I have a Dutch girl who is about two years old. Last year, when she was one, i bred her (her first litter). A month later, I️ found six dead and partially eaten babies and one live and healthy baby in the nest box. It was heart breaking to loose those babies, but she was an excellent mother to the one surviving baby, so we assumed she had had difficulty delivering the others. Shes been with my buck several times since, but hasn’t had another litter. This is very unusual, especially since she is so young. She even has made nests around day 29 most of the times she has been due. She belly is on the larger side, more than usual for the breed, which she has had for as long as i can remember (maybe since the last litter?). I’ve never been able to palpate a rabbit, even with large litters, so I️ can’t check that way. She was due two weeks ago, and just today she made a huge nest, and is acting kinda weird. Thinking she could have a retained baby? She is a favorite of ours, so we want to make sure she’s ok. Any suggestions of what to do from here? Thank you
Help. Possibly retained kits?
- Thread starter pixie22
- Start date
Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:
Do a web search on "lavender for pregnant rabbits" and you'll find it basically causes them to have contractions.
From: https://riseandshinerabbitrydotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/medicinal-herbs-for-rabbits.pdf
LAVENDER –
Circulation problems, nervous
stress, exhaustion, induces labor. To bring on
labor or expel placental material etc. in
problem kindling’s. Use with caution and
sparingly. In extreme
cases only. The flowers
are actually a mild tranquilizer, acting upon
the heart in easing blood pressure rather than
acting upon the brain as an anti-stimulant.
Great for stressed out rabbits
From: https://riseandshinerabbitrydotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/medicinal-herbs-for-rabbits.pdf
LAVENDER –
Circulation problems, nervous
stress, exhaustion, induces labor. To bring on
labor or expel placental material etc. in
problem kindling’s. Use with caution and
sparingly. In extreme
cases only. The flowers
are actually a mild tranquilizer, acting upon
the heart in easing blood pressure rather than
acting upon the brain as an anti-stimulant.
Great for stressed out rabbits
I will try that. Also about lavender, i had read a while back that it is a good fly repellent. I have several friends who use lavender oil in the bottoms of their cages to keep them away and reduce risk of fly strike... is it safe to use lavender for this purpose around rabbits if it also induces labor?
Never heard of using the oil for that but know folks that grow it and hang bunches of it from string around their bunnies to repel flies. I don't think I'd use the oil in their hutches but maybe wipe the doorways, frames etc. on the outside.
I'm lazy, I use good old sticky fly strips to get the little buggers. :lol: You can actually turn a sticky strip from yellow to black in just a couple days. :roll: rinse-&-repeat You can get a case of them for about $30 and it lasts me all summer.
I'm lazy, I use good old sticky fly strips to get the little buggers. :lol: You can actually turn a sticky strip from yellow to black in just a couple days. :roll: rinse-&-repeat You can get a case of them for about $30 and it lasts me all summer.
Update! The Dutch bunny gave birth today. I had her marked 19 days ago as due... something must have gotten mixed up.
Back to lavender, is it safe for me to use all purpose cleaner that smells like lavender? My fly issues have always been out of control.
Back to lavender, is it safe for me to use all purpose cleaner that smells like lavender? My fly issues have always been out of control.
Good for "Dutch Bunny". We've all made mistakes on what day we breed them. My hutches are home made wooden ones and I've got to where I write the breed date on the side of the hutch when I take her away from the buck. Seems to help this "old guy" syndrome. 
As for the cleaner, all I use is two caps of bleach in a gallon of water. Couldn't tell you about scented cleaner but maybe someone else here can. I just scrub, rinse and dry the hutches. Add their bedding, (wood shavings and cover with straw) and let them have at it.
edit: As an after thought, You might put a location in your profile. Just a state is fine so we know what your growing season is like to help with some of the issues that come up.
Oh yeah, we only have one rule here. Picture of new babies or it didn't happen! :camera3:
As for the cleaner, all I use is two caps of bleach in a gallon of water. Couldn't tell you about scented cleaner but maybe someone else here can. I just scrub, rinse and dry the hutches. Add their bedding, (wood shavings and cover with straw) and let them have at it.
edit: As an after thought, You might put a location in your profile. Just a state is fine so we know what your growing season is like to help with some of the issues that come up.
Oh yeah, we only have one rule here. Picture of new babies or it didn't happen! :camera3:
pixie22":2n7u5g3j said:
glad she gave birth-- congrats--
about cleaners- in order to help you with this- I / we need a lot more information about what else is in the cleaner- the lavender- [if it is a naturally derived scent] is OK, - but some other things in some cleaners are not OK...
I would recommend Homer's "rabbit safe" cleaner - as it is tried and true- for many of us, for many years,-don't add more Clorox than recommended, a strong Clorox mixture,creates chlorine gas when it reacts with the ammonia in the urine- , so more is not better- rabbits have an extremely sensitive respiratory tract- it is easy to inflame it by adding chemicals to their environment- an inflamed respiratory tract - paves the way for infection- pasturella [snuffles] is naturally occurring bacteria in most rabbits- once it get started it is very difficult to stop-- it is so much easier to provide good ventilation, and avoid dust, mold, and chemicals that might encourage it...
Hey, glad to see another Colorado person here at R/T!
If you're in the S.E. part of the state come to Pueblo in June. The state show is here this year at the State Fair ground. June 2nd & 3rd.http://www.rmhshows.com/2018-show-calendar.html Several of us will have our Flemish Giants there. :bunnyhop:
If you're in the S.E. part of the state come to Pueblo in June. The state show is here this year at the State Fair ground. June 2nd & 3rd.http://www.rmhshows.com/2018-show-calendar.html Several of us will have our Flemish Giants there. :bunnyhop:
