Second rabbit doe gave birth to stillborn litter

[goats-n-oats]

Hi, this is the second rabbit doe (New Zealand white, 2 yrs old, 10 lbs), in my barn that gave birth to a stillborn litter. 7 or 8 kits, and one kit that was severely deformed - just a head and long neck. Two others looked like the lower half of their bodies were crushed or filled with blood from inflammation. One kit looked formed normally, but the amniotic sac covered its mouth.
The doe's sister has stopped getting pregnant. A few months ago, another doe died in labor after kidding 7-8 stillborn kits; I think one may have gotten stuck in the birth canal.
Could this be due to toxoplasmosis from rats? If two unrelated does in separate cages are suddenly doing this, could it be an infection? I have now bought them bird cages with 1/2" space between the bars so rats can't in to eat their food at night.
Thanks for any insights.

 

[Chickengirl2001]

I’m no expert but I used to breed rabbits and know a thing or two. It sounds possible it could be due to disease but it could also be bad genetics. Have they had any successful litters previously? I’m so sorry for your losses, it’s heartbreaking when this happens

 

[goats-n-oats]

I’m no expert but I used to breed rabbits and know a thing or two. It sounds possible it could be due to disease but it could also be bad genetics. Have they had any successful litters previously? I’m so sorry for your losses, it’s heartbreaking when this happens

Hey, thanks for your response and empathy
All three of these does were breeding well last year. They all gave birth to litters of 7-11 kits more than once last year.
Not sure if this is related but one of the bucks had sores repeatedly on his nose and upper part of his mouth. It resolved on it own but I wonder if this is symptomatic of a rat-borne infection?

 

[NatJ]

All three of these does were breeding well last year. They all gave birth to litters of 7-11 kits more than once last year.

Has anything changed about the food since last year?

Many years ago I had experienced does who suddenly started losing litters. It turned out the rabbit food company had changed something about the recipe, and the specific symptoms were a match for vitamin A deficiency. In that case, plenty of fresh green plants solved the problem (so I'm fairly confident it was a deficiency, but I'm not positive that it was actually Vitamin A-- it could just as easily have been something else that was available in the same plants.)

I have no experience with rabbit diseases, but I agree that also sounds like a possible explanation.