perplexed and very worried

[SterlingSatin]

i have a lactating doe with a litter of four that haven't been eating well for the past 2-3 days. i give my litters as much as they can eat until weaning time. we are at about 6 weeks right now, i wean at 8. it would be optimistic to say they have been eating a cup a day. normally this doe and her litter would eat more like two cups. today i took the doe out to check for problems, because i'm always very worried when a doe goes off her feed. she was healthy as far as i could tell. not lethargic, no signs of mastitis, teeth are ok. no abscesses, snuffles, vent disease, etc. all the rabbits seem healthy, not lethargic, or sickly. the kits may be a bit undersized, they are satins and only about 2 lbs right now. i don't have a ton of experience so if this is way undersized for their age let me know. i think it might be. i have no idea what is causing this especially since niether the doe or her kits act sick. they are active and completely healthy.

 

[ladysown]

the doe hasn't been eating well? or just the kits?

has it been hot out?

 

[MaggieJ]

Excessive heat was my first thought too. I've heard people say that litters growing in the heat of summer tend to eat less and grow more slowly.

 

[SterlingSatin]

well,i can't tell exactly who's eating what, the doe will eat some, so will the kits, they just won't eat the normal amounts. we just had a exponential rise in temperature yesterday, ridiculously hot for this time of year, but that only started yesterday and they weren't eating well before that. i'm thinking it could be summer and heat though.

 

[SatinsRule]

I'd scale back greatly on what you're feeding, letting them finish the last of the food. The next feeding after it's emptied, you should get your answer of which ones are eating and which ones aren't.

I'm not necessarily a big fan of free-feeding. I give a measured amount based upon the mom and how many kits are in the pen. I'm one of those people who like a hungry rabbit when I come out to feed in the evening. I'm not advocating starving them, just giving them what they'd normally eat, and it's worked well for me.

Here's an idea, though Sterling. Get some Calf Manna and put a couple of teaspoons of it in the feeder on top of their regular feed every day at feeding time. Maryse's litter got it everyday from the day they came out of the box, and every rabbit in the litter has maintained very good eating habits to this day, even though it's been quite some time since now the last time they received calf manna.

 

[SterlingSatin]

ok, good to know. i've always heard unlimited food while nursing but i can scale back. i would try the calf manna, although my doe is SO picky about her food. she won't even touch anything except heinhold. and if i try mixing feed or putting some of one feed on top of her heinhold she wont' touch it. the only thing i can get her to eat besides heinhold is a mixture of barley and oats, and sometimes black oil sunflower seeds depending on the season. right now she is just getting barley and oats on top of her feed and she is eating that. so are the kits.

 

[MaggieJ]

You have a picky eater who is not eating enough to suit you as it is... Under those circumstances, I would not put anything new on top of the regular feed. Most rabbits think calf manna is candy but why take chances? I'd put it in a separate dish if you decide to try it, at least until you know she will accept it.

 

[SatinsRule]

Yeah, I agree with Maggie, if she won't touch anything but the feed you're giving her, stick with that.

I would start to ration the feed back to what she and the litter will eat in a day, though. What I've found is that when I began feeding oats on top of the pelleted feed I give them, the amount of pellets they will consume dropped off a bit.

 

[arachyd]

It is odd she isn't losing condition but not eating her usual amount. If the heat had been ongoing I'd say it was the heat. Is there a chance someone else may be sneaking over and giving her treats when you're not around? Lots of kids have a hard time resisting a young litter of bunnies.

 

[SterlingSatin]

um, yeah, there is arachyd *guilty laugh* i have a 7 year old girl nextdoor who comes over to help feed everynight. i would not be surprised if she has been coming over every so often and giving extra oats... i'll have to look into that...<br /><br />__________ Fri Aug 26, 2011 3:22 pm __________<br /><br />i tried staggering feeding today, 1 cup last night, another cup this morning, yet another cup this afternoon, and they've finished it all. maybe this is the way to go...