Water

[NewZealands4Lyfe]

Bowls or Bottles? First, we used bowls and lost a litter, thought A. she was in a new environment so she didn't feed them (we had the doe for 3 days and he had kits) B. she didn't have enough water, so we swapped to bottles, and both broke before she had the second litter. we moved back to bowls while we could find better bottles and lost the litter again. now we are using glass bottles. How do y'all think I could manage/improve their watering? We are afraid they aren't getting enough from either, the bowls and bottles are about the same size, every evening and morning I need to fill the bowls and every evening I need to fill the bottles. I checked their diet, there is little to no sodium. :bunnyhop:

Note: Both my Doe and Buck are bowl and bottle trained, I.E they know how to use both and use both regularly as I give them the option.

 

[Preitler]

I use big bowls, about 1 litre each. If you don't have bowls like this you can place a glass bottle upside down in the bowl, so it will refill whenever the water level reaches the bottles depht.

Little to no sodium, don't know much about that, but I keep putting a stone salt block from one hutch to the next now and then, they ignore it when they don't need it.

Why do you think they don't get enough water? What do you feed?
My rabbits drink close to nothing during the time when they get fresh forage.

I have never made experiences where losing litters might have been connected with water, that sounds rather far fetched to me. Lots of other possibilities, more likely.

 

[NewZealands4Lyfe]

@preitler i feed them a cup of HI-Pro Feeds 18% Rabbit Pellets in the morning and evening. the kits seemed to not be fed, and mom didn't have milk. we didn't think nutrition was an issue so water was our next issue, just thought I would ask to get more opinions.

__________ Tue Sep 22, 2020 5:15 pm __________

here is a link to the feed: https://crittercountry.ca/products/rabb ... -20-kg-bag and the tag on the bag: https://www.hiprofeeds.com/wp-content/u ... -19_PP.pdf

 

[Preitler]

Hm, 0,2-0,6% salt imho is not "little to no sodium", I guess that is enough.

Can't comment on the pellets and amount as the only feed, I have no personal experience with that since I feed mostly forage and use pellets just as treats or supplement in rough times.

I use stainless steel dog bowls and ceramic crocks they can't topple for water, they drink more easy from bowles than from bottles, in winter I put a 3-5W heating pad under it to keep it from freezing.

Anyway, little milk production could have other issues, there are some plants and herbs that are said to boost milk production.
Or it could be an issue with the doe, if she keeps losing litters. I wouldn't count the first litter as a strike, since stress really can mess things up, the second one would be strike one on my list though.

 

[Zass]

Bowels and bottles both work fine, so long as the bowels are heavy or fixed in place so that the rabbits cannot tip them, and the bottles are functioning properly.
I use bottles in summer, and heavy crocks in winter.

 

[hotzcatz]

If it's a doe with a litter, I don't measure out her food, I stuff as much into her as possible. Right now there's a doe out there with a litter of ten that just made it to ten days old. For the next two or three weeks the demand on her is going to be huge. She gets about a gallon of fresh forage every day, if not more, a large bottle of water since I don't have the automatic water system hooked up to the new nesting hutch yet and several feed dishes of feed kept as full as possible. I'll double the amount of forage that she gets since we don't feed hay. It's fresh grasses with ti and mulberry leaves and she can chow through that at an amazing rate.

Her feed dishes are kept stocked with 18% pellet with added rolled grain (barley or oats), side dressed with black oil sunflower seeds and I may get some calf manna for her tomorrow, she will need the additional nutrition for the next two if not three weeks until she starts weaning them. The babies will be eating the same stuff once they start nibbling on solid foods. With ten in the litter, they may start nibbling on solids at about two to two and a half weeks old.

 

[NewZealands4Lyfe]

If it's a doe with a litter, I don't measure out her food, I stuff as much into her as possible. Right now there's a doe out there with a litter of ten that just made it to ten days old. For the next two or three weeks the demand on her is going to be huge. She gets about a gallon of fresh forage every day, if not more, a large bottle of water since I don't have the automatic water system hooked up to the new nesting hutch yet and several feed dishes of feed kept as full as possible. I'll double the amount of forage that she gets since we don't feed hay. It's fresh grasses with ti and mulberry leaves and she can chow through that at an amazing rate.

Her feed dishes are kept stocked with 18% pellet with added rolled grain (barley or oats), side dressed with black oil sunflower seeds and I may get some calf manna for her tomorrow, she will need the additional nutrition for the next two if not three weeks until she starts weaning them. The babies will be eating the same stuff once they start nibbling on solid foods. With ten in the litter, they may start nibbling on solids at about two to two and a half weeks old.

ok, Thanks I will try this, we are going to try one last litter before we cull the pair and get a new smaller breed. Hopefully, we can keep a litter alive.