GBov
Well-known member
Lost the first litter to a doe killing them at 4 weeks of age. One bite, through the heads and she then piled them up.
Culled her and no signs of anything really wrong, just some hive-like thickened spots on the flesh side of the hide, colored red/purple. Her fur looked rain spotted, fur just slightly shorter where the spots were. Her dewlap skin was also reddish-purple and thicker.
Everything else was fine, liver good, heart, lungs, gutty bits, all looked just fine. So the inflammation on the skin would have irritated but not, I think, have driven her to murder.
Next up was a doe (Alice) who had 7 kits, was a fantastic first-time mother and she lost 5 to rats before I figured out what was going on.
Her mother (Goldie) then had 6 kits, 3 died due to stupidity on her part, she was a lousy mother and, as Alice was overfeeding her remaining kits, I fostered the three remaining and they were doing fine as long as I brought them in at night.
Then the rats did a daylight raid - the day before rat proof cage wire arrived in the post - and we were down to four kits.
Then her sister (Mable) had her kits (7, my favorite number) was a fantastic mum for two days and bled out. All kits, despite attempts to get the one good doe to feed them, died.
Then Alice was dead in her hutch yesterday, no mark, no blood.
Two of her eyes-just-opened kits had eyes gummed shut so I gently cleared them.
This morning one kit dead, the other has eyes stuck back shut.
Goldie dead in her hutch.
Had a good look inside and nothing wrong. Everything looked fine and she was pregnant, about a week away from kindling.
So, now down to three kits, one that I firmly expect to be dead by morning and two bucks.
The last time I had any rabbits drop dead with no symptoms was in the Georgia farmland, surrounded by cotton, soybean, and peanut fields and all the chemical contamination blowing off the fields.
Am gutted, baffled and very upset.
Culled her and no signs of anything really wrong, just some hive-like thickened spots on the flesh side of the hide, colored red/purple. Her fur looked rain spotted, fur just slightly shorter where the spots were. Her dewlap skin was also reddish-purple and thicker.
Everything else was fine, liver good, heart, lungs, gutty bits, all looked just fine. So the inflammation on the skin would have irritated but not, I think, have driven her to murder.
Next up was a doe (Alice) who had 7 kits, was a fantastic first-time mother and she lost 5 to rats before I figured out what was going on.
Her mother (Goldie) then had 6 kits, 3 died due to stupidity on her part, she was a lousy mother and, as Alice was overfeeding her remaining kits, I fostered the three remaining and they were doing fine as long as I brought them in at night.
Then the rats did a daylight raid - the day before rat proof cage wire arrived in the post - and we were down to four kits.
Then her sister (Mable) had her kits (7, my favorite number) was a fantastic mum for two days and bled out. All kits, despite attempts to get the one good doe to feed them, died.
Then Alice was dead in her hutch yesterday, no mark, no blood.
Two of her eyes-just-opened kits had eyes gummed shut so I gently cleared them.
This morning one kit dead, the other has eyes stuck back shut.
Goldie dead in her hutch.
Had a good look inside and nothing wrong. Everything looked fine and she was pregnant, about a week away from kindling.
So, now down to three kits, one that I firmly expect to be dead by morning and two bucks.
The last time I had any rabbits drop dead with no symptoms was in the Georgia farmland, surrounded by cotton, soybean, and peanut fields and all the chemical contamination blowing off the fields.
Am gutted, baffled and very upset.
