Doe reluctant to nurse kits

[SarahMelisse]

I have a first time doe that had eleven kits this morning! Yay! When I first found them this morning (around 7:30) it didn't look like anyone had been fed. No one looked particularly starving either... She may have just given birth a few moments before I walked in. Anyway--

The doe didn't feed them all day even though she hopped in and out of the nest box a bunch of times. This evening (8:30 ish) I decided to check to see if they had been fed before I locked them up for the night. Everyone was super wrinkly and squirmy and obviously hungry while my doe just sat there munching her hay.

I eventually brought everyone inside, flipped the doe, and made sure all eleven had full tummies before sending everyone to bed.

My question is: do you think the doe will figure out how to properly nurse eventually or will I have to keep flipping her and doing it by hand? Is it just because she's a first timer? Arg... rabbits. It was fun handling everyone though and looking at the already developing skin colors

 

[arachyd]

Rabbits don't normally nurse while someone is watching and she may have just kindled, like you said. They avoid the nest so predators don't learn where it is. I'd leave them alone for the night and check tummies in the morning. One nursing is usually enough in 24 hours but with a large litter she might nurse twice. If they don't look like they've been fed overnight you may have to assist until she catches on.

 

[SarahMelisse]

Jeez... I don't know why I was so worried. My doe fed all eleven kits just fine by 7:00 this morning. Everyone had fat bellies and the doe even pulled extra fur for them. What a good mama.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

It can be worrisome at times, especially since rabbits don't care for their kits like dogs or cats do. When they only nurse once or twice a day it is hard to catch them at it, so you wonder if they are being fed at all! The belly check is the way to go, but even then you might be checking before they have eaten or long after... a good excuse to pick them up again later! :lol:

I'm glad you found nice fat tummies so you needn't worry anymore! It is still a good idea to check the nest at least once daily to monitor their health and remove any dead. It makes for friendlier kits too.

 

[AnnClaire]

This is why I brought the first litter in each day and weighed every day ... As long as there was weight gain each day, I knew they were getting fed whether I saw milk belly or not :lol: Now that I am on to the next litters, I can judge whether they are getting fed without needing to weigh each day, but I still brought them in each day for a general health check where I pulled each one from the nest.