Confused! What happened to my bunnies kits

[Bunnybabies]

My doe recently had 6 kits in her nest, she nested well ripped out her fur and everything. After one day one of the kits was dead away from the rest but still in the nest, it looked like it had bite marks around its mouth, I removed it from the nest. The next day another kit was dead but with no bit marks. And then a few days later I found three more dead with the same bit marks as the first. One kit is still alive and looks like it’s doing well but I’m concerned and confused about the whole thing. I’ve heard does can eat they’re young and the bite marks have me worried that’s what happened but they were only around the mouth and she doesn’t seem aggressive to the one that’s still alive. I’m also wondering if maybe something else killed them and then she tried to eat them after. I live in California and it’s starting to get hot as well, I’ve started putting a frozen water bottle near the nest to keep the last baby from overheating during the day and am wondering if the heat could have killed the babies as well (I started the water bottle thing after the 5 kits died). So basically I’m wondering if anyone has any ideas as to what happened to all of the kits and whether or not I should consider my doe a bad mother and get a new one or let her try for another litter after I fix whatever problem caused these deaths.

 

[hotzcatz]

Rats? We've lost kits to rats before, although they usually eat the babies or at least as much of them as they can reach.

The bite marks around the mouth are odd. Some sort of insect bite? We've lost kits to ants before. Are there fleas or some such biting insect there? Why would they target the mouth area, though? Unless ants are trying to get milk from around the baby's mouth?

The last baby probably won't overheat if it's all by itself, but I don't know how hot it is there.

If the doe had six kits in her nest after she prepared a good nest, she seems worthy of a second try.

 

[michaels4gardens]

The kits leave the nest, if they can, if they are too warm.
The kits on wire or hard flooring ,are often damaged when stepped on,
noticeable mostly in places where bone is next the the skin, [mouth /head area]
Rats, are a good possibility also [as mentioned above..

My guess is , this began as a "heat stress" induced problem ..

When I raised rabbits in N. Ca , [south of Redding Ca.]
I had to provide cooling for them, starting in march...
when rabbits get too hot, a lot of bad things show up..

 

[MaggieJ]

If your cage wire has holes larger than 1" by 1" you can expect to have rat problems at some point. I'd set some rat snap traps on the floor under the cages, baited with a mixture of peanut butter and brown sugar or a piece of date pushed well into the little cup. Leave them in place for at least two weeks. If you catch even one rat, you can assume there are lots more.

The bite marks could have been from the doe removing the dead kits from the nest. Rabbits cannot carry their young the way a cat or dog would, without harm. Your doe would have to fasten her teeth on the kit and the mouth area would be easiest to latch onto. Please note that this is speculation, not certainty.

I would certainly give the doe another try -- or even two -- at raising a litter successfully. She did so many things right-- and sounds like a good mother to me. A first-time mother rabbit often loses her litter to one cause or another. Much of their mothering is instinct, but they do become better with experience.

 

[Canlay]

The bite marks might have been an attempt by the mama to revive the kit, or just moving it. Rabbits will move or bury dead kits so they dont attract predators. If it’s one of her first litters she might just not know what to do yet. Keep trying with her and see if she improves, she might just need more experience