Bunnylady, Gypsy, Chinbunny...Need rabbit help quick!!

[taraann81]

I bought a flemmie buck from a friend march 20th. He was and had always been a house rabbit and and only rabbit, right or wrong when I brought him home on the 20th I put him in to breed with my flemish does, the same day(assuming that disease risk would be low).


Anyways...out to the barn this am......cold(but still alive kits) everywhere... On the floor(the doe was not in the cages I set them up in for kindling...so no baby saver wire) in the cage with the neighboring bunny. All but one still slightly alive....


What I am doing right now is.... correct me if I should be doing something different....I'm floating them in quite warm water(kits in side plastic bag but I'm holding the top open so they can breathe) I have a few kits under my shirt and some in my incubator... Trying to get them warmed up quicky...

What the heck happened??? The absolute only possibility I can think of is I did do some cage rearranging last month ....and for a short period she was housed adjacent to my minilop buck...is it possible they could breed through the wire??? She has never been in the same cage as a buck since I bought her at 6 weeks old last summer.

These kits appear full term to me....it is a sad mystery and I hope I can save them....

any ideas?

 

[rebecky1305]

First of all, is this her first litter? Not unusual for first litters to not make it. Does the doe have a nest built? If so, put the kits in it, cover with her nest material and hope for the best. You will probably not see her with them. Does are only with their kits during feeding times and that usually happens very fast and at night. Good luck.

 

[ack123]

Don't float them. Run them under warm water in the sink till they warm up. Do not place their heads in the water. Then place them in a towel and keep them next to you for body heat. They may or may not make it. If the doe has made a nest place them in the fur once they are completely warmed up and thriving. Bring the box inside and put a towel over it. The towel will help keep their body heat in. Check every so often to make sure they are staying warmed up. If not run them under the water again. Keep doing that until they can keep their own body heat. The next step is very important because the last person I suggested this to did not listen to me and the litter died anyhow. If there is no nest, pluck some hair from the doe and make one in the back of the box and place the babies into it. Take the nest to the doe twice a day. Once in the morning. Once at night. Place a little bit of feed behind the babies. She will eat and nurse them at the same time. The reason I suggest that is because she may not realize they are there, and will not acknowledge them. Rabbits are kind of stupid when it comes to caring for their babies. do not leave them outside with her until after those babies have opened their eyes. Chances are she will dig in the nesting material and kill them. That is what happened to the other litter mentioned because the person did not listen. They may or may not make it. This is something is not your fault. Sometimes does do that. Breed he rback right away if they die,and give her another chance.

 

[taraann81]

yes this is her first litter...I am aware thatt alot of times first litters don't make it...but since I found them alive I feel I should attempt to help...no nest...no hair pulled but there was no nestbox or bedding materials in her cage.

 

[taraann81]

Quote:
I will try to pull fur from her..I keep my nests boxes in the house anyway and only bring them to mom twice daily to feed so that won't be a problem....it still weirds me out she was bred at all.

 

[ack123]

Quote:
Then you will have to pull the hair from her. hold her down and pluck it from the legs and chest. thats where she ould pull it from if she was building a nest. just don't leave them out with her all day. Make sure she is feeding them though.

 

[storminstaffs]

She might be getting stressed out by being housed soo close to a buck

 

[taraann81]

Quote:
She isn't housed close to a buck.

 

[storminstaffs]

oh i read the OP wrong sorry

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Don't run the kits in water! You are doing the right thing floating them. Getting them wet will stress them out and even warm water cools when wet! You will have a mess of even more chilled kits than you have now...

Turn your oven on to it's lowest temp, 250, warm, 200, different ones have different levels. While the oven is on make a quick nest in a small shoebox, a plastic tupperware container, a small sterilite, something... In the bottom place hay, a good amount. Now you need fur. If you cannot pull fur from a rabbit, clip some fur off a longhaired cat you might have, a fluffy dog, sheep wool, something. Clip the fur into 1/2" lengths and make a bowl shape in the hay nest you have made. Put some fur inside the bowl shape. Place kits on top, and then cover with remaining fur. You will need a good handfull of fur from something. If you use fur from another animal, I will tell you later how to rescent the kits so Mom doesn't even notice.

Now turn off your oven. Feel inside with your hand. Should be warm but not really hot. If it's really hot, leave the door open for a minute. Put the entire nest with kits in it, inside the oven and close the door. Check on them in 10 minutes by sliding you hand under the top layer of fur and feeling them. You want warm to the touch wiggly kits.

We'll take it from here. Get them warm first, kits can freeze to death in 4 minutes born on the wire, they are born at 104 degrees.