Its been a bad week

[ladycrotalus]

First i lost my first rabbit ever, Odin, my dutch buck. Ive had him for about 8 yrs.
Now tonight when i went to check on my rabbits like i do every night, i find my holland doe dead. She has been fine this morning and last night. What really suck is that she has 4- soon to be 5 week olds. Should i bring them inside or keep them in the bunny shed? Should i give them some KMR? They are eating 18% protein pellets and hay.

 

[ottersatin]

Hello Ladycrotalus,
I am sorry to hear of the loss of your first rabbit
but eight years is a good life.
Do not give those kits KMR.
They are fine on their own, many breeders
will wean kits at four weeks if the Dam passes away.
They will be fine, I would give them Pelleted rabbit feed, grass-hay and water.
You could give them [in a separate bowl] some Rolled Oats.
Dennis, C.V.R.
Oats are a fine first feed for wean-lings.

 

[ladycrotalus]

Thanks. About 6 yrs ago i had a dwarf mom with 4 kits hang her self. I found her like that when i got done work and did my nightly check on the rabbits. Those babies were 4 weeks old and i was told to offer them kmr. I remember them drinking it out of a dish and i only offered it for a couple of weeks. They also got pellets, hay, and water too. They did well. I just thought i would ask because at the moment i don't have any kmr and i don't get paid until tomorrow.

 

[Brody]

I'm sorry for your losses too but the kits should be ok without mom now - it's not ideal and you are right to think about how to keep them the most protected ... how is your set up? you may want togive them a bo or something to pile in for warmth if they don't already have one

KMR is not needed but they do need fresh clean water - and lots of it

good luck - keep us posted

 

[MaggieJ]

What a rotten week for you!

The kits should be just fine. Grass hay and kitchen oatmeal are good to give them in addition to their pellets. A crock of fresh water, since they will no longer be getting liquid from milk. A cardboard box closed up with a couple of kit-sized doorways will give them shelter and endless amusement as they pop in and out of the doors and remodel it with their teeth.

 

[Anntann]

Oh goodness I"m so sorry. What a lousy week.

I'm not an expert like the others, but I've watched my 4-5 week olds quite closely, and while they still suckle from time to time, they're fully able to survive on pellets and water. There seems to be a HUGE increase in water and pellet consumption at around 4 weeks in the pens/cages with litters, (new zealands, americans, angoras..all the same) so it must be about then that they REALLY change over and Mom is just sort of "extra". I've got a litter of NewZeland x American that are 3.5 weeks old now, and I had to put in a 2nd water crock yesterday. The kits drain the one that was in there within a few hours...where as before, I could fill it for the doe and still have some the next morning.

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

It is a critical change-over time though. While the kits are eating on their own, their ph levels in the gut are changing drastically to handle the new food and they do need to do it gradually as possible, much like we do when we need to change pellets for the adults. So I would still watch them very closely for any troubles.Some probiotics once or twice a week may help a little.