My rabbit is a Rex rabbit and she was supposed to be due today (the 14th) and I have kept track of that. It is now the 15th and she still has not had her babies. she’s already had a litter and they came right on time. I am really worried and I could be paranoid. she has been sneezing but I also have given her a fan for how hot it is outside and tends to shed a lot of fur and it could just be it blowing back at her. When should I start being concerned and what should I do about it? I’m very worried she could be sick or have a infection but she’s been acting fine. She has built her nest and she has stopped eating has much. She is laying down constantly and only a few times recently have I seen little kicks in her stomach ( which is very big)
Rabbit is overdue !
- Thread starter Landyn
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No need to worry yet if she's feeling good it's not that every rabbit must do it on day 31, they say day 28 to day 36 but sometimes even longer. She'll be fine
Do you know what could be possibly wrong if she’s sneezing or if she’s scared how to make her more comfortable ?
Imbrium
Jennifer
How much less is she eating, exactly? Is she still drinking and pooping normally? Is there any mucous or runny discharge? (check her front paws in addition to her nose, as rabbits sometimes use their front paws as Kleenex)
She is still eating but not has much has she normally did at the beginning (same with water) popping is still normal and no mucous or runny discharge. I think I was just being paranoid , she actually started pulling fur and setting it in her nest today and putting a bunch of hay in her mouth and carrying it everywhere !
Imbrium
Jennifer
It does sound like maybe you were just being paranoid. Having never bred, I have no idea if it's normal to eat less right before kindling... but it wouldn't surprise me at all if that were the case, since the kits are about done growing (until they come out, of course). Just make sure she's eating well and getting enough protein/calcium once the kits come. If the answer to any of my questions changes, let us know as it may be cause for concern.
April LD
Well-Known Member
Sounds like she was ready to have babies. I've experienced 4 births and each was different. One started pulling fur a week early, one pulled fur a few days early, one pulled fur about an hour before, and one - we weren't home for....she made the nest and 4 - 4.5 hours later we came home to babies.
I noticed that all started to eat a bit less a few days before giving birth - I think it is normal...figure they are uncomfortable, they are large, and may or may not be in labor. I didn't eat much a few days before giving birth to my kids either.
Make sure she has plenty of food for after and during nursing. She will need a lot more food than normal. I have heard giving a handful of old fashioned oats helps lactation in bunnies too....might want to add a tablespoon to her pellets once or twice a day.
Would love to see baby pics if you are willing to share...I miss my babies!
Mine litters will all be a year May 28, 30, and June 3....
I noticed that all started to eat a bit less a few days before giving birth - I think it is normal...figure they are uncomfortable, they are large, and may or may not be in labor. I didn't eat much a few days before giving birth to my kids either.
Make sure she has plenty of food for after and during nursing. She will need a lot more food than normal. I have heard giving a handful of old fashioned oats helps lactation in bunnies too....might want to add a tablespoon to her pellets once or twice a day.
Would love to see baby pics if you are willing to share...I miss my babies!
Mine litters will all be a year May 28, 30, and June 3....
It’s the 34th day and she’s been pulling fur since Wednesday (I think) maybe Thursday but she has a very big nest and I’ll share some baby pics when they are born !
I really don’t know if I was supposed to make a new one , I might do that after but she had her babies I think while I was at school. She had 10 4 black , 5 white and 1 brown. one of them is a little smaller and it’s stomach looks a little more wrinkled ?
and since she’s kind of new at this should I just let her do her job and trust that she’ll take care of them ? I’m also fostering a baby bunny (long story) it’s about 5 weeks old , and my rabbit that just had babies loves it , should I separate them and the babies or will it be fine
Congratulations!
You should trust her she will know what to do. Ten babies is a large litter give her more food and maybe some oats to make sure she has enough milk to feed them all. For the wrinkled one maybe just didn't get milk this time watch if it's belly is nice and round tomorrow morning, or you can just keep the doe on your lap and bring it to her belly and it will find milk you can do it once or twice a day if you feel other kits are getting more milk.
I don't know about this fostered baby sorry if it's just 5 weeks old maybe no harm I'd make sure she doesn't feed it because she will have no milk for her new 10 kits. At 5 weeks it will probably eats regular food?
She probably has 8 nipples make sure all babies are getting milk.
CaliGrl
Member
Another poster suggested you feed your Mother rabbit 'Oats'. Do NOT do that. Rabbits and oats don't mix. They can harm your rabbits kidneys. Feed rabbits Timothy hay, Timothy pellets, dark leafy greens such as organic romaine or Spring mix, plenty of fresh bottled Spring water. You can give her treats of freshly washed carrot tops. And with new babies, make sure her environment is free of dust, excessive heat, flies, soiled towels. A fan is nice for her, just don't put it on high. Keep everything fresh and super clean. She also needs a great deal of peace and quiet. If your weather is warm, freeze a plastic water bottle so she can lay against it. Just make sure her pen stays dry.
Besides sunflower seeds, kitchen oatmeal (not whole kernels) is actually very good for boosting calorie intake of rabbits while nursing (not while still pregnant), it's easily digestible and not in any way harmful. It can be fed the kits too, from the very start. With a large litter I recommend it too, about a tablespoon a day. Sometimes I also put some drops of sunflower seed oil on it if the doe can need the calories.
I wouldn't feed much of it to rabbits that are not nursing or are not underweight due to the calories, the get fat so easily.
But I use it if I need to get simethicone or other medicine into them.
That "NO Grains!" Meme is just that, a meme.
It does not harm the kidneys, where have you heard that? If the rabbit doesn't drink enough that is a problem of its own (often because bottles are used), no matter which dry food is fed (hay, pellets, etc.). When they drink not eneugh even from a bowl there are some things to try, like a little apple cider vingar in the water, wetting greens etc.
Timothy is just one single species of grass, not those dozens and hundreds of grasses, weeds and herbs rabbits evolved with. I'm actually surprised that they live well on such a narrow diet, I guess all sweetgrasses are pretty similiar anyway and modern technologiy makes it possible to put anything else they need in good pellets.
I reckon single spiecies hay is easy to farm, is convinient and effective food, since much less gets wasted.
It's one way to feed rabbits the way you said, but it's far from being the only way, or always the best in every situation. More important is to make no big changes to the rabbits diet. The kits can eat whatever the doe gets when they start on solids.
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If she on
lf She only has 8 will she make sure all 10 get fed ?
With such a large litter it’s not unusual to lose 1-2. After nursing you can check the kits to see if they all got milk. If not you might need to supplement or make sure they’re able to nurse separately.
Your doe needs unlimited pellets and plenty of water, and as was suggested you could give her a little bit of black oil sunflower seeds or old fashioned rolled oats as a supplement. She will expend a lot of calories nursing that many.
Your doe needs unlimited pellets and plenty of water, and as was suggested you could give her a little bit of black oil sunflower seeds or old fashioned rolled oats as a supplement. She will expend a lot of calories nursing that many.
They can have litter up to 14 kits so she will probably manage. Just check them regularly and if you see that one (perhaps smallest and weakest) is wrinkled I would just help it as I said keep mother on your lap and bring it to her belly and you'll see it's amazing how they feel food and trying to get it, being blind! Babies don't stick to just one nipple, they're moving really quickly under their mother and trying to get little here little there as much milk as they can, so the weakest ones might be pushed away and not getting access to milk at all. In a large litter in their nestbox stronger kits can stay on top and weakest only has 3-5 minutes to get to mother's nipples they are slower and may just miss that chance. So I would just watch the weakest ones and would feed them separately and put them back so they get stronger and can get more milk when she feeds all her kits. Once a day or twice a day for a couple days and you'll see they will get stronger, you'll see they will all have round bellies.
And as was said make sure she's getting plenty of water and unlimited pellets so she can produce enough milk, unlimited hay as usual, and rolled oats she will love them. Getting too much oats can lead to obesity but now when she's nursing it's important that babies are fed and oats are great for her.
It has been 3 days and they are all alive and moving , some of them squeak when I go to count them is that normal?
