Mastitis?!

[Bad Habit]

Ugh. I'm about ready to give up on Hannah, everything seems to be going wrong with her, when I've never had a problem with Lily before...

So Hannah's babies tried to nurse from her today, and she grunted and nipped at them... not the normal nips that I've seen Lily give, but a sharp, angry nip. I took her out and flipped her, thinking she might have something wrong, but I couldn't see any. There's no discharge or redness, no heat, however there is swelling around the nipples. I gently squeezed the largest ones, and what I think was milk came out - it had no smell, was white, wasn't tacky or anything, and was very similar to cow's milk. I expressed a great deal of liquid from both, and that seemed to take the swellings down. She has three babies, and was feeding them a great deal(they're the biggest babies I've ever seen!).

I don't know if the nipping was related to weaning, or if she's in pain, or if she's "done" with this litter because I bred her yesterday. As long as the kits don't try to nurse, she's completely fine with them. and I've seen her let them nurse at other points with no issue.

I intend to keep an eye on her, and express more milk if need be. Is this something I should be worried about? From all the reading I did, it seems I shouldn't give her anything to dry her up, since I hope she's pregnant.

There was no major swelling when I bred her/checked her yesterday.

 

[ZRabbits]

Fingers crossed that Hannah is OK. Maybe it is because of the breeding? Luna never nipped, but she did a lot of thumping with her litter when they got out of line.

Glad to hear no major swelling. I think you are being very diligent with her by what you are doing.

Karen

 

[Bad Habit]

Well now I'm not entirely sure what the heck is going on. I bred Maxime to Dobby, since they're just about at the end of the quarantine period, and Maxime will be going to her new home on Sunday.

Pretty much as soon as Hannah got a whiff of Maxime, she started going after her kits. No screaming on the kits' part. I'm wondering if I am carrying smell that makes Hannah nervous, and she is trying to round up her babies. No one's been wounded, no cuts or bleeding. Only one baby's lost a tuft of fur.

I'm still going to keep an eye on things, make sure no heat develops and the swelling doesn't get too bad. Hopefully it's just milk, and she's sollen because she's started forcing the babies to wean.

As I type this, 10 minutes after she seemingly beat the snot out of her kids, Hannah has all of them flipped underneath her nursing, calmly taking kicks to the face and being scratched by the babies.

Rabbits... I'll never understand 'em!

 

[ZRabbits]

I'm with you on not know about rabbits an understanding how they tick. I'm so glad that you keep posting what is going on in your rabbitry. I only have one breeding doe right now, so reading what you are going through with more than one doe, is really interesting. It will be interesting what will happen with Luna once Molly becomes mature, even if no breeding is happening here.

Hoping all goes well with the babies. All I would be worried about is that the babies get to weight to be able to wean.

Karen

 

[AnnClaire]

It might be the smell of the other doe, the buck, or the breeding hormones ... if she is still willingly nursing the kits, I wouldn't worry, just try to keep the hormonal smells on you down to a minimum if you are doing any more breedings

As for nipping the kits, she simply may be ready for some alone time ... try housing the kits in their own cage and only returning them for meal times. She may be ready to start weaning them.

 

[Bad Habit]

I have been taking her out during the day and returning her at night, since she was having issues and was being a greedy guts and leaving cecals all over the place. I guess that might be why her nipples were all swollen when I was returning her to her cage, huh... Sometimes I'm dumb, that's probably what it is. I always jump to the worst conclusions, lol.

The Maxime x Dobby breeding was the only one I had planned, as the girl taking Maxime wanted some outside babies so she could raise up an unrelated doe. Lily is leaving at the end of the month, and is open at the new owner's request. The new doe is coming already bred(hopefully), and will be quarantined for 30 days anyway.

So chances are, then, that Hannah's abusive mothering is not related to them nursing causing her pain, but the smell of breeding hormones or the smell of the other doe? Dobby has been in the room the entire time, and this is just new behaviour.

Oh well, she could get away with anything short of murder at this point, and I'll put up with it for the hopes of the adorable adorable spotty babies she's hopefully brewing up for me!

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I have been taking her out during the day and returning her at night, since she was having issues and was being a greedy guts and leaving cecals all over the place. I guess that might be why her nipples were all swollen when I was returning her to her cage, huh... Sometimes I'm dumb, that's probably what it is. I always jump to the worst conclusions, lol.

The Maxime x Dobby breeding was the only one I had planned, as the girl taking Maxime wanted some outside babies so she could raise up an unrelated doe. Lily is leaving at the end of the month, and is open at the new owner's request. The new doe is coming already bred(hopefully), and will be quarantined for 30 days anyway.

So chances are, then, that Hannah's abusive mothering is not related to them nursing causing her pain, but the smell of breeding hormones or the smell of the other doe? Dobby has been in the room the entire time, and this is just new behaviour.

Oh well, she could get away with anything short of murder at this point, and I'll put up with it for the hopes of the adorable adorable spotty babies she's hopefully brewing up for me!

I think she is just ready to be done with nursing...since she is getting alone time during the day, it is likely a shock for her to be put back in a cage with a bunch of hungry kits. As long as her teats are not hard, red or hot to the touch, it is likely just that they are full of milk and she needs to nurse.

 

[Secuono]

"however there is swelling around the nipples. I gently squeezed the largest ones, and what I think was milk came out - it had no smell, was white, wasn't tacky or anything, and was very similar to cow's milk. I expressed a great deal of liquid from both, and that seemed to take the swellings down. "

That sounds 100% normal, where else would the milk be created? It's just like with other nursing animals.

I'm confused as to what is going on. Do both does have litters and live together? Is she being aggressive to the other doe's kits? Is she at least nursing her own? Are the kits over 4-5wks and she's just annoyed with them already?

 

[Bad Habit]

Babies are 3 weeks. She and her babies have their own cage, however I remove her in the morning and put her back for the night. She is very stressed when removed, and thumps and gets upset. I've been removing her for about the past 4 or 5 nights, as she has been gobbling all the food provided, to the point of giving herself close to diarreah poops - very soft squishy cecals all over the place. Was worried she'd get fat, and getting sick of cleaning up those smelly smooshy poops(those poops stopped once I started limiting her feed). So, to give the babies all the feed they needed, I remove her during the day, and free feed them for about 12 - 16hrs a day.

I was concerned about mastitis because her nipples are HUGE. Like, close to shooter marble sized. I thought she was possibly in the beginning stages of mastitis, because the only times I've seen her go after her babies was when they were trying to get under her to nurse, thus me drawing the conclusion that nursing is hurting her. And it's not directly after I've put her back in with the babies either, it's usually 2 or 3 hours after that. It's grunting, nipping, and striking at the babies, though they've never bled or screamed. The worst was last night when I brought Maxime in to breed, she went NUTS and freaked out on the poor babies, however no further issues after Maxime was taken from the room.

I didn't, as far as nipple size goes, think of the fact that she's gone from feeding the babies 6+ times a day(when they were in the nest box) down to one or two times a night. For some reason, that simply did not occur to me. My brain went "aggressive doe when babies try to nurse + swollen nipples = pain = potential mastitis." I was also unsure of the colour/consistancy of rabbit milk, as I've never milked a rabbit, and neither have I seen rabbit pus.

I'm going to continue to watch her nipples, just to make myself feel better, and express milk if they get too large.

Does anyone know what I can feed to dry up milk for a doe that was bred 2 days ago and I hope to get kits from on Dec 15th?

 

[OneAcreFarm]

If you bred her, she will dry up on her own in a week or so. I would leave her in with the kits for a couple days and put an extra bowl or feeder in for the kits to use.

 

[Bad Habit]

I don't have anything that would work for a creep feeder, though. And Hannah will literally sit at the feeder methodically eating pellets until they are all gone... Then, a few hours later, she drops smooshy, stinky cecals all over and lays in them. If I take Hannah out, the babies get a chance at the pellets/grains. If I don't, then they are stuck eating hay and greens only.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I don't have anything that would work for a creep feeder, though. And Hannah will literally sit at the feeder methodically eating pellets until they are all gone... Then, a few hours later, she drops smooshy, stinky cecals all over and lays in them. If I take Hannah out, the babies get a chance at the pellets/grains. If I don't, then they are stuck eating hay and greens only.

Maybe only take her out for an hour or two so the kits can eat?

 

[Bad Habit]

Maybe I'll start putting the babies in a separate pen at play time, and hopefully they get some. It's only another week until they can be weaned, so I'll just have to figure something out that keeps Hannah from eating herself to death, but prevents the babies from getting horrible weaning enteritis.

 

[dragonladyleanne]

Rabbit pus is very thick, thicker than toothpaste even. So you got milk out of Hannah, there's no confusing the 2.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Why don't you put the feed in a large container with an opening big enough for the kits to enter but not her? That's what I did (using cat litter jugs) before I had creep feeders.

 

[ZRabbits]

How's Hannah doing?

Karen

 

[Bad Habit]

Why don't you put the feed in a large container with an opening big enough for the kits to enter but not her? That's what I did (using cat litter jugs) before I had creep feeders.

I don't know that I have anything the right size... But I was thinking a shoebox, with jute string to tie the lid on. That's something I know I have on hand, I don't think she could flip it around, and it might at least slow her down a little, lol!

Everyone's gotten hay only today, because I overdid the flax seed a little . Letting tummies rest a little, I'll probably give everyone a half serving of pellets tonight.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

Everyone's gotten hay only today, because I overdid the flax seed a little

WHEN THAT happens... give some oatmeal with there hay. It helps with there poop and tummies.
How much were you giving them

 

[Bad Habit]

I gave them each about a quarter teaspoon. Everyone is fine now, just the hay seemed to clear it up.