Has anyone brought Newborn Kits back to life?

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share my experiences with bringing Newborn kits back to life and to find out if anyone else has done the same?.

There have been a few occasions where some of my does (mainly 1st timers) have had some babies on the wire and have either been ice cold (barely moving) or actually stiff, I will take these babies and place them on the dash of my car with the heater/fan on low to medium (make sure the air is neither too hot or cold and that the babies are Not directly on the vents), I have seen several kits (not all) come to life using this method.

Another experience I had recently with one of my 1st time New Zealand White does (I was absolutely amazed when this happened).
I went to check on the doe and she had already had one live kit in the nest and in the middle of having another (so I let her be for awhile), I went back about 1/2 hour later to check on her again and she had another 4 on the wire (All dead and almost jelly like). I took the 4 dead kits out and started to clean them off (as I have to supply any dead kits that are in perfect condition as well as older rabbits), while I was cleaning one baby I thought I felt something move - I kept going for a minute or two & felt it again, I stopped and looked at the baby and nothing - I was Just about to bag the kit when all of a sudden it gasped - I kept rubbing the kit very gently and although struggling it kept taking a breath (took a good 15 minutes or so) - This kit Actually came back from the dead I couldn't save the other 3 though.

Reviving chilled kits is pretty common, but I've also brought back a hot fresh limp one that wasn't breathing. Dropping it a couple feet in the pile of dead kits I think may have given mine just enough of a jolt to get going. I thought I saw it move out of the corner of my eye, and after a moment, sure enough, it gasped again! Gross and unsanitary, I know, but I gave it mouth to mouth (sort of using my mouth and tongue as a syringe to suck out any goop clogging airways, then giving it a tiny puff of air back in), along with giving the abdomen a small squeeze every few moments. I actually got it breathing, but it went and had an misfortune accident. I think the kit wound up drug out of the nest later anyway and passed. All that effort for nothin'!

Yep, I always check the nail beds(light pink or white is good, dark red/purple means blood is pooling and the kit is dead.) and try to warm them even if they appear dead. Babies can go into a suspended animation like state when chilled, and can be warmed up.

I will take these babies and place them on the dash of my car with the heater/fan on low to medium (make sure the air is neither too hot or cold and that the babies are Not directly on the vents), I have seen several kits (not all) come to life using this method.

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I saw this on a YouTube video, it was pretty amazing. What do you mean, you have to 'supply' your rabbits?

Yes, we have a saying here at RT that chilled kits aren't dead until they are warm and dead.

I saved one two nights ago. What I do is put them immediately into my bra and then go to the house and warm towels in the dryer. I then make a little hollow in the towel and place them in it and shut the dryer door to contain the heat- making sure to tell all family members that there is a kit in the dryer so they don't accidentally turn it on.

Other members have found that dipping them in a bowl of warm water (keeping the head above the water line) is also effective.

aussiegirl":360phyod said:

All dead and almost jelly like... while I was cleaning one baby I thought I felt something move

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I haven't ever had any luck with those, and have since stopped trying. Maybe you get lucky every once in a while? :?

I use towels over a hot water bottle, you can make a little nest there.

I had a doe get 4 kits under the fur pile hair, and somehow had 5 kits in the box but not under hair. Those 5 were pretty stiff and cold. I put them right into my bra while working, and then they spent an hour "waking back up" on my electric lap blanket. All five made it and are growing fine now. Another batch born during the night was already past saving when I found them. I still warmed them up...just in case...

Zass":33p7iasn said:

I put them right into my bra while working, and then they spent an hour "waking back up" on my electric lap blanket. All five made it and are growing fine now.

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Yes!!!! I'm not the only one that has done this!!! shoving chilled kits into my bra is a good saver.

I have a small heating pad like you would put on your shoulder that I warm kits up on. I have a habit of bringing any frozen kits inside and warming them up no matter what other condition they are in. A couple of times I've warmed kits up twice in a couple of days and they've been fine.

The Frozen Five that I posted about a couple of months ago will be processed tomorrow. They were brought back from almost rock solid.

MamaSheepdog":18r7ne0b said:

I saved one two nights ago. What I do is put them immediately into my bra and then go to the house and warm towels in the dryer.

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Zass":18r7ne0b said:

I put them right into my bra while working,

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Celice":18r7ne0b said:

Yes!!!! I'm not the only one that has done this!!! shoving chilled kits into my bra is a good saver.

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Yep, I'm another member of the stuffing-kits-in-the-over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder club. So convenient, so warm, so secure--if you're wearing one that means business, not some tiny slip of lace thingey where they'll tumble out the front. Tuck 'em in & finish chores, then take them in to the house to do a check-over. I've also slipped one into a ziplock bag and put it into a jar of warm water. Blew air into the bag so it was full like a balloon and let it bob on the warm water while I finished making lunch. (I'm sensing a pattern of multi-tasking in my life, now that I think about it.) That one rallied but died the next day--small runt who just couldn't cut it.

Hi syberchick70,

I raise commercial meat rabbits, I currently supply up to 200 rabbits every 6 weeks. I have been asked to supply more so we will be expanding and processing around 700 rabbits every 6 weeks within the next few months,

YIKES! Lots of bunnies! I'm curious for pics of your setup!

Hi Nyctra,

I'll try send some pics soon as we are still renovating and has been a very slow and EXPENSIVE process.

It is only my husband & myself doing everything, my husband suffered a near fatal car accident nearly 12 months ago (though he was extremely lucky - only suffered a broken wrist & collapsed lung considering the damage to his car) and I myself was recently bitten by one of our dogs as she got hold of my goat and although I know better, I pried her mouth open and she's gone for another bite of the goat & grabbed my hand at the same time (hence the bandage on my hand in 'Rex Kit Pictures').

I currently have 30 does & 8 bucks (they average between 7 - 11 kits per litter) if a doe falls below 6 kits for 4 consecutive litters I'll Cull her or try find a pet home if she has a nice personality, although I do keep a couple of does that always have 2 - 3 kits per litter for possible foster does.

we aiming for 100 does. The goat is fine by the way (lost a horn & hurt his leg but is walking on it now - very lucky goat as he is only about 4 month old).

Well this brings stuffing your bra to new and more interesting heights.

I am sitting here this morning with a cup of coffee and two cold kits wrapped in a towel with hand warmers. The kits are sandwiched between the towel hand warmer and the towel. I'm not sure how long the process takes i e when do you give up? I checked their nails and it doesn't look like there's any pooling of blood and they seem to be warming up nicely. It's been about a half hour.

I wonder what guys do?

It can take a while, TornadoRed. If they are thoroughly warmed through and still seem dead, they probably are. If your set-up is one you can just leave for a bit, always give them longer than you think is useful, just in case. It can do no harm, after all.

Thanks MaggieJ for the quick response. It's been about 2 hours and they are toasty warm and unresponsive. The upside is that I have had an opportunity to really look at a new born kit. Text-books are no match for a first hand inspection. I think they might be boys, the 'parts' are on the outside.

I took them to work with me. They are on my desk in a box wrapped in the towel on a heating pad. Out of sheer persistence I will give them another hour. My co-workers are very interested in the box. Being Dogs, I expect they think I am warming scooby snacks.

Have a blessed day.

You might try rubbing them a bit but usually, if they are warm and still unresponsive, they are gone.

New born kits are very difficult to sex. I always just wait until they are around 6 weeks.

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I've actually done it twice now.
1st, 2 babies fell out of the nest. Took them to the freezer for later selling as snake food. Took me maybe 5min to take them there? and once I went to put them in the freezer bag one came back to life from just my hand's warmth. The 2nd kit never came back though.
2nd, 3 babies got too cold from lack of nest fur, put them on the heater, 1 came back, 2 didnt.

No point insisting for more then 10min, even if you did manage to rez them at that point the brain damage from lack of oxygen would be too severe.

A fabulous update

I got baby bunnies!

So, the two kits born outside of the box did not make it. Such is life. But Money Bunny (she's a calico) had 2 others in the box and they seem to be doing very well this morning. I gave her a treat and inspected the box. They were wiggly and pink and toasty warm.

AND Alice the white rabbit had 2 this morning. In the box. She had kindled last month outside of the box and those both died. This month she figured it out. I was keeping a close eye on her, she started pulling fur this morning and now has two in the box. I thought they 'prepped' for a day before? She did not have any fur in there until this morning. Is that normal?

I didn't realize she had kindled when I was checking on her. I was just checking the depth of fluff in the box when I found them. She wasn't too unhappy about that, she wasn't thrilled either. I think she might have more and because I was 'touching things' and messing up her world, I plan to check about every 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, which I can do without bothering her. Will my smell bother her? (I do shower...)

TornadoRed, Alice will likely have more. Your smell won't bother her, but messing with her before she is done could. So be sure to check her without bothering her.

Does often don't pull fur ahead of time. These things are all instinct-driven and the urge to pull fur may happen before, during or after.