Newborn kits!!!

Hi just looking for some advice, my 2year old doe kindled her first litter of 7 this morning I think, sadly two died I think they had froze, I tried to warn them up with my hairdryer but sadly these little guys had already gone, the Remaining 5 appear to be wriggling warm and healthy in the nest box, they live outside in a hutch so what is the best way to keep them warm? Also what can I give to mum to get her in tip top condition? How will I know if babies are being fed? Thankyou

What's the weather like? If it's not cold enough for snow they should be fine. Did the mom pull fur for the nest? If she did just make sure the kits are all grouped together and the fur is over them and they will stay warm.

The mom should get as much pellets and hay as she wants. It's also good to supplement with BOSS(black oil sunflower seeds).

You can tell if the kits are being fed by their bellies. Flip them over. If the belly is full and round it is fed. A flattish, wrinkly belly means the kit isn't fed. It may take a couple days for the milk to come in properly, so don't worry if they don't look super fat at first. The mom will only visit the kits once or twice a day for a short period of time to nurse, usually at dawn and dusk, so don't be concerned if she isn't in the box much.

If the kits don't seem fed after a day or so, or are very skinny, try giving mom some dandelion leaves.

Congrats on the new litter! Most likely they will do great, and wait till they get bigger, baby bunnies are the cutest things!

Thankyou for your reply, I'm in the uk weather is spring and varies between 16 degrees Celsius in the daytime but goes below 6 at night, yes mum pulled fur, if saved some of her fur from her previous nest last week and I've added that into them too, an I supposed to literally put the fur on top of them? Will they not suffocate? Sorry if this is a silly question thanks

A new litter, how exciting!

They won't suffocate and will often burrow down as deep as possible under the fur for warmth. I've pulled the fur away to peak at them before and they start digging in the nest, "Where'd my blankets go!?" :lol:

Thankyou is it best to cover them co pmetely with fur then to keep them warm? Another stupid question, why are some of them pink and some are dark? Does this mean some will have dark fur? It's been bugging me since I saw them lol xx

Yes, I would go ahead and cover them completely, if they get too warm they will crawl to the top. (Basically I wouldn't worry about trying to KEEP them covered, just he initial covering should be fine and they'll do the rest)

Yes, the dark ones will have a dark coat and the light ones will have a light coat. For example here's one that is spotted!

Awww that is adorable! I haven't had chance to properly check the nest box yet, I remove s the dead ones and heve had kits out to count them but unsure I missed any which I doubt, I noticed she's got a few dark ones and couple of pink ones, mum
Is a black lionhead cross and dad is a silver/grey lionhead cross with green/grey eyes :bunnyhop: <br /><br /> -- Tue May 16, 2017 8:42 am -- <br /><br /> How much of the boss am I supposed to give me m and how often please? She's looking thin and shabby ATM so wanting to build her up again thankyou xx

We supplement a new mum's diet with BOSS and calf manna along with some rolled oats. Plain old oatmeal, if you have some that doesn't have some sort of sugar or flavoring added. She gets the black oil sunflower seeds, calf manna and oats in a separate dish since she'd push the regular pellets out of the dish to get to the good stuff and waste it. She has all the pellets and forage she wants and gets a heaping tablespoon full of each of the supplements once or twice a day. For the first five to ten days, once a day is enough if she's in condition, but when the kits are bigger and drinking more milk, then she gets twice a day. All the water she wants, of course. The bunnies here are English angoras and weigh about five pounds (2.26 kilos), not sure how that would relate to a lionhead. If they're much smaller than the ones here, then a bit less.

The pink ones will be white, most likely, so both the parents have some recessive color genes in order for you to get the pink ones.


The pink one is about forty five minutes old, the black one about four minutes old.


Day Two The pink one is a bit less pink but still pretty pinkish.


Day Four Getting less and less pink.


Day Ten

Should you want to see the pictures of the missing days, the daily baby bunny pictures are posted on the bunny website at: http://hillsidefarmhawaii.com/.

There is a bunny blog under the tab 'New Bunny News' which takes you to http://hillsidefarmhawaii.com/index.php/blog/ that has all the daily pictures. There's also an option to sign up for the blog and get bunny updates sent to your email. Isn't the internet an interesting place?

Is this the same doe you talked about in this thread, the one that hadn't eaten pellets for a week, possibly because of dental problems?
post315996.html#p315996

I realize that you posted the thread about the doe's problems later than the post about the new kits, but I want answering members to know the whole situation.

Also, please add your location to your profile. Many rabbit questions are dependent on location and climate, especially if the rabbits are housed outside. Just something like United Kingdom, SW or England, near London is enough. It won't compromise your security and it will make it easier for us to help you.

Temperature wise, they should be fine during the day, but below 6 degrees C is quite cold. I would think covering the cage with a large sheet or tarp at night would suffice. That will insulate the cage more so the heat stays in the cage.