Help!! rabbit kindling trouble :(

[iluvsedward]

WELL TODAY I GOT A SURPRISE!!! She built another nest and i thought she must be having another phantom pregnancy so I just left her alone and today there were two dead babies in the hutch BUT, I still haven't checked the nest for living babies bcuz my mom wont let me... (her nest is in a cat carrier, so i cant see it) but every time i open the hutch she goes in there and gets on the nest! so i think she did have babies!!!!!!!! i wish my mom would let me check.

 

[iluvsedward]

Turns out there was nothing in the nest except another dead baby :'( What a bummer! But my rabbit looks really fat, like pregnant fat!! I dont get it

 

[inthesticks]

Did the dead kits look stretched out? reddish/bruised looking around the face? That was what my two still born litters looked like

I would wait a couple weeks or so before trying again & def write the date down so you can be there with her when she kindles.
If you experience her having trouble, you can then lend a hand and help with contractions by gently palpating her stomach & if need be helping the kit itself work it's way thru the birthing canal.

If you do attempt it again & you get the same result then I would no longer attempt to breed her as it's not healthy for her or you to have to go through it over & over.

 

[iluvsedward]

the two bigger kits looked healthy, nails, limbs,ears. They didnt have fur though and they werent in the nest. one looked really red under the skin and both had shallow cuts/bites on their necks, they werent in any casing, and the belly buttons looked perfect. the third was smaller and was missing a lot of skin on its back and its legs were messed up. it was in the nest.

 

[iluvsedward]

My rabbit looks reallllllllly pregnant!

 

[inthesticks]

With those descriptions I'd be worried that she was too frazzled while cleaning them & ended up hurting them (hopefully by accident) when the does are cleaning off the babies if they go too quick, for whatever reason, they can end up biting into the babies - as you saw.
as for her still looking really pregnant feel her belly.
Take her out & place one hand over her shoulder blades for stability then with your other hand cup underneath her right around the hip area so that way your thumb is on one side & fingers are on the other in a cradling type position, then slowly lift slightly & move you hand along her belly - if there are anymore kits you should def feel them by doing this (don't be afraid to apply a bit of pressure, you'll know if you come across one - at this stage they feel like babies & not part of mommy. Their uterine horns are on each side so this has been the easiest way for me to feel my girls.
It's a tough call on whether to continue trying with her or leaving her be as a pet & getting a different doe for litters.
Sorry your having so much going on with her

 

[SillyChicken]

If you doe looks big, maybe she's too fat. Fat does have trouble conceiving and giving birth, it's just not healthy for them.

Second. don't leave the buck with the doe, it's not safe for either, the buck will pester the doe too much and the doe, being bigger could attack your buck. Don't be lazy about how you manage your rabbits and breeding them.

When you're ready to breed again. Put the doe in with the buck in the morning and watch to make sure they have a successful mating. Pull her back out until later that evening, put her back in with the male and repeat the process, then remove her. In about 28 days she should kindle. Put a nest box in for her a week before her due date so she can begin nesting.

Best bit of advise I can give is to LEAVE HER ALONE while she's kindling. Rabbits are pray animals... if they are disrupted too much while giving birth you could cause her to delay birthing, which could cause her problems. I don't check my doe for 24 hr after I think she's kindled. And I only look long enough to see if they're alive, and pull any that may not be. Rabbits are prolific because they have a high mortality rate. losing babies or having a rabbit that is not a good mother is not unusual. I give my rabbits 3 tries at mother hood and then I wont use her anymore if she can't get the hang of it.

 

[iluvsedward]

She was overweight when I got her, but now that shes outdoors with more room then the cage she was in she looks to be at her proper size now. Or at least before she was pregnant... GUESS WHAT!??! SHE HAD LIVING BABIES TODAY!!!!! i thought rabbits gave birth at night, but earlier today (not this morning) she gave birth to two healthy living kits!!! YAY!!!!! AT LAST!!!!
i would post photos but don't want to disturb them. I hope she can care for them. they were born in the nest. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!!
(oh and btw she is not with the buck I took him out about two weeks ago)

 

[inthesticks]

Hooraay!!!! That is wonderful news. My girl Oreo tends to kindle during the day. Today was her 30 day due date & she had 5 healthy kits @ 3:20pm.

I would check on them in the AM to see if their belly's are nice and round. Can't wait to see them once your able to get some shots. Here are our new babies

 

[iluvsedward]

Good and bad news. The bad news is she had another dead kit, and one of the two living kits died. :'( The good news is she is taking A LOT better care of the last kit. She was nursing it for a really long time and keeping it warm, its no longer cool to the touch. every time I go to open the cage she hops on the nest to protect it. I hope with the way shes been acting (giving birth here and there) that maybe she still has maybe one more (alive) baby to deliver so they can keep each-other warm.