I had a doe with 9 babies. When the babies were 2 days old I caught the doe and put drops in her ears for ear mites. I went back out the next morning and had no babies. Do you think getting the doe excited from handling her putting in the ear medicine would have caused her to eat her babies? Or do you think she would have ate them anyway and it had nothing to do with handling her...TIA, Bob
Momma ate babies; Why?
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ottersatin
Well-known member
Hello Bob,
was this the Does first liter?
Sometimes a Doe with her first litter is not yet
comfortable with that fact and little things could
throw them for a loop ,but in most cases a Doe familiar
with you, [their owner/provider] will allow you
do do most anything without becoming unglued.
When a Dam eats their offspring there is usually
some unnoticed logical reason.
Possibly a predator or unfamiliar smell or sound
could set them off. I would re-breed the Doe NOW!
Kindling is not what takes a toll on the Doe,
it is raising the kits to weaning that Does.
If the Doe is in good health and condition.
I would go ahead and re-breed.
As always, JMPO.
Ottersatin.
ldtimer:
was this the Does first liter?
Sometimes a Doe with her first litter is not yet
comfortable with that fact and little things could
throw them for a loop ,but in most cases a Doe familiar
with you, [their owner/provider] will allow you
do do most anything without becoming unglued.
When a Dam eats their offspring there is usually
some unnoticed logical reason.
Possibly a predator or unfamiliar smell or sound
could set them off. I would re-breed the Doe NOW!
Kindling is not what takes a toll on the Doe,
it is raising the kits to weaning that Does.
If the Doe is in good health and condition.
I would go ahead and re-breed.
As always, JMPO.
Ottersatin.
ldtimer:moonkitten
Well-known member
When you went back out was there any sign of the babies or were they completely gone?
It would be VERY unusual for a doe to completely consume NINE 2 day old kits. Fear might make her squish/stomp them, then eat one or two but NINE is an awful lot for one doe to consume overnight.
I would check the cage carefully for holes/spaces where the kits could wriggle out or rats/snakes could get in. What type of nestbox were the kits in?
It would be VERY unusual for a doe to completely consume NINE 2 day old kits. Fear might make her squish/stomp them, then eat one or two but NINE is an awful lot for one doe to consume overnight.
I would check the cage carefully for holes/spaces where the kits could wriggle out or rats/snakes could get in. What type of nestbox were the kits in?
I totally agree with Moonkitten. My feeling is that some predator carried the babies off. Rats are my first guess, but a weasel with a hungry brood to feed would also do this. I once saw a weasel make several trips to a mouse nest, carrying them off one at a time and taking them home to her babies.
What size is your cage wire?
What size is your cage wire?
There's your answer then. I'm glad momma bun was cleared of the charges!
Thanks guys for the help. I had the rabbits inside a what I thought was a preditor proof building for the winter. By preditor proof I mean no coons, cats, or coyote could get in. They were in cages that were not snake or rat proof. At least I have learned from this happening and know now to be more careful. Now, rat poison out and cages more secure. Thanks again...Bob
We had rats get into our shed and eat babies.i blamed it on the moms too.I never saw the rats untill i went out really late one night.rats will eat older babies too.Thats why i was suspicious because the babies were already jumping out of the nestbox.
hoodat
Well-known member
I'm not sure it's possible to completely rat proof a building. Rats are both smart and sneaky. A smart rat can sneak into a building right behind you when you enter it without being seen. Rat proofing the cages themselves is a better bet.
Devon's Mom Lauren
Well-known member
We had a rabbit room built in a large driving shed, it had been a garage/workshop. It was insulated and walled in etc. It had a poured cement floor.... WELL! One morning I open the door to scariest sight !! A huge chunk of cement had been tossed several feet from the floor where it had originally resided and beside it a HUGE pile of dirt and debris!!! Looked like bugs bunny had come for a visit. This was caused by RAT(S) and overnight!! I put a trap beside the hole and caught the biggest rat I have ever seen the next night!I never did catch more and never had 'problems with missing kits etc., so don't know if it was the work of one "rogue" rat or that trapping(killing) the first one in a rat trap scared the rest away. So yes, a building is never rat safe lol!
JT_Hunter
Well-known member
OK, so how do you protect against snakes...rats I can handle...I think
Frosted Rabbits
Well-known member
Snakes-- no openings larger than 1/2x1/2 should keep out any snake large enough to eat a kit A snake can disjoint his whole skull to get through tight openings A 1/2 by 1 opening, like the wire we use for floors, will permit smaller snakes in quite readily- so that is an issue. Snakes don't like cold-- Hanging cages are safer than cages on racks, Dropping boards are great ways for snakes to reach a cage...Snakes want places to hide just like mice and rats do-- so keep clutter out of the rabbit area...
