No milk bands :(

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ipoGSD

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Ebonys babies still have no milk bands. She kindled early afternoon. Should I be worried or wait and see if she feeds them tonight? I know she has been in there but I don't know if she just doesn't have a lot of milk yet or if she was in there and not feeding them? Should I hold mom on her back and give the babies a feeding like that?

Rubys babies have a nice milk band :)
 
I'd give her some more time. A doe's milk doesn't always come in right away. Kits can survive for a day or two, sometimes three, without being fed. I'd wait and check them tomorrow morning. If still no sign of being fed, I'd still wait until the afternoon (24 hours) before considering other options.

Hope to hear a good report in the morning! :clover:
 
Thank you Maggie for the fast reply. I am giving a lot of dandelion in their greens. Also added some dried raspberry leaves. Going to read up on what else will help her milk come in. I felt mom's belly and they don't feel too pronounced, just bumped a little. I haven't felt my other does belly to compare tho.

Hopefully they will be ok. Hoping I'm just a worried first time grambun :)
 
Mama rabbits many times are not lactating when they give birth. It should start tomorrow. If she is not able to nurse by Saturday morning take her to the vet for oxytocin to get her going. Vets close at noon Saturday. If you wait until Monday it's too long.

If your other rabbit is nursing you can put Ebony's kits under her and they most likely will be fed. I have heared of a breeder putting babies from multiple moms in a pile to stay warm and they get nursed by many different females.
 
Upside down is a very unnatural position for rabbits to nurse from. They nurse standing, and can be held over a nest, or kits held below them instead. I prefer to use my lap, with the kits in a space between my legs. It gives me two free hands to hold onto and pet the doe to help her relax, and having her legs on mine insures she cannot step on any of them.
If she doesn't nurse by the end of the second day, I'd probably get worried and try to show her that feeding the babies will provide relief...Assuming she has milk.
 
I have one momma who has had two litters. Both times her kits haven't looked fed until right around 48 hrs after birth. I've started to panic both times only to go out a few hrs later and find them really plump. Her kits also grow really well considering she is under 7lbs.

She is expecting her third litter any time now.
 
I raised rats and mice for years because I had lots of ball pythons. When you can see thru their skin and see milk, it's called a milk band. (Because it's a solid white area in the belly)

I know rabbits aren't rodents but I assumed it was a term that would be the same for baby bunnies.
 
ipoGSD":29t6u464 said:
The lighter ones have dark around their eyes and ears like thumper the dad :) are they considered tris?

They are torts. Someone more experienced with the variety will have to tell you if they are blue torts or black torts (my guess is black, but I really have no idea!), but they are definitely torts, not tris.

Congratulations on the litters! I love little broken kits!
 
They really are super cute! I didn't think i really like the broken colours... but i think they are growing on me. It would be nice to have some colour in the next boxes this spring... but my rabbits are all chin coloured.

Those photos are just making me want to kiss and cuddle all the babies!!
 
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