Sukura's kits

[paul2641]

irishbunny wrote:

I can't see you post but it sounds like you have alot of cages to buy lol! Good luck!

I only need to get one more and I will have all the hutches I will need.Mam is going in tomorrow getting it. I will have all the adult rabbits housed seperatly and I will have a hutch to wean the kits. So I am right on the dot with everything.

 

[Sabine]

Are you trying to tell us your mom doesn't realise that rabbits breed and she is happy with three litters every month?
This is some crazy situation. And you need a hutch per rabbit plus at least two more for the kits. You can't lump the whole lot (three litters) into the one and you also will need to seperate the boys from the girls at about eight weeks. Any kits that don't find a home you will need to keep and put into seperate cages...

 

[Sabine]

Also bear in mind when flashy said earlier that any decent breeder will breed two does together that means usually a proven doe will be bred at the same time as a first time mom in case the kits are rejected. having two first time moms doesn't make the whole thing much safer.

 

[PixieStixxxx]

When Savannah had her unexpected litter, shehadignored them for the first two nights and had even stepped on them. Pipp assured me that ignoring them was normal, but the stepping I had to make sure she wasn't doing it too hard.

Then she rejected one of her babies, Sylvia. I happened to wake up early, and I saw Sylvia outside the nest, freezing, as Savannah was feeding her brothers. So it became a routine that I would wake up at 5 am, wait for Savannah to kick out Sylvia. I'd put her back without Savannah noticing, and later that night we'd hold Savannah and let Sylvia get some milk because she stayed tiny while her brother grew. I was told that milk supplement wasn't the best for her, and I should keep doing what I was doing with Sylvia. Now Sylvia is a healthy 9 month old spayed female. She'll always be tiny, but she's alright!

 

[Numbat]

Oh wow. Good to see everything seems to be going alright so far!

 

[paul2641]

Mam hasn't let roger with savannah,so there is no pregnancy there. Also we are sorting out another hutch for the baby rabbits when they are weaning off momma.

2 of the babies died and she has rejected the other two I aspect them to die in the next few hours.

 

[paul2641]

I also thing her milk has dried up because you can't even find any nipples for them to suck off.

 

[irishbunny]

2 more hutch/cages are needed for the two new litters.

 

[paul2641]

irishbunny wrote:

2 more hutch/cages are needed for the two new litters.

I only have 1 litter, and there dieing.

 

[irishbunny]

If they survive then you will, because you will have Suki's kits.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

If you have absolutely no access to rabbit milk, you better start feeding those kits the replacement stuff right now. Don't let them die.

ETA: Only if absolutely no chance of getting milk... I don't know when that point is, but you can't give them up for dead, ever.

 

[irishbunny]

Do you think maybe Suki was killing her kits and Sukura is not feeding them because of stress? It sounds like it to me, breeding rabbits in the house is not suitable IMO because of noise and distractions, and with people coming in and out of the room. Plus, if you are poking and proding around the cage and nest all the time that can cause stress too, stress causes rabbits to cannabalize their babies and can also cause them to abandon the nest.

 

[paul2641]

irishbunny wrote:

Do you think maybe Suki was killing her kits and Sukura is not feeding them because of stress? It sounds like it to me, breeding rabbits in the house is not suitable IMO because of noise and distractions, and with people coming in and out of the room. Plus, if you are poking and proding around the cage and nest all the time that can cause stress too, stress causes rabbits to cannabalize their babies and can also cause them to abandon the nest.

I check the kits 2-3 times a day just to make sure everything is ok, If I didn't look this morning all the kits would be dead. I finally got some milk momma milk into the kits.

 

[Happi Bun]

Wow, I had no idea breeding rabbits was so difficult. Thank goodness I have no interest in it. Sounds like a lot of unnecessary heartbreak.

 

[Flashy]

I wonder why she rejected them after being such a good mum. That makes no sense to me. There must be something else have happened.

 

[Sabine]

Have you tried to make her feed them or if that fails the kitten formula. They looked well fed this morning you said. What happened?

 

[Sabine]

I just realised I missed a few posts. What made you think she rejected the babies this morning. Did you find another dead one in the morning? You said one died last night. I doubt her milk would dry up that soon. Make sure Sukura has no stress whatsoever and isn't left with the other rabbits. After all she's been in your house barely six weeks

 

[aurora369]

My advice is to avoid supplimenting the babies until absolutely nessecary.

If the babies are still wiggling and excited when you put your hand in the nest, then they should be fine.

Even if they aren't getting enough to make their bellies ping pong, then they should at least be getting enough to survive. The act of nursing will stimulate mom to produce more milk.

When you start supplimenting, the babies aren't as hungry and will not suckle as hard or as long. Which will mean mom's mammary glands will not be as stimulated as they should be.

It can take a while before you can start feeling mom's mammary glands. For the first few days she's mainly producing colustrum, which is much thinner than regular milk. Towards the end of the first week is when you will notice the teats starting to swell noticably.

Again, you best bet is to enourage mom to feed. Once or twice a day, get mom in the nest with treats or a distraction and let the babies feed. The babies feeding will stimulate her milk production and in the mean time the babies will be getting enough to survive.

Hand suplimnentation is very dangerous and should be the last step taken to try to save the babies. You are more likely to lose babies by hand feeding, then by getting the babies to stimulate mom's mammary glands.

--Dawn

 

[paul2641]

I don't know why momma would abandon her kits,but I am now forcing her to feed them. One of them latches on and doesn't come off no matter but the other one is the complete opposite won't go on at all.

 

[Sabine]

Keep trying with the other one or he'll get too week to suckle