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Chubbybunnies

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So we had a doe that we thought was going to have babies today, made a nest and pulled fur, but when we got home, there was blood everywhere and only found one kit on the side of the cage. She still seems to be in distress, anything I can do to help?

Can they be stuck, it feels like there may be at least on left? If so, does this mean she will be unable to produce? What about an infection?

Also, I have a mom that had kits 2 weeks ago today, can she foster the only survivor? Do I have to hand raise it?
 
By all means try to foster the surviving kit to your other doe. It won't be able to compete with the older kits so will need a chance for a dedicated feeding. She'll feed the others afterwards. If she won't feed the kit (the age gap may be a problem) and the actual mom can't feed it for whatever reason, you will have to decide whether to hand-raise it or euthanize. It must be kept warm or it won't be able to digest either milk or formula. You have a day or so before it becomes critical to feed it. Does often don't produce milk right away upon kindling. With luck your doe may be ready to feed it herself before long.

Regarding the doe, there are a couple of things you can try. A calcium boost sometimes helps. Try offering her one or two tablets of TUMS or another calcium-based antacid. Many people keep a plant or two of lavender. Lavender is believed to help expel the contents of the uterus. If you can get some, fresh or dried, offer her a few stems with the buds. If you have shepherd;s purse in your yard or nearby, offer her a handful or two. It's a safe plant for rabbit food and it has uses to help stop bleeding after birth. I know midwives used to give a tea made of it to women after childbirth.
https://www.healthline.com/health/shepherds-purse

I don't know anything else to suggest, other than keeping her comfortable and as calm as possible. It's far too soon to know what the future holds for her.

Other members may have some other ideas for you. I hope so. :good-luck:
 
I'm not much help for advice for the doe, if she has breech birth. I would try the calcium since I know it helps in cattle. After wards if she is ok I would get her some dandylions(greens and stems). It's an 'old wives tale' but with all my does that have had trouble births it seem to help them bounce back. be careful if she's not use to fresh greens in her diet, introduce them slowly to her, little bit at a time.

As for fostering the kit, I would consider the size of the other kits and how many. It would be best for the one kit to be in a nest with other warm bodies, however you don't want it to be crushed or hurt by big warm bodies. Either way you'll need to supplement feedings for this one.

In cases that I couldn't foster, I've just put a nest box in a chick brooder/ under a heat lamp.
 
*UPDATE*

We left again and came home to find one stillborn kit, one half eaten kit, and 2 more alive. We put the kits and mom in a new cage to clean up the blood bath she left the other one in. Hopefully she takes care of them and we don’t wake up to more dead kits! Two of the three kits are gorgeous! They’re really dark on the top, with pale little bellies. I’m really excited to see how they turn out hopefully!
 
I'm hoping for you too. I've been though a messy birth before, thankfully mama did her job and we had two very healthy babies. I don't know where you are located but I would consider getting mama some dandelion greens. I've had to buy human grade dandelion greens at a health food section of the grocery store during the winter. Beyond being a healthy treat, some say it helps mama rabbit make milk.
 
That sounds a lot better. She almost certainly had a rough kindling, perhaps a stuck kit that she had to pull out. Under the circumstances, three living kits is a pretty good outcome. Don't be concerned at the partially eaten kits--the doe was just cleaning up as best she could. The protein boost may do her good.

Get some sleep if you can and check in tomorrow morning to let us know how they're doing.
 
When I check on the three babies this morning, two were bundled together and the third was off by itself uncover. I though it had passed, but it was still alive, so I moved it back up with the others and covered them all up. I just hope she nurses them.
 
Was the third kit chilled from being separated? If so, warming it before returning it to the nest would have been a good idea. The others may have pulled away from it because it felt too cool to them.

It's a small litter, so if there is any danger of them being too cool (don't know about your weather and whether they are outside or inside) you can take a screw-cap glass bottle (wine bottle is good) prewarm it with hot water and then refill it. Pull a sock over it and lay it along one side of the nest box. This allows the kits to move towards it or away depending on their needs.

How is the doe? Bleeding stopped? Is she eating and drinking, pooping and peeing? Does she seem alert, or is she huddled up and withdrawn?

Don't beat yourself up for not knowing what to look for . . . This is new territory for you, and that can only come with experience. It's too bad this happened so soon in your rabbit-raising venture, but you'll advance all the faster because of it.
 
MaggieJ":31sp8v8f said:
Was the third kit chilled from being separated? If so, warming it before returning it to the nest would have been a good idea. The others may have pulled away from it because it felt too cool to them.

It's a small litter, so if there is any danger of them being too cool (don't know about your weather and whether they are outside or inside) you can take a screw-cap glass bottle (wine bottle is good) prewarm it with hot water and then refill it. Pull a sock over it and lay it along one side of the nest box. This allows the kits to move towards it or away depending on their needs.

How is the doe? Bleeding stopped? Is she eating and drinking, pooping and peeing? Does she seem alert, or is she huddled up and withdrawn?

Don't beat yourself up for not knowing what to look for . . . This is new territory for you, and that can only come with experience. It's too bad this happened so soon in your rabbit-raising venture, but you'll advance all the faster because of it.

I don’t think it was chilled, it looks like it make have gotten kicked while she was jumping around in there? It was still in the box, just not in the back like the rest.

They are outside, but I live in south Florida and we’re in the mid 60, if that, at not. The bottle of warm water is a great idea!

The doe looked to have stopped bleeding, but she is acting rough around the edges. My other doe did that right before birth and just after, but became really nice within a few days. Grunting and just running off.

The first litter way thrown on us completely unexpected. This litter seems to be a mess from the word go. It feels like I am drinking from a fire hose. Didn’t even try the bike with training wheels first, just went to a unicycle! Lol but it is very fun. I am enjoying having the rabbits.

I have 2 does we need yesterday, so if all goes well, we have planned kits and a few weeks. If there is any difficulties, we can foster at that point. All does from now on will be bred in pairs!
 
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