Lost a Doe - Need Advice Re Keeping Kits Alive

[Bad Habit]

I lost a doe today.

She left behind five 3wk old kits.

They've been out of the nest a few days, have been eating hay and pellets and figuring out the water bottle, but were definitely still nursing.

I have been advised to provide unlimited pellets and hay, a water dish as well as the bottle, and possibly some oats.

I have been advised to keep a close eye on them.

I have been advised not to add a 7wk old kit to the cage to give them a role model, for fear of transmitting disease to the older kit(I don't care about that) and because it would just be competition for food.

Any other advice or tips? I'd really like to keep these kits alive, as I'd like to keep one back to replace the doe.

 

[MaggieJ]

What rotten luck, losing the doe like that.

At three weeks the kits should be able to be weaned. I don't quite agree with the feeding advice you were given. I would not give them unlimited pellets as it could trigger weaning enteritis. I would buy a big bag of kitchen oatmeal (like Quaker Old-Fashioned Large Flake oatmeal, but the brand isn't important) and feed the oatmeal with hay and just a small percentage of pellets at first. Hay and oatmeal are more easily digested than pellets, but they should have some pellets if that is what they are going to be eating later.

You could also give them body-temperature goat's milk, either in a bowl or on the raw oatmeal to make mush. This helps to keep them hydrated until they are drinking water well on their own. I like to add a small pinch of brown sugar to act as an attractant.

I once weaned a 17 day old kit on oatmeal moistened with water and the pinch of brown sugar and all the hay it wanted. Since I was feeding a natural diet I also fed the kit greens, as it would have access to them when it went back into the colony. It did fine and after a couple of days it began to prefer the dry oatmeal to the mush. I offered both at first, but soon discontinued the mush.

 

[Zass]

I think it's fine to provide a well-adjusted older kit. They may even eat some of it's cecotropes to help develop their ability to digest the feed.

I would absolutely offer some oats along with the pellets. Pedialyte or another electrolyte solution might be good to have on hand in case they become dehydrated...

:lol: Maggie j beat me to it.

 

[ladysown]

kits post 14 days old are easily saved if you lose the doe.
No need for milk.

Just do hay, oatmeal and some pellets. You can add probiotics if you have a kit that lags behind, but basically, other than being a bit scrawny they are quite save-able.

 

[Bad Habit]

I was a bit off on my days. I thought they were the Monday bunch but were actually the Friday bunch. They are 25 days old, not 3wks.

They've been eating pellets for about a week and a half now - I start putting some pellets in the nest box when they're around 2wks old, and they definitely nibble on them in there. I have a dish of pellets(they're accustomed to having free access to pellets), and a dish of oats, and a dish of water, as well as the water bottle and a pile of hay.

They seem kind of sad, not very active at all. No one has poopy bums. I think I will get them out a little later and get them moving around a bit, no good for them to sit there and sulk(nor me either!)

 

[ladysown]

its pretty normal for them to sit fairly quite for the first week or two after mom is gone. Not sure why, but it's how they are.

 

[JenerationX]

Sorry about the doe.

 

[katiebear]

its pretty normal for them to sit fairly quite for the first week or two after mom is gone. Not sure why, but it's how they are.

I wonder if it's because being prey animals, they understand that mom was their protector...and with her gone they are waiting for whatever took her... :?:
Poor little ones... ...maybe a friendly bun for company is a good idea..I've read that some even use a very mellow buck...
So sorry for your loss, bad habit.. :encourage:

 

[Bad Habit]

They seem to be doing okay so far. Between the 5 of them have eaten most of the dish of pellets, no sign of poopy bum yet.

Really sucks, there was no real sign she wasn't feeling well. She was my first HL doe, and had just passed her first bday. She was in good enough flesh that I was planning on breeding her back when I weaned her babies.

I'm just focusing on keeping these babies alive and healthy, there was one or two I had my eye on and now definitely want to keep at least one back, preferably one that has her laid back attitude.

 

[Miss M]

I'm so sorry about the doe, BH!

I don't have anything useful to add... just :clover:

 

[WhWRabbitry]

So sorry!! Well, at least they are as old as they are!

Back in December I had 21 day old kits that I had to remove from their Mom (as she fatally wounded the others in the litter). Per advice from kind folks on here I gave them oats, hay, and water. I did give a little goats milk through a medicine syringe also. One of them didn't take the goats milk though and still was fine.

It sounds like yours should do well. Sorry for the loss though!

 

[Bad Habit]

I don't think they have the water bottle figured out, and I am unsure if they are drinking from the water dish, or simply bathing in it. I'm going to stick an older kit in, to kind of help them along and show them the ropes. Also have given them 2 other types of water bottle to think about using. Am on the fence about attempting to syringe feed them water or milk of any sort, but either way it'll have to wait til tomorrow because I couldn't find my syringes today.

One of the babies. I've named him Bad Habit's Chunkface McTortbutt. Mac for short. Most likely keeping this guy, as he's had my attention since about day 2.

Liking this lady as well, but she doesn't seem to be doing as well as some of the others with the loss of Tamara. Hoping she pulls through though.

Also like this girl, because she reminds me very much of Tamara, only in black tort rather than choco tort. She was busy cleaning my thumbnail when I took that pic, only way I could get her to sit still!