Help!!! bunn just kindled--did not pull enough fur, and another ?

[miss_thenorth]

She kindled at around 6 pm tonight. (2 hours ago) I have checked several times and the kits are still not covered with fur, and it is about 46 F out. Is there anything I can do for them?

Also, she has blood on her face and feet--could she have had complications that I might need to attend to? She seems fine, and it appears that she had 9 kits.

 

[RabbitMage]

If you think she's done, I would pull out the nest box and gently sift though to make sure there are no dead kits/bits left over, and clean out any bedding that's heavily soiled. The blood may just be from the afterbirth, though.

While you're at it, I'd take the doe out and flip her over and check her vulva, and make sure it looks okay. It's normal for it to look darker, a little swollen, or stretched right now, but there shouldn't be any tears or anything. While you have her flipped over, go ahead and pluck some fur from her chest and belly for the nest. The hormones running through her system right now have actually loosened that hair up and made it pretty easy to pull out, so you can go ahead and add it to her nest.

 

[miss_thenorth]

Thanks! She has kindled many times before, but never any issues. I've been lucky! I'm going out tot he barn right now.

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

Quote:
I don't know much about rabbits, but maybe the blood is from eating the placenta, or even one of the kits.

 

[miss_thenorth]

So I just went out there, and there was what I thought was a dead bunn on the wire. It was cold, I thought it was dead but I put it in my bra to warm it up (shhhh! ) It is alive. I tried to pick up the mom, but she wouldn't have anything to do with it, so I put in more shaving in the nest box. Hopefully she will accept the new bunn., and hopefully they will all be warm enough tonight.

I thought the blood might be from eating the placenta too, but I had never seen them being bloody before.

thanks all!

 

[willkatdawson]

Hopefully everyone will be warm and cozy tonight. She sounds like a good mom. Then when the dust clears pictures please!!!!

 

[cutiepieacres]

you can also just bring the box in for the night. I would wait until after 10 pm and by then she should have fed them and she wont need to feed them again until morning. I have done it many times before in winter when I was afraid they would freeze overnight.

You can also pull fur yourself from her chest(where they would pull) if she has just kindled it will be loose and you really dont need to pull hard just run your hand through and pinch small amounts of fur like when your hand grooming when their molting. It should come right out and you can layer that over the kits.