birthing problems, please help!

[DarayTala]

My problem doe, Midnight, is on her third try. Last night was day 30-31 and we were checking her nest every three hours because last time she dug out all the nest material overnight after her kits were born and they froze. Well, at four in the morning we seem to have surprised her, possibly mid-birth. We left her be for an hour, then checked and found three kits, all cold but still moving, in different corners of the nest box. I got them warmed up and then settled in the nest, and they seem to be doing an okay job keeping themselves warm. About an hour ago I checked on them again, and noticed that there was blood in the main part of the cage, definitely from Midnight since the kits were all safe and sound. I palpitated her and and she has at least one more kit inside, if not more. I'm worried since her problems with the first birth involved four out of five kits born dead. I gave her a fruity tums and added some BOSS to her food. I know I've read about what more to do, but I can't seem to find the threads. I'm worried for her life, as well as any unborn kits. She is one of our sweetest does and I want to do all I can so her and the kits make it through. She also doesn't seem to have fed the first kits (and when I checked her, her milk didn't seem to have come in yet), presumably because she isn't done giving birth, and I want them to have their best shot. So what can I do to help her? Do I just wait and leave her be so shes comfortable finishing giving birth, but risk the three kits freezing if it gets colder or she ruins the nest again and we don't check often enough? Is there anything I can give her or do to speed up the process? With all the blood I saw, could she be having trouble with one being stuck?

 

[Dood]

If you are home and can check on her often, I would bring the 3 into the house and let her do her thing. check on her every few hours and if she looks done then put the kits out with her again

I dont know of any homeopathic remedies to assist in her kindling.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Did you check manually to see if there is a stuck kit?

 

[Bad Habit]

Lindsey posted a thread about her doe having a stuck kit not long ago, and gave this website.

http://www.thenaturetrail.com/rabbit-breeding/retained-reabsorbed-stuck-kits-help/

I don't have the link to that thread, but I did save that link.

I also frequently consult this website

http://www.threelittleladiesrabbitry.com/rabbitsandherbs.php

for herbs.

Was the blood fresh or dry? A lot, or just a little? Did you check her bottom to see if she's bleeding at all? It can sometimes feel like there is still a baby in there, but it is simply their uterus, which is slow to return to normal size. I know I've freaked out once or twice thinking there was still a baby there, but have always been told here that it was just the uterus. I recall as well hearing that does can stop their labour and continue it later when they are less stressed.

 

[DarayTala]

Well, I think my massaging her while palpitating might have started labor again. She had one kit which was quite elongated, would this have been a stuck kit? And she also had four more, two of which she ate parts of, possibly while giving birth to them. The elongated one and two of the others born were born dead, and I assume that was also the case for the partly eaten ones, and that she was just trying to work them out, not cannibalizing them for no reason.

So now the live three are back in the nest and seem to be keeping themselves warm despite the chilly temps. I'm debating leaving them out overnight or taking them in. I think it may be better to leave them and hope they do okay since the nest is fully lined with a bit of her fur and some dryer lint I used to supplement it. My worry now is if she will feed them, since her past litters didn't survive long enough for that to be a worry. Is there something I could give her to make her milk come in faster, since the live ones have already been out without milk since 4AM and are probably very hungry? Also, I used the dryer lint since she didn't pull enough fur for this weather and I had read that it was an acceptable substitute, but will they be able to scramble through it to get to her nipples, and will they feel her warmth through it and know to do so? I know I'm probably fretting too much, but shes never managed to raise a litter in the past and I really want to give her kits the best chance possible.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

I find that the mothers remove the covering-- the babies do not climb through the covering-- If it is truly bitterly cold, and you are worried, bring the kits in overnight.. Study the 'fed vs unfed' kits sticky to see if they really are empty--