Rabbit Web Discussion Board

Okay, My bunnies just had babies and both my g/f and I are at a total loss on what to do. We knew you weren\'t supposed to touch them but I later read that if they aren\'t in the next box pick them up and put them there. So today I wake up and find that my bunny had her babies. I also notice they are not in the nest box and to that point the box is spread out throughout the whole cage. So I gather all the fur cut up a small part of a towel and lay the babies bunnies on it. Since then the bunnies have not paid any attention to their babies(mind you its only been about an hour since I moved them). Will the girl bunny take care of her babies? Do I need to remove the boy bunny from the cage? If she doesn\'t take care of the babies is it at all possible for us to take care of them???
btw both the male and female adult bunnies are dwarf bunnies. She gave birth to 5 more.

Thank you for all the help in advanced


~ryan

Yikes!

No wonder the mom scattered her babies...NEVER leave the doe and buck together in the cage! Get the buck out of the cage immediately. Get them off the towel and into the box and recreate a nest as best you can. Cover them with fur. It is OK to touch babies immediately after birth. Does that hurt or neglect their young will do so whether you touch them or not. I have raised rabbits for over 40 years and have found that to be the case. I have only had a handful of rabbits in that time that were truly bad mothers. Some first-litter does do poorly with their initial litter, but improve the second time around.

My fingers are crossed...

Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com

if she hasn\'t fed them what do I do

Ryan:

You will need to examine the babies to determine if the doe is feeding them or not. I am assuming you have put them in a nest box. Don\'t assume the doe is not feeding them just because you don\'t see her go laying in the box with the kits. Unlike dogs and cats, rabbits feed their kits sporadically and furtively. This is a self-protection behavior for the species as they do not want to attract attention to the nest. In fact, I would be concerned if the doe was sitting in the box all the time (makes for mashed babies).

Anyway, kits that are being fed, will have firm, round tummies. You will actually be able to see milk in the stomach through their translucent skin. If their tummies are thin and shriveled, they are not being fed, or are not being fed adequately.

There is mixed success in hand raising kits. Following is one of several recipies out there for orphan bunny formula...

Formula for raising orphan kits

1 Cup whole cow’s milk
3 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. corn oil
1/8 tsp salt
1 or 2 drops baby kitten or rabbit vitamins
Mix well but do not whip

Feed warm, fresh formula only. Feed kits twice daily and let them eat as much as they will. Feed with a syringe, eye dropper or doll bottle. Throw away any unused portion after 8 hours.

It is important to stimulate urination at each feeding by using a damp cotton ball to wipe the genital area. This mimics the dam cleaning the kit and should cause urination.

Important: Do not over-handle kits or try to feed too much, too frequently. Initially feed a very small amount every four hours and gradually work up to twice daily feedings (morning and night) when the kits seem to be eating well.

The greatest dangers to watch for are aspiration (forcing liquids too fast and causing fluid to enter the lungs), pneumonia (a result of aspiration), hypothermia (low body heat), and diarrhea (often caused by overfeeding or bacterial infections).

Continue the bottle feedings until kits are five weeks old. At three weeks, provide access to water (preferably through a hanging waterer), and pellets mixed with about 20% uncooked old-fashioned oatmeal.

Good luck.

Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com

thank you very much for the help ill be back if I need something else

You\'re welcome. I hope everything works out.

we\'ve been keeping a close eye on the mom and the babies ... and she wasnt fed them yet ... do they usually feed them right away or do they wait a few days ... our babies were born oct. 19th ... also ... some of the babies are dark ... they\'re skin is a light black ... some are pink ... the two pink one\'s heads have a little circle ... right on top of their head ... is this a sign of something bad or is it normal ... ???

by the way my boyfriend and i thank you so much for all your help ... =D

the mom went to the restroom and she bled a little .. is this normal ???

Yes. A little blood upon urinating soon after kindling is not unusual. In rabbits, the passageway for urine and the birth canal are shared.

How are the kits?

Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com

our bunny hasnt cleaned herself all the way off since she had her babies .. to prevent any sort of health related problems should we give her a bath to help out the process or should we just let nature take its course ???

once again ... thank you for all of your help =D

the babies are doing fine =D all five of them are still alive =D and brownie **the mom** fed them a little last night ... we\'re really glad that they\'re all doing fine =D **brownie included of course**