Weird bunny labor

[cknlovinldy]

So our sweet bunny has had the strangest labor. Last night she delivered one small kit. She did not pull hair or make her burro in the nesting box. She did not have the kit in the box. Then at the same time tonight,24 hours later she delivered 3 more, larger, darker in color babies. Made a burro and pulled hair out.
So, the first kit is now lethargic and hungry I'm sure. So should I feed this kit? She won't feed them untill morning, right?
Uuggg. What the what?

 

[Bunnylady]

Most rabbits deliver all of their babies within a few minutes, but sometimes extended labors happen. Angora breeders have told me does of their breed are notorious for delivering over the course of a couple of days. I have only seen this a few times; I can remember one doe that had three babies one day, and 3 more three days later. Most does won't breed when they are pregnant, but there are exceptions. Rabbit does sometimes get pregnant only on one side, and then breed again at a later date, and wind up carrying two separate pregnancies with two different due dates.

Most people have very poor luck trying to hand-feed baby rabbits; in almost all cases, you are far better off letting the doe do her job (I have had a few does that simply had no milk; obviously, their babies would starve, so that would be the exception). Some does don't seem to know that they need to nurse the babies once they are born; those does need to be taught their job. Some people will take the doe into their lap, lay her on her back, and put the babies on her, and some does will tolerate that. On the other hand, I had one doe that abandoned her babies after I tried that - she just couldn't stand that much interference. What has worked for me is putting the nest box in a carrier that is only slightly larger than the box, putting the doe in the box, and closing the lid of the carrier. With the doe stuck in the box, most of the time, the babies get fed with a minimum of struggle and stress. Most does that have needed this treatment catch on within a couple of sessions, and go on to care for their litters without any further issues.

The fact that the kit born solo is noticeably smaller than its siblings is intriguing. There are several possible reasons for that, from genetic issues to plain bad luck. What breed are we talking about here?

 

[cknlovinldy]

Thank you! I could pick your brain for hours. I feel much more confident that we can successfully do this. I will do exactly what you suggested. I am not sure what breed. I think they are a cross. Both the doe and the Rex are light brown and small. Incredibly sweet, do very well with my kiddos.
Both bunnies were just a farm store buy. So the breed is a mystery. Thank you for your reply and depth of knowledge. On my way to check the now.

 

[cknlovinldy]

Update

The small pink baby died last night. But the 3 larger dark babies all seem great. Round bellies and warm. Sad, but I guess that's life on the farm. Thanks again.
I am going to leave them alone for a day or so now. Thanks again!

 

[Bunnylady]

Sorry about the one you lost. Depending on why he was smaller, he may have been lost in any case.

Congrats on the rest of the litter!