HELP MY FRIENDS IN TROUBLE

[golden rabbitry]

so long story short, she is a very young breeder and her rabbit doesn't have any milk. It is day three and she emailed me that the 2 kits she has are starving. I told her to get kitten mix/goat milk but she is still trying to get the mom to feed them! Help! I dont know what to do cause they are in critical health and need food fast! She is 12!!!!!!!!!!! am only 14 but I researched every type of issue and prepared for things like this. I just weaned my other kits so the doe has milk but no nest. Would it also be possible to feed them off of her?

 

[akane]

When breeding animals and even more so something like rabbits you also have to prepare for losses. You can certainly try to save them but survival without rabbit milk is low. Especially if they never managed to get even the first meal. Some consider it not worth trying. Even if you get enough formula in them they tend to have too many issues adjusting to solid food without normal rabbit milk and you end up losing them after handfeeding for a week. I even hauled a large litter on a 2 day road trip in a back pack with a mug warmer to heat formula in the car to lose most after I got home and was trying to get them on solids. Rabbit GI tracts are tricky things.

If you can get them to eat a few meals off the doe it would be better than only formula but the doe may not be interested in a new nest of kits. Trying to force a doe to feed kits sometimes doesn't work and can even lead to injured kits if they struggle. I had one get it's throat slit by a doe who kicked out when I was trying to get her to feed a litter indoors. Best is to always breed multiple does at the same time and if you don't have one with a similar age litter try to find someone who does. Second best would be to manage to hold a doe over kits or upside down with kits on her for at least some meals between formula. Last likely option to make healthy kits is straight formula until they wean. I had a mini rex I kept breeding just because she could foster about anything and had 3 ages of kits in her box from large meat breeds to mini rex at one point.

 

[golden rabbitry]

I just weened a few kits off my doe sol i was thinking since she has no other does that they could nurse from mine?

 

[ladysown]

You can always try but be prepared for your doe to say "nope, not mine, not doing it, die!" But the doe might surprise you. Rabbits are as individual as people.

 

[golden rabbitry]

I was thinking a force feed, you know laying her on her back ect...

 

[ladysown]

good luck with that. Two person job with second person with VERY quick reflexes.

 

[akane]

I was thinking a force feed, you know laying her on her back ect...

I'll just quote myself there... :

If you can get them to eat a few meals off the doe it would be better than only formula but the doe may not be interested in a new nest of kits. Trying to force a doe to feed kits sometimes doesn't work and can even lead to injured kits if they struggle. I had one get it's throat slit by a doe who kicked out when I was trying to get her to feed a litter indoors.

 

[Preitler]

Well, anyway, for questions about handfeeding read the stickys on feeding here:
kindling-and-care-of-does-and-kits-f47.html

Feeding them with a doe, I would put them on a towel on my lap, kits between the legs, doe on top. I lost one kit to hind claws once, but normally I can keep a rabbit under control on my lap by covering her head with one hand. Never tried to flip them for nursing, I guess I would need more hands than I have.

 

[Homer]

Hand feed this; http://rabbittalk.com/updated-hand-feeding-formula-t27372.html , works very well.

 

[swaggymama]

The first 2 days with mine was tough...her milk hadn't really come in yet...they were clearly getting something but not much...

I had an old jacket...i held the front paws and head away with one arm, and had the other jacket arm wrapped over her hind legs with my own leg over them and literally took one kit at a time and put them on her helly, holding them in place... Took forever...but i had many to do.

Today she finally fed them on her own.

 

[golden rabbitry]

well i haven't gotten any news from her, but if things went bad i would get an email from her so i hope for the best!