Rescued doe having kits and I have no idea! Help!

[Netsirk]

Hi everyone. I rescued a doe three weeks ago and 10 days ago she gave birth to 5 kits. I was told the doe would have only just been 4 months old when I rescued her. She didn't make a nest before the babies were born so I helped her by preparing one once I realised she had given birth. She finalised it and the kits have been going well.
I'm now concerned as 3 kits are 92-100gms and 2 are only 65gms. Is his normal? Should I be supplementing their feeds? Should I just leave them and hope the doe takes care of them all?
They have all started coming out of the nesting box as well. The bigger ones I have seen making their own way out. Is this ok? I've been putting them back each time I see them. Should I keep doing this or just let them go?
Sorry for so many questions. I feel like a first time mum and am a wreck! I'd like to take them to the vets to get them checked but am worried I'd get the same look I got when I took my 1 month old son to the Dr with a cold... lol

Thank you for reading and I hope you can help!

 

[akane]

Smaller breeds are frequently ready to breed at 12weeks and sometimes even are capable at 8weeks. If the kits have shiny coats, do not feel bony (the backbone is especially useful for telling condition) and are actively trying to leave the nest they should be fine. It's possible the buck was a different size from the doe or there are dwarf genes involved making different size kits. You can put a brick or something a little shorter than the box in front of it so they can hop in on their own. If they are indoors you might be able to just remove the box in a few days. I like to wait until 14 days if they will behave. Sometimes they get insistent about leaving, don't understand the brick step, and will then cram themselves around the box trying to find a way back in. They get stuck, lost, and not fed so sometimes it's better to remove it and let them group together so the doe can feed them all or they'll hunt the doe down themselves. This won't work if they are outside though. Too cold in most of the US and the wild temp swings make warmer areas still questionable.

 

[Netsirk]

Thank you for replying. I'm in Australia and temps are 20-30 Celsius (70- 90 Fahrenheit) so they are outside. They have a nesting box and can get out but are still too little to climb back in. I thought of moving their nest to the lower level so they can come and go as they please? The two smaller ones don't seem to show their backbone, but are scrawnier than the big 3. I'll try to put a picture in.

 

[Marinea]

Welcome to RT!

From that picture, I would not be concerned about the kits- they look fine. Some folks turn the nest box on its side when the kits start to explore so they can get back inside. With your temperatures, I think that would be fine.

In the next few days, I would change out all of the hay in the nest box. This is done by a lot of people in an attempt to prevent nest box eye.

Pretty soon, the kits will start nibbling on solid food- greens you give to mama, along with her pellets. I tend to add some rolled oats to the pellets at this point. (You can also use plain kitchen oatmeal, uncooked, and not the instant kind).

Good luck with the kits!

 

[Miss M]

:yeahthat:

They look great! Some will get more milk, some less, but as long as they have tummies that are not sunken in, they are probably getting enough.

Looking at the size and fur of those you have pictured, they look healthy to me.

As suggested before, you can put a brick in front of the nest box to give them a step up if they want to get back in. 10 days is a normal time for them to start leaving the nest in those temperatures. All you can do is give them a way back in. You'll drive yourself nuts trying to keep them in. They should be fine. They'll be chasing their mom around trying to get snacks off of her, and she'll look like a harassed mother.

 

[Netsirk]

Thank you everyone. The little ones have gained 10-15gms in the past day and the bigger ones only a few gms so I guess it will all even out. Miss M, I have been driving myself nuts putting the kits back in the nesting box! So I've decided to stop and just let the mum do her job. They haven't opened their eyes yet but are really active which is hilarious to watch. They keep bumping into each other and sniffing the air. My son is autistic and to see him really connect with these rabbits is wonderful... and so rare!
Thank you again for easing my concerns. What did we do before the internet?!

 

[Dood]

Unlike cats and dogs, rabbits will not carry kits back to the nestbox and the babies can easily get chilled without their siblings body heat and moms fur (their normal body temperature is around 40 Celcius) which is why people put bricks in as a step up to the nest or lay the box on its side.

Small kits are also able to squeeze through larger cage wire

 

[Netsirk]

My babies are growing well and are close to opening their eyes

I do have another question though. As I was unaware of this pregnancy, the buck was with the doe for several hours after the kits were born. If she is now pregnant again, what do I do once the new kits are born? I'm assuming I take the older kits out and feed them myself until they are eating and drinking on their own? Do I take them out when she is due to kindle or just wait and see if she does or not? I tried palpating her a few days before she had the first litter and didn't feel anything so I can't rely on my palpating abilities to tell if she is expecting or not...

 

[Dood]

The doe may start to wean the kits herself at around 3 or 4 weeks but I would recommend you start early weaning on the current litter.

When around 2 1/2 weeks old put the kits in their own cage with hay, pellets and plain cooking oatmeal to nibble on and put the doe in every other day to feed them and relieve any pressure in her teats, then every 2 days, every 3 days and so on until she gives birth (which can range from 28 to 40 :shock: days after mating but usually 32) , if she doesn't have a litter then I would keep up with a feeding every 3 days or you could just leave her with her kits.