Should I be Concerned?

[cdoz35]

Hello all,
I am new to the rabbit world, and have gotten some rabbits to start raising for meat. I have two Californians that I got from a breeder, and he was nice enough to breed them for me when I got them. They were both 31 days along on March 3, and one of them gave birth that evening to healthy plump babies (it should be noted they are both first time mothers a little under a year old). The second doe was showing no signs of labor until the following evening when she started nesting an pulling a little bit of fur. It was going to be very cold that night, and she had not made a real good nest so I brought her inside my shop to give her a little more shelter from the elements. Since then she has not done anything. Did I mess up by moving her and stressing her out? Do I need to just be patient? As I said I am new to rabbits, but when I felt her stomach last night and it feels very tense and feels like there are babies in it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[EnglishSpot]

No, you have not messed her up, but since you moved her to a new place, you have probably interrupted her.

1. Just leave her be and don't hover, check on her every once in awhile.
2. See if she'll eat a Tums (for the calcium, labor can stop/slow if they run low on calcium)
3. Go to your local market and buy a bunch of parsley (doesn't matter which type). Feed your does a few sprigs of parsley the next few days as it helps with milk production and contractions --it's very gentle-- and nutritious.
4. Be sure that their water bowls are always filled and free feed them pellets while they're nursing.
5. Put in a tablespoon of black oil sunflower seed (BOSS) or flax seed in their feed. Lots of hay!

You may find your does hungry for greens for the next few days. Spinach, mustard greens, beet tops, ALL served in a MODERATE manner if they've not had them before!!!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Hi Cdoz!

:welcomewagon:

Englishspot gave you great advice, but I wanted to welcome you to RabbitTalk and add a bit from my own experience.

The fact that you moved her may have nothing at all to do with her stopping her nesting behavior. Does vary in their nesting, and each is different, and will even change her "style" from one litter to the next.

Some does will pull fur the day before, hours before, after the birth, or even not at all. The fact that she is nesting and pulling fur is a good sign in a first time mom- now she just needs to have them in the box and feed them.

If you do find kits on the wire, do not assume they are dead if they are cold and not moving. We have a saying here that "kits aren't dead until they are warm and dead".

I revive my cold kits by warming towels in the dryer and making a little hollow in one to place the kits in. Cover with a flap of towel and close the dryer door to retain heat. Just make certain to warn anyone else in the house that there are baby rabbits in there so they don't accidentally start the dryer!

5. Put in a tablespoon of black oil sunflower seed (BOSS) or flax seed in their feed.

I would be a bit more cautious with the flax seed, and start with just a pinch. It has a very high oil content and can cause diarrhea in rabbits that are not accustomed to it. I haven't heard of anyone having trouble with the BOSS.

 

[katiebear]

:goodpost: Englishspot & momasheepdog, I can only add that with my nursing does the only problem with BOSS is at feeding time they wait and give you the "evil bunny eye" until they have the seeds. :lol:

 

[cdoz35]

Thanks for all the advice so far. So I should not be concerned that she is three days past due? I guess I need to be patient. I will will look into all the advice above! Thanks again!

 

[katiebear]

I believe we have a member who's record was 40 days...Even up to 38 can be normal. 31 is just the average...And Like Englishspot said you probably interrupted her,and now in a new environment,she will have to settle down and make sure it is safe to have the babies. Just let her have a lot of quiet time. and only approach her with a treat..like parsley.

 

[Miss M]

I was the one with a 40-day doe. Only two were born live, and only one made it.

That is not the RT record anymore, though. Someone had a litter on day 41 a few months ago -- all alive.

If we hadn't both recorded the breeding date, we'd have shrugged it off as miscalculation.

It may not be a bad idea to partially cover her cage, since she's in a new place. It might help her settle down faster, feel safer, like she has a cave.

You've gotten some great advice already, Cdoz! Welcome to the wonderful world of rabbits and how crazy they can drive you!

 

[cdoz35]

Well I woke up this morning to one dead babie. It was very large and long. I think it was probably a little to big for her to pass easily, so it was stuck for a little too long. She seems relaxed again so I don't think there are any more.

So my next question is when should i rebreed her?

 

[Ms. E]

Sorry I would give her a couple days, and then rebreed her if it was a litter of normal kits. If the kit was over sized, she might need a few more days to recover.

 

[ladysown]

rebreed her immediately. you'll get a bigger and ergo easier litter for her to bear.

 

[katiebear]

rebreed her immediately. you'll get a bigger and ergo easier litter for her to bear.

This is true, I had a doe deliver three extra large kits, She actually pulled them apart trying to get them out..I bred her after two days...and got a litter of 7. She was a proven doe. But this was the first litter after the summer break.(heat sterility is common here).. Sometimes things like that just happen. But do breed her right away she will feel better and so will you.

 

[cdoz35]

Man this forum is just plum full of advice. Thanks for helping a newbie out. I will get her rebred asap, and hopefully the next go around will have a better outcome. At least I got one first time doe that is doing her job great. All four babies are plump, happy, and growing fast. Again thanks for all the advice!

 

[Susie570]

Sorry for the loss and congrats on the healthy litter!

 

[cdoz35]

Rebred the doe today. She took to it very willingly. We will see what happens again in 31 days. Thanks for all the help. Will keep everyone posted.

-- Mon Apr 13, 2015 9:49 am --

Just thought I would give everyone a quick update on this doe. Last Tuesday night she has a healthy litter of 7 babies! She is being a great mother. She is a Californian, and I crossed her with one of my broken red new zealands. I got a solid black, a broken black, and 5 whites. Didn't really know what to expect, but I sure didn't expect to have black in the mix. Thanks for all the advice so far! I will try to get pics up soon. <br /><br /> -- Mon Apr 13, 2015 9:49 am -- <br /><br /> Just thought I would give everyone a quick update on this doe. Last Tuesday night she has a healthy litter of 7 babies! She is being a great mother. She is a Californian, and I crossed her with one of my broken red new zealands. I got a solid black, a broken black, and 5 whites. Didn't really know what to expect, but I sure didn't expect to have black in the mix. Thanks for all the advice so far! I will try to get pics up soon.

 

[katiebear]

Congratulations, nice to have a happy ending(beginning) enjoy the new babies..sounds like your rabbit road is beginning to smooth out..

 

[Marinea]

Congrats on the litter!

 

[Miss M]

:congratulations:

You never know what albino is hiding. They say to think of it as a white blanket covering the true genetic color of the rabbit. I bet they're pretty!