I'm scared my n/d doe is going to die! Need advice!

[Punzie]

Help, please, help!
I don't know where to post this on this forum! So, if it's in the wrong place, I'm sorry!
I need to know if I should expect my furbaby's life to end.
Is there anything I can do?!

Here's the situation
I'm the owner of a netherland dwarf doe. Someone gave her to me. She's not as tiny as the netherland dwarfs you see at shows (the ones I saw at my state fair last year were really tiny for being a few years old), she's kind of medium-ish for a netherland dwarf (if there is such a size for one). I'm also the owner of a young buck bunny. They have separate cages and are kept in separate parts of the house. I give them separate free roam times and make sure to shut the bedroom door of the other bunny during one's free roam time. My doe is a couple of years old but the buck is still under a year. I was PROUD of how well I was managing them until I can afford to go have them both fixed this summer but something happened out of my control. I'm still a new bunny owner but I know that netherland dwarfs can't be bred after they are a certain amount of months old and they can have birth complications if not with another netherland dwarf. I don't want baby bunnies. I just wanted my two pet bunnies. We have cats, a dog and these two. I wouldn't want anymore pets anytime soon right now and more bunnies definitely isn't the next pet I'd want if I wanted another pet. I wasn't home and my cousin stopped by unannounced with her two kids.. I come in to find both of my bunnies loose in the living-room. Now I know for a fact my buck is humpy because he tries to go at it with a toy stuffed animal... I am worried to death right now and stressing myself sick that they probably mated and the thought that my doe is most likely going to die if she did get pregnant! Or if she doesn't then she will bleed to death?! My cousin wasn't watching her kids (she can't ever be bothered to; it's a long time argument in this family) and when I ask the kids if they saw anything happen between them all they say is "I don't know." ... is this the end for my girl?! Is it just a sick waiting game until she dies? I can't lose her, she's important to me!

I need advice! I don't know if they did mate but I can't not be upset because what if they did?! This is heart breaking because I feel like I should already plan a spot in the yard in bury her.

 

[Prisma]

First take a deep breath. I'm not sure where your information came from, but breeding after x months or breeding different breeds together causing guaranteed death is wrong. Have you written down the date yet? If not, do so. Count out 28 (or some do 31) to know when to expect babies. Use the search feature to read through some of the older first time breeding articles, there's many. Give her a nesting box (can be made or purchased) and some nesting material (can be hay). Watch her and feed as normal, some does can get kind of cranky as they go along but not always. Try not to add new stresses to her care. She could do fine, she could have babies, she could raise them fine or she could not, she could have a false pregnancy, she could have nothing happen at all. With good care, which it seems you do any ways, she should be just fine.

Every time a rabbit is bred it is a gamble in a way, with care and thought (or even when there's not) usually the risk is no more than any thing else in my opinion and experience and goes OK/well. Most don't realize that giving new foods could be more or just as hazardous as breeding.

 

[squidpop]

:goodpost: :yeahthat:
Its already happened so try to turn the accident into something positive and look on the bright side. Since she is bigger than the male, and not a tiny rabbit there is way less of a risk, and you will get to watch her build a nest and have babies and they will be so cute!. :anti-sad:

 

[Punzie]

Thank you so, so, so much! I feel a little better right now. I actually read that information sometime after I got her. I don't remember where but it was from a couple of different websites and some comments. I guess, I was just on the wrong websites. She's important to me because someone important to me got her for me. I make sure to feed them the right foods and I trim her nails when needed. I'm not too bunny smart but I know the need to know basics for bunny care. I do plan on buying a couple of luggage locks for the cage doors anytime I leave the house from now on though. :angry: I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that they didn't mate. I know I'll still probably worry. I'll go mark the calendar right after this post.

squidpop, the buck is going to be bigger than her, though. He's a holland lop. He is just still young. Since he's bigger I am worried the babies would be too big for her to have and complicate things. Is this wrong as well?

__________ Fri Jan 10, 2014 6:40 pm __________

I hit enter too soon while typing. One moment to edit it and finish it

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

I agree with the others.. she is bigger and you should have no problem.. And it dosnt mean they did mate... the buck will always want to ... but the female has to lift for it to work.. Once it comes closer to the time frame.. Just make sure she has a box and she will start to show nesting behaviors.. or might not.. She will not have a big litter and you can sell them later or give away..Really no big deal.. and make sure the locks are put on so this dosnt happen again.

 

[HoppinHalfPints]

the buck is going to be bigger than her, though. He's a holland lop. He is just still young. Since he's bigger I am worried the babies would be too big for her to have and complicate things. Is this wrong as well?

A holland lop only matures to what...3- 3 1/2 pounds? Since she is a bigger doe, she should be fine. I would be worried if she was bred to a New Zealand, but the fact they are pretty close in size is good.

 

[Schipperkesue]

Punzie, I only wish all rabbit owners were as responsible as you are. I have nothing to add to your breeding concerns. You have nothing to be ashamed of, of your rabbit husbandry. I applaud your plans to spay and neuter. I am almost brought to tears by your concern for your pets. Bravo to you and keep up the good work!

 

[squidpop]

Punzie, I also applaud your being a really responsible animal owner. I agree with Hoppinhalfpints a Holland isn't going to be that much bigger than a not so tiny Nethie- also- I saw an ad here in NZ by someone who bred their female Jersey Wooly to Flemish giant (sad I know), the ad had photos of the parents and the Jersey Wooly had to have been 4 lbs or smaller and he Flemish looked like he was at least 10 lbs or larger and all the babies lived. Then the same person bred them again and had a new ad advertising babies 4 months later and they all lived too - so I don't think the size difference with yours is that concerning. What you read online about not breeding does over 1 year for the first time is right because it could increase odds of stuck kits but I don't think with a larger ND thats around 2 years it increases the odds that much. Somewhere on this forum there is a thread where people discussed how old is too old for first litter and a few breeders chimed in and said they had bred does more than 2 years old for the first time and didn't have problems. But you can't really know for sure whats going to happen- you just have to wait and see.

 

[Punzie]

Some bad news and good news. She did end up pregnant BUT she is perfectly fine and I'm so happy about nothing bad having happened to her!

2/10-morning; I noticed her pulling her furr out and putting it into the nest box. About an hour later I noticed two babies in there with her. I didn't touch them. She came out of it when I went to the cage (like she always does when I talk to her). She acted normal and let me pet her. I went to the store for about an hour and a half. After I returned home, I brought her some food, then noticed one of the babies wasn't anywhere in the cage but there was a big spot of bloody bedding where it once was. I'm assuming she ate it. Still she didn't act out of the ordinary. The other baby was still wiggling around. I put a large sheet over her cage as some additional privacy for if she comes out of the next box she still has no worries.

2/11-veryyy early morning/late night; I just decided to check on them again in hopes that she didn't eat the other baby but if she did I accept that, that's just how it has to be. The first thing I notice is a baby discarded from the nest box. The baby bunny hasn't been injured by her so I'm guessing it must have died on it's own. I assumed that's bunny number two and go to pet momma. When she comes out of her nest box I see that she's packed even more furr into it then see two more babies wiggling around. I'm wondering if these two will die as well whether it's on their own or she isn't really taking care of them and they're freezing to death (the heat is on in our house and I also use an electric heater (because I'm anemic so I get cold easily) but if she's not keeping them warm herself maybe they are freezing to death?

I don't really have high hopes that these two babies will survive since the other two met sad fates but if they do survive then we might be able to keep one of them, depending on if we can afford another rabbit mouth to feed and another cage. They look just like momma and daddy. White with black splotches and speckles. They are pretty cute and it's sweet that my girl had babies but still I would have preferred she never have gotten pregnant.

I really do try to take good care of my pets. Thank you for the kind comments about how I care for them. I appreciate it!

 

[Silver Willow]

Hi Punzie!

One thing that I know some breeders do is take the nest box out of the does cage if there are problems, and just put it back in at feeding time- maybe once or twice a day? It sounds like you are doing a excellent job though keep it up!

 

[Prisma]

Mommas only feed once, MAYBE twice a day. Some times, they just don't make it no matter what you do. Just keep checking in on them and make sure they are staying warm and fed. Their bellies should be rounded, usually they do morning feedings. There is a thread on here (use search) to show a fed vs not fed kit. If any get out, either by being accidentally pulled out or popping over the top of the next box, you will have to put back in nest. Rabbits will not carry or "care" for their young like a cat or dog does. Usually you'll find a spot or two of blood, some times less some times more, just depends on individual doe, just because of the birthing process. As long as she's acting normal, sounds good

 

[ladysown]

momma rabbits don't sit with their babies like cats do. They plunk them down in a nest with lots of fur. The fur keeps them warm.

As long as she feeds them, they will be fine. She may not have eaten the one kit, it may have just been "elsewhere".. it happens.
Sounds like she had a nice litter size... 3 or 4 kits total...that's good for an ND.

Have fun raising up those two kits with her.

 

[akane]

You frequently lose part of a dwarf does first litter. They don't develop right, get stuck coming out and suffocate before the doe manages to pull them out, or get injured during the birth. Does will sometimes eat dead kits to keep the nest cleaner. A decomposing body would kill all the other kits.

As was said mother rabbits do not keep their babies warm. They actually stay away from them as much as possible so that predators do not find the nest. The fur and the number of babies work to keep them warm. Any normal house temp should be warm enough for a small litter in a proper nest to survive. Just check them each day to see if they are getting fed. Sometimes you will end up checking them right before the next feeding and they look kind of skinny instead of the round well fed bellies but if they truly aren't getting fed they will lack shine to the coat and all the bones will be visible.

 

[Punzie]

Well she appears to be taking care of these two. She has been spending a lot of time out of the nest box but she has packed more stuff into it every time I check so I know she is visiting it and the babies are warm and very wiggly. I couldn't resist touching them at least once so I snapped a couple of pictures of them then put them back. She didn't seem to mind at all that I did that.

Is there a way for me to close this thread or change the name of it now? I will be moving on to reading around on here when I m able to and maybe make a new thread about the babies growth.

 

[DogCatMom]

They're very cute!

Yes, you can edit (maybe update?) the title of the thread, since you're the OP (original poster) on it. Go back to the first post you made and click on the Edit button.

 

[arachyd]

They're lovely.

 

[Miss M]

She's taking good care of those babies! They're nice and fat!

And adorable!

You could change the name of your thread, but it isn't necessary. The thread will still be here for others to read, and the title describes your post well.

I'd just put one last post in here, saying you've started a thread about the babies, and put a link to that thread in your post. That should effectively close the thread. We try not to lock threads.