Doe rejected kits?

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Emma13

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On Saturday afternoon I went out to feed my rabbits and check on my doe with her 4 day old kits. When I got there, i found that there was a hole at the bottom of the does hutch and the kits were out of their nest box and were lying outside the hutch in the rain. 2 of the kits had already died, i'm presuming of the cold, luckily 2 were still alive, but barely. they were freezing and could hardly move so we brought them inside and warmed them up. they looked very thin and hungry so we brought the doe in and put her on her back so that the kits could feed. after they fed they seemed fine, but the doe kept trying to scratch them and pull them out of the little box we had put them into. it is Tuesday now and the kits are still alive as we have been letting them feed on the doe by putting her on her back. they seem hungry all them time and do not have round full bellies. Is there anything else I can do to help these week old kits? thank you. :(
 
Sorry you lost a couple of the kits, but good job saving the others.

It sounds like your doe's nesting instinct kicked in a little late and she was trying to dig a burrow. They don't realize that the kits will be hurt when they are digging. Until she settles down I would keep the kits in a separate box and take them out to her only for feedings.

When I tried to get kits to nurse by holding the doe on her back, I had kits flying across the room because she would kick. :x A more natural way to have the doe feed the kits is to hold her over them. You can place a towel on your lap so the kits don't fall between your legs and then set the doe on top, or you can put her into the nestbox with them if she doesn't jump in herself.

She will probably be more relaxed in that position and more likely to let her milk down, so hopefully you will see nice round bellies after the feeding.

Good luck! :clover:
 
Thanks so much for tthe advice! The doe seems much more relaxed this way and the kits are looking much better. How often should I be putting them under the doe for feeding now?
 

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