FARM Any Advice about Rabbit Birth?

[dstraito]

We just had an unexpected births from our Lionhead momma bunny. One of the babies was dead. We found a second that seems pretty lively but I'm not sure the momma is going to take care of it.


Anyone have any advice for a newborn bunny? Like should I just let nature take it's course and see if the momma will take care of it or do I intervene and try to bottle feed it?


TIA for any advice

 

[Satanta]

I would assume, if the momma don't take care if it then you can bottle feed it. Donald Shimoda would know.

 

[dstraito]

We are giving the momma a chance. It is a small thing, this little critter, yet I am strangely moved and hoping it survives. In another world, I'd be clubbing the momma on the head for the dinner table, yet in this life, the momma is a family member that we cherish and we hope for the best for any offspring.

 

[summerthyme]

Make sure the baby has a fur bed, even if you have to pluck some from mama. Unfortunately, that may stress her, but it sounds like she already has had some stresses.. the chances of saving this one aren't great.

But get some fur in there if the mother hasn't taken care of it, and then leave them alone and as quiet as possible. Not knowing the circumstances... did you know she was bred? Did she have a nestbox? Was there a disturbance where she lives? (rabbits will abort if seriously frightened,.. if a strange dog gets into the rabbitry, you may come out to a scene of carnage- or only a whole bunch of open does who ate the dead offspring before you got there)

I don't want to insult you, (so if you've been breeding for years but just haven't had an orphan before, ignore it! LOL!) but if you are thinking of breeding rabbits and haven't done so, you want a good basic book. One which is rather outdated in some ways, but still was an excellent primer (although written by a rather autocratic purebred breeder of show rabbits!). It's called "Raising rabbits the Modern Way", by Bob Bennet. It won't help you grow them on a homestead after TSHTF (he's fond of wire cages and pellets, and no other possible options) but his info on rabbit reproduction is excellent.

Good luck
Summerthyme

 

[Deep Blue Dragon]

We've had a number of litters over the years, and you hardly ever see the moms nursing the babies (they must do it mainly at night). Usually in the daytime the babies are squirming in the nest, covered by the fur blanket and Mama is lying quietly in another part of the pen. As long as their little bellies are full and round, all is well (it means that they are nursing while you aren't around). Best not to peek or handle them too much for the first few days, though, as it really freaks out some new rabbit moms; giving her a treat helps distract her if you really need to check the nest.

 

[Mysty]

did you provide a nesting box where she could pull her fur and have them in it? The only time mine died was in the winter when there was no nesting box and the kids had put a male and female together without telling me.

 

[bbkaren]

We've had a number of litters over the years, and you hardly ever see the moms nursing the babies (they must do it mainly at night). Usually in the daytime the babies are squirming in the nest, covered by the fur blanket and Mama is lying quietly in another part of the pen. As long as their little bellies are full and round, all is well (it means that they are nursing while you aren't around). Best not to peek or handle them too much for the first few days, though, as it really freaks out some new rabbit moms; giving her a treat helps distract her if you really need to check the nest.

This - I'm pretty sure they only nurse once or twice a day. I'll poke my hand in there and feel around to make sure I don't feel any cold little bodies but won't really dig around in the nest for several days.

 

[Melodi]

We lost all but one of the first litter, Momma Rabbit did not like her nesting box - our "breeding" decision is now made because I went out to feed them and they had all escaped their cages (thankfully in an outbuilding). Husband is going to repair cages, sex the half grown one (just right for eating if a boy, may be pregnant if a girl and either way needs separation from certainly pregnant Mom). Husband went back and looked at books and will build different nesting boxes this time - she had seven, they other six did not go to waste but were carefully fed to other critters.

 

[moldy]

If you have more than one nursing female, you can foster it off IF you think mama's not taking it. Put some vanilla on the foster does' nose, then put in the orphan kit. By the time the vanilla wears off, she won't know it is different that her own kits.

 

[dstraito]

Make sure the baby has a fur bed, even if you have to pluck some from mama. Unfortunately, that may stress her, but it sounds like she already has had some stresses.. the chances of saving this one aren't great.

But get some fur in there if the mother hasn't taken care of it, and then leave them alone and as quiet as possible. Not knowing the circumstances... did you know she was bred? Did she have a nestbox? Was there a disturbance where she lives? (rabbits will abort if seriously frightened,.. if a strange dog gets into the rabbitry, you may come out to a scene of carnage- or only a whole bunch of open does who ate the dead offspring before you got there)

I don't want to insult you, (so if you've been breeding for years but just haven't had an orphan before, ignore it! LOL!) but if you are thinking of breeding rabbits and haven't done so, you want a good basic book. One which is rather outdated in some ways, but still was an excellent primer (although written by a rather autocratic purebred breeder of show rabbits!). It's called "Raising rabbits the Modern Way", by Bob Bennet. It won't help you grow them on a homestead after TSHTF (he's fond of wire cages and pellets, and no other possible options) but his info on rabbit reproduction is excellent.

Good luck
Summerthyme

The momma rabbit actually took care of the fur, she had been pulling it off for a few days. As far as the breeding, it was unintentional. We also have the daddy rabbit who is fixed and the son who is not. Since their cages are fairly small we try to let them out so they can run around and dig on the side of our house and we watch them. All I can figure out is DW must have gone inside for a few minutes during the crucial period because the boys are in a separate cage from the mamma.

This morning the surviving baby is moving around and seems fine, we put some cardboard around the cage so the baby can't fall out and put a towel over the cage to help keep it warmer.

 

[bw]

written by a rather autocratic purebred breeder of show rabbits

Ok, so Bennet was a purebred. Do you suppose his rabbits were too?

 

[summerthyme]

LOL! Yeah, that was a bit out of order there.. Sorry.. long days lately!

(although actually that often is how it's referred to in the cattle industry. Go figure_

Summerthyme

 

[bbkaren]

T...DW must have gone inside for a few minutes during the crucial period because the boys are in a separate cage from the mamma.

This morning the surviving baby is moving around and seems fine, we put some cardboard around the cage so the baby can't fall out and put a towel over the cage to help keep it warmer.

Anytime is the crucial period with rabbits; the act of mating brings her into heat. That's why they almost always conceive when males & females are put together.

Also I'd make sure they're not too hot - rabbits overheat easily.

 

[dstraito]

Anytime is the crucial period with rabbits; the act of mating brings her into heat. That's why they almost always conceive when males & females are put together.

Also I'd make sure they're not too hot - rabbits overheat easily.

they are actually indoors 24x7 besides about an hour three or four times a week in the morning so they can experience the outside. The momma previously always chastised the males for even getting close to her so we probably turned our back for five minutes and voila.

Update: baby is wiggling a lot and we have seen the momma feeding it. It wiggles so much we are thinking of calling it Piggly Wiggly but if we name it, we end up keeping it so maybe we will leave the name alone for now.

 

[etc]

I have lost 2 entire litters because I thought mom would feed them.
I bottle fed 3rd and 4th litter and they are fine.

 

[Kathy in WV]

I have lost 2 entire litters because I thought mom would feed them.
I bottle fed 3rd and 4th litter and they are fine.

etc,
you should probably cull that doe if she didn't feed 2 consecutive litters. It will be much easier on you if the mom does her natural job of feeding and cleaning... unless she's a pet of course! I have found that a bad mom just continues to be a bad mom, and she can pass that trait on to her offspring which keeps making your job harder for you. I have had does that won't nurse if they don't have a dark private area too. Good luck!

 

[summerthyme]

etc,
you should probably cull that doe if she didn't feed 2 consecutive litters. It will be much easier on you if the mom does her natural job of feeding and cleaning... unless she's a pet of course! I have found that a bad mom just continues to be a bad mom, and she can pass that trait on to her offspring which keeps making your job harder for you. I have had does that won't nurse if they don't have a dark private area too. Good luck!

I agree that a lack of mothering ability is often passed on to the female offspring. I gave second chances, but not third.

Summerthyme