Pregnant Doe Having Trouble

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RabbitsOfTheCreek

RabbitsOfTheCreek

Netherland Dwarf Breeder & Well-known Member
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My doe Cinder has been having contractions for at least 24 hours now and no babies but she's pull out fur and there's a little bit of stuff on the bottom of her cage. Her belly is still big and she sounds very upset. I can't do anything for the next 8 hours because im about to go to school but my dad will be home all day. (I'm going to ask him to keep an eye on her)
I'm really afraid that something wrong is happening or going to happen. I'm about to make a YouTube about this too since I can't insert a video here
 

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Take what I say with a grain of salt. I've not had this situation in the past. Hopefully, someone else can give you more knowledgeable input.

My suggestion is that when my does make that noise, they are saying, "please let me alone." Maybe cover the cage and give her more privacy? I have had does take their sweet time, especially if I am constantly checking up on them. By the end of the day, they'll have kindled. Please update us after school if she has or not. If she were screaming, that would be a different story. Those sounds in your video are not alarming to me.

She's a Netherland Dwarf, right? Was the buck significantly larger than her? Her kits may be a litter bigger than normal, so she may be hesitant to push.

I've not had to assist a doe with birth before, but I have helped birthing cats when her kittens were turned the wrong way. I'm not sure how difficult it will be considering her size, but could you gently put a gloved finger inside to feel the kits? Perhaps the first one is twisted around and blocking the rest from being birthed (if this is the case and the sac has burst, expect stillborns). You would need to carefully turn the kit so the head is facing the exit. I'd attempt that as a last resort.
 
The buck was probably a little bit smaller than her

She's had about 3-5 litters before this one
 
Hmm. My gut is saying to give her more time.

I'm not sure how common it is for a kit to be facing the wrong way/stuck, but I'd assume it's pretty rare. Apparently, a stuck kit is much more common in Netherland Dwarf rabbits. Please try to check if any are the wrong way or stuck in her.

I'm sorry this is happening! I'm looking forward to hearing others' thoughts.

(Edited to remove incorrect info.)
 
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Here is a good post on stuck kits in Netherland Dwarf rabbits.

"How to deal with a stuck kit​

When raising Netherland Dwarf's, you will encounter the issue of a stuck kit.
One way to avoid it, is to make sure you never breed a doe who is pinched.
With that being said, sometimes it just happens. Most of the time it will be with first time moms. But not always, sometimes that kit is just too big, and your seasoned does will have issues. Be vigilante around all due dates, check doe often, the earlier you can help the better the results."

https://bffgemsrabbitry.weebly.com/stuck-kits.html
 
Oof, so a stuck kit is very common with Netherlands due to their petite size. Unfortunate that OP is at school. You should remove any kits as quickly as possible for higher survival rates.

From the above linked site:
The last kind of stuck kit is the worst kind.

You see mom pushing and nothing is presenting! There is not much, you can do for her. You can attempt to see if you can help by pushing the baby inside. I have never been able to help this type of stuck kit. You have two choices - take her to the vet for a c- section or have her put down.
Click to expand...

This sounds like what you are experiencing. Maybe try a bit of pushing the baby more inwards so she will contract and begin to push it out again. If that doesn't work, see if you can feel inside like I mentioned previously.

The babies start to deteriorate as soon as one gets stuck. If you do not get them out, please do not let the doe suffer, with rotting babies inside her. She will become very ill and die a very painful death. Be humane and euthanize her.
Click to expand...

I didn't note this earlier, so it's important to reiterate it from the link. If you know there are kits inside and they are clearly stuck, both the mother and all still living unborn kits will die.
 
Is she eating and drinking? Will she eat hay? You can offer her some alfalfa hay for calcium. Hay has often been the only thing my does want to eat during labor. With how long she has been having contractions, the kits will most likely be born dead.


This is what my situation was a couple months ago, but it was with a first time Rex doe. Your breed affects what you may need to do for her.

https://rabbittalk.com/threads/retained-kit.34555/post-336562
 
Mariah's Meadows said:
Oof, so a stuck kit is very common with Netherlands due to their petite size. Unfortunate that OP is at school. You should remove any kits as quickly as possible for higher survival rates.

From the above linked site:


This sounds like what you are experiencing. Maybe try a bit of pushing the baby more inwards so she will contract and begin to push it out again. If that doesn't work, see if you can feel inside like I mentioned previously.



I didn't note this earlier, so it's important to reiterate it from the link. If you know there are kits inside and they are clearly stuck, both the mother and all still living unborn kits will die.
Click to expand...

So, my Rex doe had 6 dead kits over 5 days of intermittent labor- I kept thinking she was done but she would have another overnight. She just had a successful litter last Saturday. It does sound like Netherland Dwarf's have some bigger risks and issues with this, though. I wish there was more info specifically about this breed, as I have no experience with them...

Mine also was able to deliver two during the first several hours of labor. The later ones were the ones that were stuck. @RabbitsOfTheCreek 's ND doe has not produced anything in over 24 hours. That is a notable difference, too.
 
RabbitsOfTheCreek said:
What's strange also is that she doesn't try to have it in her nest box
Click to expand...

Most likely because it is taking her so long. My doe tried and tried to have them in the nest box at first (and did have two in there), but the rest she was just focused on trying to get out. She wanted to move around and have space. She seemed to have had to pull them out as well, because all but the first two were torn and partial bodies. It is definitely a sad situation to have with rabbits!
 
Oh, good!!!! Does she seem to be finished now? If she is still having contractions she may have another kit, but it is more likely to be the placenta she will need to expel.
 
RabbitsOfTheCreek said:
I wrote what happened in the pinned comment but she had a really big kit
Click to expand...

Ah, okay. YouTube Shorts doesn't automatically show me comments so I totally missed it lol.

So if you saw my last video from this morning you would know that Cinder was having trouble giving birth. I came home a few minutes ago and my dad told me that she had a really big baby. She is doing fine now but is probably really tired (the baby was still born and there are no others)
Click to expand...

Great news that she finally popped out a kit! Here's hoping there are no more in her. Or if so, here's hoping she'll be able to birth the rest with no issues. I'm sorry you lost the kit(s), but very happy you didn't lose the doe!
 

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