First Litter Troubles

[Susie570]

The video is set to 'private'.

 

[baefull.wolfbunnies]

:shock: wha? It shouldn't be. Ugh let me fiddle with things. <br /><br /> -- Fri May 01, 2015 12:24 pm -- <br /><br /> I was trying to post from my phone. Apparently it automatically sets videos to private. :wall: :rant: ugh. Sometimes I think we have too much technology.

 

[Susie570]

The wobbling around looks normal to me (of course I've only seen on litter of kits and they were all healthy), but the rapid headshake was odd... I'm not sure about that. Otherwise, it just looks like they're learning to move around and rooting for teats.

 

[baefull.wolfbunnies]

The wobbling around looks normal to me (of course I've only seen on litter of kits and they were all healthy), but the rapid headshake was odd... I'm not sure about that. Otherwise, it just looks like they're learning to move around and rooting for teats.

OK. I think I've seen each of the kits do it at some point. Could the head shake have been caused by the disastrous towel feeding a few days ago? Could something have been damaged internally? feeling extremely frustrated.

 

[Susie570]

The wobbling around looks normal to me (of course I've only seen on litter of kits and they were all healthy), but the rapid headshake was odd... I'm not sure about that. Otherwise, it just looks like they're learning to move around and rooting for teats.

OK. I think I've seen each of the kits do it at some point. Could the head shake have been caused by the disastrous towel feeding a few days ago? Could something have been damaged internally? feeling extremely frustrated.

That I don't know. There is always the potential that a kit sustained internal and/or neurological damage. The only thing you can do about that is wait and see. Keep trying to get the kits fed. :/

 

[Miss M]

baefull.wolfbunnies wrote:
I found a 15 oz can of powdered goats milk

Cool! Where did you find that?

Yeah give it up..don't hold that info to yourself.. Please??

I actually just saw a can of it at Walmart the other day. Surprised me... I'm sure it's new. It was about that price.

Miss M uses canned goats milk- I'm not sure if she was able to find it in condensed form though. :?

Yes, it is evaporated, so it is double strength.

If you get the "replacer", mix it at double the recommended strength for goat kids.

YES, I would do this with either the replacer or with the powdered goat's milk. The canned evaporated goat's milk is already double strength.

I felt I couldnt accurately describe the motion several if the kits are doing. The kit in the bottom right of the frame does both.

I have seen wobbling in newborns, and I have seen wobbling like this in kits that were actually overfed on formula. I don't think it happened this fast, but I don't remember. I found one of the first times I posted about it:

Yes, I still believe the two kits were overfed. I remember being told that if they are overfed, their organs start shutting down. I was seeing strange symptoms on those two: Very round bodies, out of proportion with the head and legs, skinny legs, and stumbling and wobbling when they had not been doing it before.

Once I learned they could be overfed, I decided not to feed them at all for a couple of feedings, so their bodies could catch up. The little chinchilla died before he missed a feeding. The other, Snack, began to take a more normal shape. After a few days on restricted formula, the wobbling stopped, and he slowly started filling out in his legs. I think at 3 weeks I was giving them 4 - 5 eyedroppers of formula.

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With these guys, they were moving plenty. Just as active as their littermates. But they were eating way more formula than the others we were supplementing... like they couldn't tell they were full already. They would just keep eating until we finally stopped giving them more. They ended up with abnormal appearance and abnormal poo, even though they were still very active. Then the wobbling started.

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I find it difficult to think that you have a whole litter of overfed kits, though, even though the symptoms are so similar. Usually the problem is that they'll start refusing more before they've had enough. It's just those two even to this day that would just keep eating and eating.

 

[baefull.wolfbunnies]

Thanks Miss M. Ive been trying to get at least a dropper full of formula per kits (doing 2 half droppers) then pottying them. If I am to skip feedings how many should I skip?

 

[Miss M]

Ive been trying to get at least a dropper full of formula per kits (doing 2 half droppers) then pottying them.

I just can't see that this would be too much, but maybe your bunnies are sensitive for some reason.

You shouldn't need to potty them. There was a "eureka moment" on RT a couple of years ago... several members were having a discussion, and then realized that the doe couldn't be pottying the kits. The hypothesis is that it is actually the wiggling of the kits against each other that does it. So as long as you have at least a few kits, they should take care of that aspect just fine.

If I am to skip feedings how many should I skip?

I would skip one and see how they are. If there is any improvement, it would probably be good to skip another one, and then give a reduced feeding the next time. I am curious to see what happens!

 

[baefull.wolfbunnies]

Could you check chat please!

-- Fri May 01, 2015 10:13 pm --

I think I'm losing another kit. <br /><br /> -- Tue May 05, 2015 1:24 pm -- <br /><br /> After a two and a half hour struge on the first (5/1) the kit seemed dead but as I was leaving the room came back so I put him with his siblings. The 2nd, he and a litter mate were both dead. Down to 4. Those r were fine until just right freaking now. They were fine at their 8am feeding, all ate their fill had nice round full bellies. I went in there to check on them 3 were in a clump but absolutely drenched in urine, 1 was off in a corner. The one in the corner was dead and two in the clump were dead, one in the clump was barely hanging on. I pulled him out, grabbed a washcloth and sat in front of a heater with him. He came back for a bit then died.

:evil: :boxed: :furious: :rant: :wall:

 

[cmfarm]

So sorry you lost them.

 

[EnglishSpot]

I am so sorry baefull, how heart breaking after all the time you put into them. Hugs to you and I'm sorry you had this happen.

 

[baefull.wolfbunnies]

Nature agrees with you to. Its been raining all day

 

[Miss M]

I am so sorry... this being her first litter, she may improve, but it's just awful when they fail so badly at mothering.

 

[Susie570]

Oh no... so sorry you lost them.
It sounds like you did all you could have done.

 

[baefull.wolfbunnies]

I am so sorry... this being her first litter, she may improve, but it's just awful when they fail so badly at mothering.

The people I got her from said that she had had several liters that all grew to butchering weight. I think it has something to do with that disastrous towel feeding incident. All the kits shook their heads as if to get rid of water or like they were cold. As well as rocking from side to side

 

[Miss M]

That's right... maybe so. :shrug: I just hope everything goes smoothly next time.

 

[Susie570]

I was just doing some searching around and it sounds like wry neck can present itself a as violent head shaking and lack of balance. It can be caused by a vitamin imbalance?? :? I mean, it would be good to try and figure out what was going on so this can be prevented in the future, if possible.

 

[katiebear]

I was just doing some searching around and it sounds like wry neck can present itself a as violent head shaking and lack of balance. It can be caused by a vitamin imbalance??

This is interesting.....Did they say which vitamin? I think a good pellet is complete nutritionally, at least that is what I have read here...I think Miss M had a wry neck bunny. Maybe some others will comment on this.. opcorn:

And to you Baelful, My heart felt sympathy...It is hard enough to loose a kit or two but a whole litter can be devastating..If we can figure this out I think it will help.

 

[baefull.wolfbunnies]

:weep: thanks for all the sympathies guys. I was talking with my mom the day after the last 4 died and she said something that's gotten me thinking.

She said "Now, I freely admit I know nothing about raising rabbits; but could the mom have known that something was wrong with the kits and decided to not put any effort into them?"

First off for my mom to says she knows nothing about a subject is rare :lol:. Second can does sense the viability out a litter before any symptoms show up?

 

[Susie570]

can does sense the viability out a litter before any symptoms show up?

It's very possible and people have seen some evidence toward that possibility.