bunny frustrations...make me feel better

[imtc]

So my lionhead rabbit just had her first litter of 3 last friday. All seemed fine...pulled TONS of hair and when checked on often were always huddled up nice and warm. Today temps were in the 50's overnight and low 60's daytime so I'm not thinking it's too cold but.... When I went out to check on them this afternoon they were in the nest box underneath the mound of hair but spread out away from each other and all were cold...2 dead (no movement at all). The third was also cold but still moving so I imediately warmed it up in my shirt and it perked back up. The other 2 were not stiff yet but after checking them over for a minute or two I saw NO movement or signs of life at all so I went ahead and tossed them into our woods behind the house. Then come in to see if I can find a reason for losing 2 kits after 5 days and one of the sites said not to toss out cold kits...that they can sometimes come back if warmed back up? So not only am I frustrated that I lost those 2 but that I was so quick to toss them if there was any possibility they were not actually dead. ugh.
Luckily I have another bunny (Holland Lop) that has a litter 1 day older than the Lionhead so I put the remaining baby in with hers and so far so good. (although it looks a bit skinny.) I'm wondering if the mom just wasn't feeding them the past couple of days? Just sad. I hate when I think there might have been something I could have done.
ok...vent over. =0)
We'll try her again in a couple of weeks.

 

[Muscovies]

I have rabbits I they say that they don't do good on their first litter but on their second litter they raise them good

 

[BeccaB00]

I guess it's like birds. They normally have no idea and kill their first young.

Sad, but it's part of it I guess. Good luck with your bunns!

 

[jerseygirl1]

Wow, mine must be the lucky one - her first litter - total of 7 - and they are all fine and healthy
Also, her last litter
It was an accident

 

[dutchhollow]

It wasn't the cold, thought smaller litters are harder to keep warm. We raise them in the winter here with temps well below freezing, they do better in the cold then in the heat. I have had those of climbing age get out of the box and not able to get back in, thought were frozen. I put them in a ziploc bag in warm water (I know this sounds crazy, but my grandma had lots of crazy stuff she did to save animals, well hers wasn't a ziploc) gradually getting the water warmer and warmer. Then put a blow dryer on them to heat them up rubbing them under the heat. I have had buns you would have thought were frozen solid come back,now you are still going to have to get food in them, but yes you can save cold kits, you have a foster on hand so that is great. Don't beat yourself up over the losses. Most rabbit breeders to with three stikes rule, if they fail to raise kits after three time, freezer camp.

 

[sourland]

It may be that for some odd reason the doe did not produce milk, or her mothering skills may not have kicked in. If she fails on a second try, she would have to go if she was mine. Mothering skills are frequently heritable traits and can be selected for.

 

[Lifesong Farm]

Don't beat yourself up. You didn't know. How could you till you read it or was told? I did the same thing last winter. I learned about it when I had another litter I thought had froze and I was putting them in a baggie for the freezer (I give dead kits to an exotics rescue so they are not wasted). I noticed a leg was slowly moving up. I started warming that one up after I got over my astonishment and I was able to warm most of them up enough to make it. It helped that momma was so good and laid on her back in our lap and let them feed. I am currently dealing with a doe that has been a good mom in the past but now she doesnt want to nurse the kits. I have taken to holding her in the nest and making her feed them. Then I have a first timer that I have to put in the nest and she then takes care of them. So I have two does that do great and two that have to be helped.

Here is the picture of the "frozen" kits and my really good momma rabbit.

 

[jerseygirl1]

What a great momma!!!!!!!!

 

[imtc]

thanks for all the replies. I did find one of the kits I tossed out (in the dark with a flashlight) and rechecked it. (I'm sure being airborne didn't help) but could never find the other one ...no luck rewarming the one I found. At least I'll know for next time to try to warm them up even if they look dead and are cold. Still bummed but what can I do about it now? Just going to wait till monday and re-breed her again with another doe so I'll have 2 litters born at the same time in case of problems again. I used to do this a few years ago so it's been a while...re-learning I guess. I just don't remember having this many problems before.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Wow - I can't believe what I'm reading!! That is amazing!
I had a very bad baby bunny happen to me -

I bred my Cinnamon Dwarf female and she was overdue w/ her babies - like 2 days. She had pulled her fur out and made a nest and everything then she just kind of lost her weight and then I found a large lump on her tummy then the next day it was on her left front leg and she died that day. As best I can figure is she got bit by a rattle snake and it ate her babies -

The day she died I got another rabbit - a year later a rattle snake killed her too!

I'm trying to get a few rabbits -

I miss have'in them around!