Fed vs. Unfed Kit Pictures

MaggieJ · Apr 3, 2011

I apologize for the picture quality, but I think these pictures may help people who are new to breeding rabbits to determine if the new kits are being fed. Rabbits, being prey animals, are very secretive about feeding their vulnerable young and people with their first litters often worry that the kits are being neglected.

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Two well-fed kits. Notice how their bellies are distended and smooth and rounded.

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Two unfed kits. Notice the flat, wrinkly, slightly sunken appearance.

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I hope this is helpful. If someone has better pictures, I would be happy to see them posted on this thread.

fuzzy9 · Apr 3, 2011

Maggie, these are awesome! Bad picture quality or not, I can still tell the difference, and it is very useful information. I just checked out little ones today, and I wish I had seen these before. Just from touch though, I could feel they are plump, and I know momma is taking good care of them!

Thanks for posting these!

MaggieJ · Apr 3, 2011

Glad the pictures were helpful, Geri. It was partly because of your new popples that I went through my files and dug these pictures out.

fuzzy9 · Apr 4, 2011

Yay, thanks Maggie! Appreciate that!

hoodat · Apr 4, 2011

Thanks for the pics. There isn't much you can do about mamas who don't feed them though. Trying to hand raise is seldom succesful and even if they survive they don't usually amount to much after that.

Farm Girl · Apr 4, 2011

Thank you so much Maggie.
You posted them right on time, now that I have some little bunners.

mountainrabbits · Apr 4, 2011

Thank you so much for posting pictures dear! That is really helpful! I figured if their swollen bellied and look like they're about to pop they've been fed but if I saw the wrinkles I probably wouldn't have been too worried since I'm so used to puppies having wrinkles even if they'e well fed...now I know what to look for!

Random Rabbit · Apr 4, 2011

Perhaps this could be a sticky ?? so it doesn't get buried in the pile of threads ???

BoxerMom · May 2, 2011

Thanks for posting! As a first time breeder I know this will come in handy

Bumper · Aug 25, 2011

Thank you! That is helpful. I'm constantly worried about this with my babies!

Here's another pic of a freshly-fed baby:

sommrluv · Sep 6, 2011

How often do you check them? If you have noticed wrinkly bellies twice in 24 hours, do you move them to another doe? Just curious.

MaggieJ · Sep 6, 2011

sommrluv":390nnssv said:
How often do you check them? If you have noticed wrinkly bellies twice in 24 hours, do you move them to another doe? Just curious.

Good question, but I don't have an easy answer. If the kits are less than 24 hours old, I would wait a bit. Momma's milk doesn't always come in right away after kindling. If they were still not fed by halfway through Day 2 and I had a suitable foster mother available, then I think I would try fostering them to her... especially if the birth mother was a first-timer.

hoodat · Jan 14, 2012

Magie thanks for mentioning that. I was a bit worried about my last litter when I noticed they weren't as round as they should be at the end of day one but I guess her milk is flowing now. They look a lot better today.

Rustina · Jan 16, 2012

I had noticed that my does only fed their kits twice a day....maybe that's why there are wrinkled bellies?

MaggieJ · Jan 16, 2012

Rustina, most rabbits only feed their kits once or twice a day. That is normal. Their milk is so incredibly rich that the kits grow fast on just two feedings. Perhaps you saw the wrinkled bellies shortly before feeding time.

MamaSheepdog · Jan 16, 2012

Maggie,

when do the does usually feed? Dawn and dusk? Poppy has kits now and they were "popping" when I felt them in the nest, so must be hungry. It is not yet light out this morning.

MaggieJ · Jan 16, 2012

Dawn and dusk are popular, but does don't always read the manual. Sometimes it takes a while, even a day, before the doe's milk comes in. I hope by now they have been fed.

MamaSheepdog · Jan 16, 2012

Poppy kindled in the middle of the night, so no worries yet. I just checked them, and they were content, but didn't have fat bellies. I will continue to check them every hour or two, until I see fat tummies. Both Blue and Mysterious had fed their kits... funny, I bred their Mom so if either daughter had trouble I could foster to her, and if anything it looks to be the other way around.

pastelsummer · Jan 26, 2012

awesome thanks i can keep this in mind when these new babies come!

rittert3 · Apr 28, 2012

I've got a doe pulling hair and a 1 week old runt thats not being fed, can I give it to the olther doe or will she not foster until she kindles?

Fed vs. Unfed Kit Pictures

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