hi i had a doe that had 9 kits on 8/6/06 yesterday when the kits where only 1 day old i found 2 kits dead and what was wierd is they where still warm and i also found one breathing real fast and so i put him in front of my fan but he died within 5 minutes in my hand he was open mouth breathing to any one know why he died
Well...it does sound like heat stress. Kits are in a worse pickle than adult rabbits in that they are unable to regulate body temperature at all. During warm weather, many breeders remove all or most of the fur the doe used to make the nest, returning it in the evening when temperatures cool down. I recommend even removing the nest box itself to a cool area of the house and return it to the doe\'s cage in the evening. Make sure that the nest box is not in a spot where the sun can shine on it at any time. Just a few minutes of exposure can be deadly.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
I went down to the barn every morning in the summer and numbered my boxes or wrote the doe\'s name on the nestboxes with marker- then they came up to the house til early evening- never lost them after I started doing that- be sure you put a frozen water bottle in for juniors and the other rabbits and mist them- I knew someone that put them in a kiddie pool and soaked them- then back in the cage to dry off- I quit breeding my does in the heat for July and August for the most part