that should prompt her to hop in the nest to nurse. A reason she may not take care of the kits is her milk didn't come in, or she's a first time mom and confused about what to do.

If the kit doesn't have a full belly after trying to nurse, the mom may not be producing milk or enough milk. Let the kit try from several nipples. But if still no luck, hand feeding formula may be necessary. It's a last resort though, as aspiration is a big risk from hand feeding kits, which would prove fatal if it happens. So nursing from the mom is best, when possible, even if you have to assist.

If the mom is a danger to the kit by stepping on it or trying to scratch or bite it, then yes, I'd keep the nest box removed (indoors), and only return the kit in the morning and evening to see if mom will nurse on her own, supervised by you to make sure she doesn't harm the kit. Or assist the nursing if needed to keep the kit safe if mom isn't cooperating or is trying to hurt the kit.

Sometimes her deciding to hop in the box to nurse, is catching her at the right moment when her milk is full and prompting her to want that release. So that's something to watch for and try and coordinate the timing of when is the right moment to bring the kit for nursing.

You'll need to start increasing mom's feed. She needs free fed good quality grass hay always, topped with new hay daily. And her pellet amounts will need to be increased a lot as she is nursing more and the kit is growing. If her pellets are a grass based pellet and not alfalfa, I'd suggest supplementing her hay with some good quality alfalfa hay, as she'll need the extra calcium and protein that is in alfalfa hay, for milk production and nursing.

And make sure the baby is staying warm, since it's a single. There should be a pile of fur for it to burrow under to stay warm. If mom didn't pull enough, see if the fur on her belly or dewlap is still loose enough to pluck. Plus it helps to have some of that belly fur removed for the kit to nurse. I'd line the nest with soft grass hay. It can go over the shavings if you want. Then create a shallow bowl shaped hollow the kit can nestle in under the fur to stay warm.

The reason to add soft hay, is it's good for when the kit starts nibbling on solid food at around 1-2 weeks old. Good quality (no mold, no moisture, no weeds, low dust) grass hay is the absolute best solid food for kits to first start eating as it's low in carbs/sugars and high in fiber, which is the best for rabbits digestion and least likely to cause enteritis issues in baby rabbits.

These links have some good info for baby rabbit care, also a picture of what a kits fully belly will look like.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Pregnant_rabbits

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Baby_rabbits_(domestic)

Rabbits have 2 uterine horns, so it's still possible for her to have another set of kits several hours or days later. So if you've removed the nest box with the kit, you'll need to provide another nest box and lots of hay for her, in case she does have more kits. I'd leave it in there an extra 3-5 days.

 

[Preitler]

First thing is to keep the kit warm, really warm, there should be 2" of fluffy fur around them in a nest, for a singleton that's still dificult to keep warm. You can use a folded towel as floor, and if there is not enough fur soft, fine hay, or even dryer lint (have only read about that) can be used for insulation. I, personally, heat one corner of the solid wood nestbox a little if I think they could get cold.

Make a nestbox, I prefer ones that resemble a tunnel, so the doe can't sit up straight on the nest. That makes it less it less atractive to hang out there or pee there. I would put the box where she gave birth, and show the kit to her by shoving her nose into the nest - and than leave. Does need a lot of privacy, and food.

Many does do not nurse as long as anyone is around, That's an instinct to keep the kits save from predators. I rarely ever saw one of mine hop into the nestbox, not with young kits. I put a straw of hay across the entrance hole of the nestbox to see if the doe went into it when I was away.

Meddling too easily drones out that little voice in their heads that tries to tell them what to do. Making their life somewhat boring can help, like, no free roam of the garden now, as to stay in a pretty restricted area, I do that when I have to relocate a nest from some tunnel in the garden to the hutch, doe stays in that section of the hutch complex alone for 2-3 days.

Handfeeding is a last resort, and from zero the chances are pretty slim. Like, this year my doe died when the kits were 9 days old, 2/3 survived in the long run. I would see to it that the doe can get to her senses and leave it to her in that situation. In my opinion it's too easy to make things worse by giving not the proper stuff - I used a formula of condensed goat milk, egg yolk and a little honey, when the condensed goat milk (had that imported from the US, can't get it here) making a double strenght milk from goat milk powder did work. With newborns, colostrom (I guess any you could get for sheep or cows) would improve chances.

But again, in that situation I would rather bet on the doe, if she's given the chance to do her thing.

Although it's not impossible that more kits could be comming, that's pretty rare.

 

[Hailey Hinckley]

First thing is to keep the kit warm, really warm, there should be 2" of fluffy fur around them in a nest, for a singleton that's still dificult to keep warm. You can use a folded towel as floor, and if there is not enough fur soft, fine hay, or even dryer lint (have only read about that) can be used for insulation. I, personally, heat one corner of the solid wood nestbox a little if I think they could get cold.

Make a nestbox, I prefer ones that resemble a tunnel, so the doe can't sit up straight on the nest. That makes it less it less atractive to hang out there or pee there. I would put the box where she gave birth, and show the kit to her by shoving her nose into the nest - and than leave. Does need a lot of privacy, and food.

Many does do not nurse as long as anyone is around, That's an instinct to keep the kits save from predators. I rarely ever saw one of mine hop into the nestbox, not with young kits. I put a straw of hay across the entrance hole of the nestbox to see if the doe went into it when I was away.

Meddling too easily drones out that little voice in their heads that tries to tell them what to do. Making their life somewhat boring can help, like, no free roam of the garden now, as to stay in a pretty restricted area, I do that when I have to relocate a nest from some tunnel in the garden to the hutch, doe stays in that section of the hutch complex alone for 2-3 days.

Handfeeding is a last resort, and from zero the chances are pretty slim. Like, this year my doe died when the kits were 9 days old, 2/3 survived in the long run. I would see to it that the doe can get to her senses and leave it to her in that situation. In my opinion it's too easy to make things worse by giving not the proper stuff - I used a formula of condensed goat milk, egg yolk and a little honey, when the condensed goat milk (had that imported from the US, can't get it here) making a double strenght milk from goat milk powder did work. With newborns, colostrom (I guess any you could get for sheep or cows) would improve chances.

But again, in that situation I would rather bet on the doe, if she's given the chance to do her thing.

Although it's not impossible that more kits could be comming, that's pretty rare.

More kits did come she had 6 total and 3 died and 3 stayed alive

 

[Preitler]

Well, two more in the nest is good news. Doe should start feeding soon. As I said, give her peace and privacy