Lost a litter

[Mannbuns]

I've read about losing a whole litter, but when it happens to you the first time it feels devastating! I don't know what happened. This mama has had two successful kindlings and been great. I went out for evening feeding and saw she had pulled hair so I thought she would throw her kits tonight. But when. I looked closer, I saw a little pink thing. So I checked and there were 5 dead kits and a head. Ugh. I don't know if they were all stillborn? It wasn't cold enough today for that to have been the problem. She apparently ate part of one so I don't know if there had been more. Her last litter was 10. I know this happens. But we've had so much trouble getting our rabbits to procreate in the first place that this just plain sucks.

 

[Mannbuns]

Also, we have a first time mom due any day. If she has a big litter, would it be worth trying to move some of the babies to the mom who's babies died? Or assume that she doesn't have milk for them?

 

[ladysown]

Sometimes that works just fine as long as mom hasn't given up on her nest. you may need to hold her in for the first time. But maintain that nest!!!!

 

[Buknee]

Be careful about fostering. Some does are excellent, but even they will kill a kit that they detect is not theirs. I just had this happen with my best foster mama.

 

[Mannbuns]

I checked my logs last night and realized that the babies were early. So that may be why they died. We're keeping the box in for now just in case there was a double pregnancy. I would be surprised since we didn't put her back in with the buck at a later date once there was successful breeding, but you never know.

 

[RabbitDad]

That's incredibly sad news.
I'm inclined to trust the mother's judgment. There may have been something terribly wrong.