I have been syringe feeding 8 kits 10 day old for the last several days.
I had a doe that seemed unwell. May have had other issues in addition to mastitis. I elected to cull her.
She had 8 kits and they were colors I've been trying to get more of for several years.
I had 2 other does who both kindled on the same day.One had a fat litter of 12 red kits [I have LOTS of red]
The other had 8 kits, some some red, some black and some broken of each.
I decided to leave 6 of the biggest kits with each mom. and split the litter of the culled doe between the two remaining moms [figuring that momma bunnies can generally do a better job raising kits than I can. ]Although several of the kits that I have been syringe feeding were tiny, all but one is doing fine and have been learning to actually suck when I position the syringe tip in their mouth and start injecting the formula. I'm being careful not to over feed and have gradually increase to about 4-6 cc. every 12 hours.
One of the tiny kits seemed to have matted fur around its hind quarters. I cleaned it vigorously with a cloth but didn't actually wash it. None of the others have shown any signs of a messy rear, although I have seen tiny dots of fecal matter that I have brushed off when I have seen them.
The tiny kit was obviously at the end when I went to feed them this am. I wrapped it in a cloth and tucked it in my shirt so at least it would have a warm end. Then I wondered if I could have done something more to save this kit.
I have seen an occasional kit that seems unclean in the hind quarters and sometimes they survive. Is it dependent on individual immune systems? Do some mom's do a better job keeping their kits clean than others? What is known about this?
I had a doe that seemed unwell. May have had other issues in addition to mastitis. I elected to cull her.
She had 8 kits and they were colors I've been trying to get more of for several years.
I had 2 other does who both kindled on the same day.One had a fat litter of 12 red kits [I have LOTS of red]
The other had 8 kits, some some red, some black and some broken of each.
I decided to leave 6 of the biggest kits with each mom. and split the litter of the culled doe between the two remaining moms [figuring that momma bunnies can generally do a better job raising kits than I can. ]Although several of the kits that I have been syringe feeding were tiny, all but one is doing fine and have been learning to actually suck when I position the syringe tip in their mouth and start injecting the formula. I'm being careful not to over feed and have gradually increase to about 4-6 cc. every 12 hours.
One of the tiny kits seemed to have matted fur around its hind quarters. I cleaned it vigorously with a cloth but didn't actually wash it. None of the others have shown any signs of a messy rear, although I have seen tiny dots of fecal matter that I have brushed off when I have seen them.
The tiny kit was obviously at the end when I went to feed them this am. I wrapped it in a cloth and tucked it in my shirt so at least it would have a warm end. Then I wondered if I could have done something more to save this kit.
I have seen an occasional kit that seems unclean in the hind quarters and sometimes they survive. Is it dependent on individual immune systems? Do some mom's do a better job keeping their kits clean than others? What is known about this?
