Calling all rabbit breeders....we need some assistance

[Learningstill]

Hi,

Our American chinchilla gave birth early this morning. I checked at 1:00 am and no babies, but at 8:30 yes babies. While she was laying in her nest we were trying to entice her off the nest when we noticed a baby which was not moving. We kinda panicked and removed her from her nest. This is our first litter and we have read a bunch, but are second guessing everything. She had 9 kits and 4 were dead and 1 looked like it too may die. All of them were warm, but she I think squished them. She barely pulled any fur and she is constantly laying over the babies. Is this normal? All our research suggested otherwise and said she will barely be in the nest. Could she still be delivering? We are worried she will kill the rest by stepping on them. She steps on them and they squeal, we feel so bad.

The dead babies looked great and they were warm, but not breathing or moving. The barely alive one was not moving, but making suckling motions with its mouth. I think it too is dying. I put cotton balls on the floor, hoping she will put them in the nest. I just did that and she is still laying in her nest.

Any ideas or helpful tips for us, please share!

Thanks a bunch

 

[sourland]

Did you provide her with hay or straw or some other material so that she could make a nest? The nest should help cushion the kits.

 

[Learningstill]

She has a nest box with bedding, straw, and hay. Her last molt we saved some of her fur and she was given that too. She barely pulled any fur. With her pulled fur and the fur we collected she has a thin layer to cover the babies with.

We went down at 10:30 to check on the babies and where the mom was laying. The fifth one died and the others were chilled. I put the other four on a heating pad to warm them and warmed a blanket to wrap them in and their temperature came up. While they were warming my daughter distracted the mom and I broke up cotton balls and lined the area where the babies were laying. Once they were warmed I placed them back and covered in moms fur. I also placed two receiving blankets under the nesting box to insulate from the floor.


We are devastated. How often does this happen? Mom seems to be okay. She is calm and went to check where her babies were while they were warming. The babies all looked healthy.

 

[sourland]

Try sending a PM to Bunnylady. She knows a great deal about kindling and raising rabbits. I only ever worked with 'meat' rabbits, and think that there may be more problems with some of the pet breeds. I do know that some does will have problems with their first litters, and then raise subsequent litters without any problems. Good luck in saving this litter.

 

[Learningstill]

Thanks for responding. American chins are meat rabbits. The mom weighed before pregnancy 12lbs. I am unsure how to pm but thanks anyway. Last night the momma went in and moved her litter to the back of the box where I think she attempted to feed them and squished two more. So we are down to two babies

 

[Bunnylady]

Am Chins are one of the "commercial" breeds, Sour - I believe they (or some type of Chin, anyway) were used to develop the New Zealand.

Sorry I came on this thread so late, though it sounds like you handled the situation about as well as anyone can. Does are often real dingbats the with their first litters. I have told people that anything you get off a first litter is gravy, and any doe that gets everything right the first time is a keeper!

Sad but true, dead babies are something you'll have to get used to if you want to breed rabbits. Am Chins have the reputation for being good mothers (or so I've heard, I have never worked with the breed myself). Sounds like your doe did get several things right - she made a nest in the nest box, and actually had the babies in there (you would not believe how many babies I have seen on the wire cage floor over the years!), she even pulled some fur. She will probably continue to pull fur for several days, especially if the weather is cool; this is normal.

It does sound like your doe was being a bit over-zealous, and may have killed her kits by stepping on them. If I have a doe that just won't stay out of the nest box like that, I remove the box from the cage until she calms down. Yes, I know, lots of people will tell you that you can't even touch the babies or the doe will kill them. That may be true with some rabbits, but in almost 30 years of breeding rabbits, I have had exactly one doe that intentionally savaged her litter, and that one had a screw loose. If the doe is reasonably comfortable about interacting with you (she doesn't have to be fall-out-in-your-arms friendly, just not wig out if you pet her). she will most likely tolerate you handling the litter and even removing the nest box if you feel the need to. In fact, I make it a habit to bring all my nest boxes into my house during cold weather, and only taking the kits out to their mothers for a few minutes a couple of times per day. I learned to do that from somebody else who, like me, couldn't stand to see one more litter of frozen babies (the smaller pet breeds tend to have smaller litters, which are more likely to die of cold due to the smaller mass of the litter not being able to generate enough heat).

Hopefully, things have settled down by now, and the remaining kits got a good feed this morning. I'm betting that this doe will do a perfect job on her next litter.

Good luck!

 

[Learningstill]

Thank you for responding! We are scared she is going to step on the last two. When I check this morning the four were on the wood bottom with the materials around them. I think that is why she squished two. So I took the other two out and put some wood chips, cotton balls, and fur and replaced the babies in the same spot she moved them. Well, she has since went in and moved the stuff again making the babies exposed to little to no cushion under them. She is the best rabbit, I am surprised this has been such an ordeal. She is very comfortable with us. We did end up moving her and her kits last night into a dog kennel upstairs, just to make sure the kits did not get too cool. We also turned the heat to 70 just in case. Thanks again.

 

[Learningstill]

After reading and responding to your post, my daughter came to me and said Bailey (momma) keeps getting in and out of her litter box and the babies looked like they were not moving. I ran to them and both were gasping for air exactly like the fifth babe which died. I did as you said and removed the box. She was not happy. I put the kits on a heating pad again to warm them as they were chilled and I noticed one looked like it did not feed this morning (it's tummy was thin and the skin was pretty wrinkly). Once the babies were warm, we pulled out Bailey and my daughter laid her down on her back and she held her by the ears while I found her teats and laid the babies on her belly. They ate and Bailey did wonderful. Yeah! I decided to keep them from her and feed them morning and night until they are larger. I have them up against her cage so she can see them. What do you think about that idea? If you have done this and it was not successful, please let me know ASAP. Any other ideas please share. This is our first litter, so we can use all the knowledge out there.

Thanks again!

 

[Learningstill]

The two babies are still alive!!! They stayed warm through the night and they nursed well this morning. I cannot find one teat, but other than that one they are rotating between the teats at each feeding. Is that what we should be doing?

Thanks!

 

[nayeli]

@Learningstill I have heard from one lady that she keeps the kits and nestbox in a seperate cage and takes momma there once or twice a day to feed the kits and thats it. Rabbits aren't like cats, they only return to feed their young once or twice than stay away (predator thing). She probably did squish them all... I think my doe did too (first time mother also), although with her I'm not sure if she also ate one and started on the next or killed them then was cleaning them up to avoid predators.