UNEXPECTED RABBIT BABIES! Mom took all 6!! *PICS PG 3*

[jeaucamom]

This mother has done practically diddley zilch. She ripped out a tiny bit of hair, and made one attempt to lick one of the kits, and then promptly tried to eat them.

She is also not lactating at all.

This is our fault though. We didn't know she was preggo and didn't give her a nesting box to set up in. Is that why she rejected them and turned cannibal???

We do not (hopefully

) have another preggo doe. So no option for grafting these kits into a surrogate family.

 

[Homegroanacres]

Ya know, looking at those pics they look like they might have been
nursed... Mom will take dead ones and remove them from the nest.

 

[jeaucamom]

Homegroan: What makes them look like they have been fed? Like CT said, we did manage to get a little into them, but not much. Does it look like they have been nursed by the doe? The doe in question did clean them, but then turned on them. Did she do this because I had touched them? Are rabbits the same way as wild birds in that sense??

 

[Homegroanacres]

Quote:
My experience comes from having a 100 doe rabbitry where I shipped about
100 8 week olds, a week for processing. It is rare but not unknown that a
doe will eat her babies. To me thay look more than a few hrs old and seem
to have full bellys. At times handling them can cause her problems but again
it was rare in mine. Not haveing a nest box could sure be an issue but then again
I just had a doe that had a nest box she had 5 and all were outside the nest box and all dead. She died two days later due to a bad cold.

It is really how much work you want to put in and of couse the emotion of
it all..in MHO you stand less than a 50% chance in saving them.

If you really want some of her kits, she is ready to bred again. In fact
you can or could breed her after the last kit comes out. Out of kindness
I waited until they were 4 weeks old. Yes I know that might seem harsh
but it was what I made my money on...Farmer here )

 

[jeaucamom]

We expressed the nipples and nothing came out, so do the milk sacs empty after each feeding? And we are getting rather desperate, so what do you think our chances are of getting a nest box set up and reintroducing the kits to the mother? They have been apart for about 2 - 3 hours....

 

[Homegroanacres]

Quote:
Chances are slim at best...Would she be a first timer? In all the births I have
attended, if its a first timer, mom seems to "freak out" at more than one and
only takes care of one. I have to watch really close on my first time goats
if they have twins, triplets or quads so that I can get the sack off and get them in front of her to clean up..if not then its my job and not one I enjoy

If you put them back you have to be ready for whatever she will do,
if there is truly no milk then they will just die there..for that matter she
may understand she has no milk and is getting rid of them..animals are
hard wire in a way most of us just don't understand. again its up to you
and how much work and careing to keep them alive only to find them gone
one morning when you wake up because you miss a 2 am feeding ;o0)
More than what I would want to do but I am a tuff old bird. I would be
thinking "so I save them, what the heck am I going to do with them later.

 

[jeaucamom]

We got in touch with an area animal rescue group and she gave me the right nipples to get them going, but two are already barely hanging on. I am sure they wont make it, so lets all say a collective prayer for the other 6.

 

[jeaucamom]

Anyone with any ideas to keep these two going would be totally appreciated!!

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

THOSE ARE THE CUTEST THINGS I HAVE EVER SEEN!

 

[farmgirlie1031]

I used to raise rabbits and was always able to give the litter to another doe if I needed to. It only happened once but the other doe took care of her 4 plus the 6 I gave her just fine and hers were 1 week older. So, if you have another doe with babies or know someone who does I might try that.

I even had a doe take care of wild rabbit babies before when someone found them and gave them to me. I don't think the scent on them makes a difference at all.