Okay, so health in my rabbits is a big deal to me.
I have for the most part successfully gotten rid of nestbox eye, odd digestive issues, stupidity, head tilt, and a seasonal losses in kits.
WHAT I can't figure out is the seasonal loss of does with kits 10-14 days old.
Seasonal loss... when the abrupt fluctuations you get in temperature and wind causes rabbit loss.
This year I lost two SEASONED does. So it's not like they were first timers, not like they haven't been through a seasonal shift. FIRST time they went through a seasonal shift while on kits in that 10-14 day old window.
Other does I had at the time handled the shift just fine with kits just outside of that window. I was able to foster one litter and am currently handraising the other.
So what is it in that 10-14 day old window that makes does susceptible to seasonal change?
The first doe I lost also had a predator of some sort come through along with the shift in temperature so I'm thinking fright also played a causal factor. Though this doe was not one to frighten easily so I can't say that it was an added factor or not.
But the second doe... it was just wind, cold temperatures, and rain.
Could there be some underlying illness I'm not seeing? Or something they carry that causes them to stress and it pops up? Or is there something that weakens a doe during that time period? When I cull them they look fine, just typical gut shut down due to stress factors. SO it's not a faulty liver or kidney issues, I don't see parasitic activity in the guts, nothing that raises alarm bells. Other than a doe eating one day, and then stops. It's like all lights and bells are off.
Every year in the fall I lose one or two and I'm really starting to wonder what it is about 10-14 day old litters and their momma's.
Any thoughts?
I have for the most part successfully gotten rid of nestbox eye, odd digestive issues, stupidity, head tilt, and a seasonal losses in kits.
WHAT I can't figure out is the seasonal loss of does with kits 10-14 days old.
Seasonal loss... when the abrupt fluctuations you get in temperature and wind causes rabbit loss.
This year I lost two SEASONED does. So it's not like they were first timers, not like they haven't been through a seasonal shift. FIRST time they went through a seasonal shift while on kits in that 10-14 day old window.
Other does I had at the time handled the shift just fine with kits just outside of that window. I was able to foster one litter and am currently handraising the other.
So what is it in that 10-14 day old window that makes does susceptible to seasonal change?
The first doe I lost also had a predator of some sort come through along with the shift in temperature so I'm thinking fright also played a causal factor. Though this doe was not one to frighten easily so I can't say that it was an added factor or not.
But the second doe... it was just wind, cold temperatures, and rain.
Could there be some underlying illness I'm not seeing? Or something they carry that causes them to stress and it pops up? Or is there something that weakens a doe during that time period? When I cull them they look fine, just typical gut shut down due to stress factors. SO it's not a faulty liver or kidney issues, I don't see parasitic activity in the guts, nothing that raises alarm bells. Other than a doe eating one day, and then stops. It's like all lights and bells are off.
Every year in the fall I lose one or two and I'm really starting to wonder what it is about 10-14 day old litters and their momma's.
Any thoughts?