HELP!!!!!!! rabbit questions

[squeak1387]

i have a female who had babies alitte over week ago. just yesterday we moved the mom and babies back outside to the normal cage she stays in. I have been checking on them all day and they have been doing just fine. a few mins ago i went out to check food and water and found 4 of 6 dead. the daddy bunny is in the cage next to the mom. but i made sure i put her nest box back in there so the babies wouldn't crawl through to the males cage. Is there any one who can tell me what i did wrong? did the mommy bunny just ignore the babies because she was near the male again? I don't think the weather was the issue. i live in florida and its been 90 during the day and like 75 at night, plus they had all of moms fur in the box and fur of their own. if you have any knowledge please help...

 

[BCBunnies]

Did they look squished or was there signs that she may have bitten the babies from the stress of moving? She shouldn't ignore the babies simply because there is a buck near her unless he is stressing her out. I only move does the day I breed them or when they aren't even remotely possible of being pregnant to minimize losses due to stress. And the only reason I move them the day of breeding is to put the does inside with the A/C because of the heat we have here in Texas. Try to limit how much you handle or move the doe around. The only exception to that is to remove dead or injured kits from the cage or the box and to tend to them as needed for fresh water and food and hay. Good luck with your remaining kits.

 

[squeak1387]

they were all just laying there rock solid. the two that were alive had some how gotten out of the box. i have had problems with her not having her kits in her nest box, and them crawling into the bucks cage. so i moved them inside into a cat carrier untill they were begining to get fur. then we moved her and the kits back outside. she was being more stressed in the house i would think. i have little kids who loved to watch her and she was being pet inside as well. I dont know but i moved her and the remaining two back into my bath tub to try to help them survive. I was so sad because my favorite one was one that died all of the sudden

 

[BCBunnies]

Is there any possibility of another place to move the buck to temporarily til her kits are out of the nestbox so she can have her own cage back?

 

[RabbitMage]

Quote:
I think this might be your issue. Rabbits do not handle heat well at all.

 

[debilorrah]

The heat is the first issue. Second (I have read this and been told from people who have been raising rabbits a long time), Mama rabbits are not all loving and protective of their young. I have heard that they can go to sleep on top of them, and that it is best to remove the kits from the mother except for feeding.

 

[rabbitgeek]

Bummer! I hate when that happens.

Mama rabbits are not always the best caretakers. Especially first time moms.

Join the Backyard Herds Forum which has an active rabbit group
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/

There you can get tips, suggestions, and if needed, some support.

Have a good day!

 

[gaited horse]

Quote:
I've never done that but Betty Chu a top English Angora breeder does. It sounds like maybe they over heated.

 

[dutchhollow]

Moving them into the heat, if they had been in an ac house, guessing yes because they had a lot of fur in the nest box. I would remove half of it.
Some rabbits are bad moms. Most breeders use the three strikes rule, some only two (if they don't successfully raise a litter after three tries they are culled).
Does that have them on wire, ignore, or kill, will pass it on to any offspring that happen to survive, so best not to breed them at all.

 

[SillyChicken]

Quote:
I'd have to disagree, I have a doe that seriously attacts me when I mess with her nest or the babies. I do however think the doe just doesn't have a high enough level of thinking or caregiving abilities as other animals. But they
can be protective, I have the scar to prove it!!