bunbun has finally had her babies! she was looking much thinnner yesterday, but couldnt see any babies - took a closer look in one of the boxes we put outside for her, and there was this beautiful nest with 4 babies. unfortunetly 3 were dead (really sad about that), but the one left looks really healthy. i transferred her and her kit into the hutch so that she can pay it some attention and isnt too far from it. i woke up this morning and it is still doing fine. any reason why 3 died? it is her first kit, is that why they died? just happy one is still with us - it is sooo cute! when may i start handling it? your imput would be greatly appreciated!
Im sorry i dont know what breed your bunny is but many of the smaller breeds have difficulty the first time they give birth.bluebird
I have two first time Mom\'s here now, a Mini Rex and a Jersey Wooly who have each just raised a litter of 4 (MR) and a litter of 5 (JW) with no casualties.
There could be any number of reasons you lost bunnies. They could have gotten to cold, they could have been peanuts (if your Doe is a dwarf breed it\'s a possibility) they could have been delivered dead, she could have stood on them, her milk may not be coming in good. It\'s just hard to say.
I handle my kits daily from birth. Not much mind you, I check them in the morning and then at night. And after giving them a good once over I put them right back into the nest. I check to see that bellies are full, that they are warm and that the nest isn\'t wet.
Does will only nurse their kits once or twice a day just after they are born. (that\'s what I have observed with all my does anyhow) So you may not see her going in and out of the nest box throughout the day. Mine usually nurse them in the morning and then again around dusk.
So don\'t be to concerned if you don\'t see her with the baby. Just check it a couple times a day to make sure all is well. One kit may not be able to keep itself warm like a nest full of kits would so keep it well protected from drafts and in an area that stays relatively warm, for it can die from the cold.
Good Luck to you, I hope all goes well for this one little kit.
thanks for the great imput. i live in sunny south africa, so it isnt really cold at all - in the day i actually bring the hutch inside the house as it is so hot outside. the baby seems fine - her tummy is well rounded, as the mom has enough milk for 4! the doe is probably a mini rex and it is her first kit - just so happy that one made it. the others seemed well fed - i think the heat got to them as i only discovered the day after the birth that they were born! i let the mom run around outside and i put a few boxes out, but never really checked them until the day before yesterday. i have heard that if i handle the baby now, she might reject it... is that not true? so want to pick it up and give it a snuggle. just scared she might stop feeding. she is not the friendliest bunny!
Well the heat would certainly be a cause then. Not saying that\'s what the actual problem is, but most likely the kits did become over heated.
As far as handling. None of mine have ever rejected kits that I have handled, but also, all my rabbits are handled on a daily basis and are very tame. So I have always just picked kits up from day one.
I\'d say if your doe is used to you being the one that feeds and cares for her, then there shouldn\'t be a problem with you handling her kit. If she seems really nervous about you nosing around her nest then maybe hold off about a week and then try when she seems more settled.
Maybe others will give you their input on the handling of this kit.
We\'ve always handled our kits from day 1 also. I think that it\'s important to do this to tame them and so that they\'ll trust you. Also, dead kits shouldn\'t be left in the nest box so that\'s another reason to check the nest daily. If the momma seems nervous, then try petting her first and loving on her a little before you look at her kit. I think that I\'ve also heard of people offering the momma a treat while they look in the nest box. As far as the 3 kits that died, it could have been several reasons. It could have been the heat, they could have been peanuts, they might have been squashed by the momma accidentally, or other various reasons. Good luck with your remaining baby!
thanks guys, really appreciate your input. picked the baby up this morning to check on him and he is sooo fat! will try put some photos up! mom is doing fine, she just seems a little tired, which is normal i suppose.