# Please urgent advice needed



## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

I would be very greatfull for any help. I took a rabbit in a couple weeks ago only to find an hour ago that she has pulled her fur out and given birth.

My question is do i have to do anything? She has plenty off food and water.

Do i need to check if any are dead?

OR just leave her be if so for how long>?

THANK YOU


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

if she is ok with you, distract her with some food and check for any dead

if she is a first time mum she may scatter the litter and abandon them, theres nothing really you can do

just make sure shes kept quiet and calm, what type of set up is she in at the moment


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## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

Thank you for your quick reply she is house in a single hutch one side is dark and the other wired mesh. The babies are in the middle of the hutch coverd in fur so i cant realy see them. She is a bit snappy at the moment so i dont trust putting my hand in there.

I beleive she isnt a first time mum as i found out the other day she has been breed a couple times b4.

I dont see why some one would mate her up and then just get rid like they have done makes me sick.

Thank you Lil Miss

And sorry to hear about your loss xx


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

what type of mesh is it on the hutch? as the black wire fox proof stuff isnt kit safe, you need small gauge mesh, or you can pop a 3" - 4" kick board up which will keep kits safe

if shes snappy just leave her be, you dont want to stress her out too much as it could cause her to scatter the litter

i dont get people like that either 

and thank you x


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## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

The little angel is in side my shed inside a hutch so no predator can get any where near her. I have already put a 3" piece off wood right across the hutch last week so nothing can drop out side off the hiutch as the board will stop them.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

i didnt mean it like that :lol:
i ment that is the mesh is too wide then babies can fit through it

for example hutches with mesh like this, commonly sold as fox proof.








are no good for raising a litter in, as the babies can fall out up until 3 - 4 weeks of age, depending on breed

and if they fell out they could become chilled and die


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## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

Oh sorry the size off the mesh is 1cm squares. But her babies cant get any where near that as the wood will stop them.

What if there are some dead babies and she wont let me any where near is there like a time frame if the babys survive then they are ok?

Sorry for the silly questions ive never breed any animal / pet before and im just in a tiz as i dont know what to do.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

as far as im aware there isnt a safe time, but after 2 weeks you should nt have to worry about mum abandoning them any more.

you then have a couple of weeks with very little worry, but then as it comes to weaning time you have the worry of loosing them to bloat 

if theres a dead baby in the nest at any point you need to remove it, you can distract mum with some tasty food and do it while shes not looking


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## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

ive looked in on her today and i can see babys movin in the nest but cant see them properly as she has coverd all them in fur. 

Should i move this fur to check?


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## Guest (Jul 17, 2011)

So long as the doe is distracted and you rub your hands in the bedding you can gently lift the fur to check but make sure you replace it.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

as bernie said, distract her and rub your hands in dirt bedding first and make sure you cover the kits up again


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## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

I done what you said and fed her with one hand and moved the fur with the other while her back was turned. I can see 2 babies and the fur was realy warm. Im pretty damm sure i saw 3 last night 2 in the same location as they are now and another the top off the hutch is it possible for the mom to eat them? I have looked all over the hutch and there is no sight off the 3rd (im pretty sure i wasnt seeing things)

On a side not, Lil Miss i realy genuinly apprechiate your help and guidence Thank you


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

Timmyd said:


> I done what you said and fed her with one hand and moved the fur with the other while her back was turned. I can see 2 babies and the fur was realy warm. Im pretty damm sure i saw 3 last night 2 in the same location as they are now and another the top off the hutch is it possible for the mom to eat them? I have looked all over the hutch and there is no sight off the 3rd (im pretty sure i wasnt seeing things)
> 
> On a side not, Lil Miss i realy genuinly apprechiate your help and guidence Thank you


It is possible sadly for them to eat them, if one dies they want to hide the scent from predators. My girl was rehomed from a breeder as she didnt take to raising litters.


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## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

Is it possible if the babies survive take them all to the vets and get them neuterd so they can all live as a little happy family?


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

Timmyd said:


> Is it possible if the babies survive take them all to the vets and get them neuterd so they can all live as a little happy family?


If you have a big enough living environment, sure. You will probably have to seperate any boys for a while as they will become fertile from quite young and could get mum pregnant so you will need a place for them to live til they are around 1kg.


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## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

yeah i have a 8ft x 6ft shed which they can have


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

sadly it is very possiable that she has eaten one if it died, or if there was something wrong with them, it is instinct, did you notice if the other 2 had nice round bellies, or were they saggy and wrinkly?

as for keeping them together, it is very possiable, mum will need spaying when she has finished raising this litter (for her own health and welbeing)
depending on the sex's depends on what you will have to do later on

if both babies are bucks you can get mum done as soon as the babies hit 8 weeks old and then keep the whole family together untill the boys reach 1kg (which is the safe weight to neuter them, as long as their testicals have dropped) and get them neutered
however, if the bucks start to show any mounting behaviour towards mum, before 3 - 4 weeks after her op you will need to seperate them untill after that time, as they could rupture her sutures 

if 1 is a buck and one is a doe, you will have to seperate him from his mother and sister at no later then 12 weeks old, and no sooner then 8, 8 - 10 is a good ages to split them, and get him neutered as soon as hes ready

any does can stay with mum, they can be spayed at 6 months old, you can wait to get mum spayed at the same time as them, but she might get a bit testy and fed up, so it would probably be best to get her done as soon as you can still

and thank you hun, it is nice to know that some one appreciates advice


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## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

Yeah they didnt look wrinkley at all. they look as if they had swallowed a small marble if that makes any sense??


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

yes it does, thats a good sign, it means mum has fed them and they have nice full tummies


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## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

Update:

I have gone and checked on her today only to find 1 baby the other side off the hutch (like an ice box) and the other baby near the front which that one is moving but seems pretty week.

I have taken the dead baby out while the mum didnt see is there any thing i can do to help the other baby?


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## Guest (Jul 18, 2011)

Timmyd said:


> Update:
> 
> I have gone and checked on her today only to find 1 baby the other side off the hutch (like an ice box) and the other baby near the front which that one is moving but seems pretty week.
> 
> I have taken the dead baby out while the mum didnt see is there any thing i can do to help the other baby?


Did you warm the baby up in your hands before placing back in the nest?

I hate to say it but things aren't looking too good, it is very hard for 1 baby to survive as he/she won't be able to keep warm


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## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

Yeah i rubbed the baby in my hands with some kitchen roll


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## Guest (Jul 18, 2011)

That's good then, but as I said things aren't looking too good for the little one I'm afraid 

Breeding can be heartbreaking at times


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## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

lets just hope the little baby survives. Is there anything that i have done that could cause this?


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## Guest (Jul 18, 2011)

Timmyd said:


> lets just hope the little baby survives. Is there anything that i have done that could cause this?


Not really, tbh some does just aren't meant to be a mum and with her moving to you so close to her giving birth it would have put her on edge.
There could be many reasons why she scattered the nest, try not to dwell on it too much.

Sending vibes that the single kit makes it.


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## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

Thanks i will give updates on how the baby is doing.

Should i have put a nest box in there?


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## Guest (Jul 18, 2011)

It wouldn't really have made much difference as she might not have used it.
Seriously there is really no point in going over the if's and but's even experience breeders and does can and do have the same issues, I think one of the main reasons this happened is her moving home so close to the birth so she didn't get enough time to get used to everything. There might have even been something wrong with the kits that died that mum could sense.


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

As I said my Tilly was in the 'perfect' breeding environment, so to speak. She scattered her first litter, and refused to feed her second (why she was allowed to have a second I dont know, wasnt me)

So just don't want to be mums.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

Oh no  i know its no condolence but please rest assured there was nothing more you could have done for the little ones, giving birth and raising a litter is hard enough on a doe in the first place without the added stress of moving home too, you have done everything you can for the remaining kit too, but it is in natures hands now.

You can place a hor water bottle or snugglesafe heatpad underneath the hutch under the nest in an attempt to keep little one warm, other then that just check as often as you can, if he is chilled you will have to warm him up again

Sending lots of vibes your way. Please keep us updated


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## Timmyd (Jul 13, 2011)

Update:

It looks like it wasnt ment to be. Ive just got back from work and looked in on them. She had moved the baby to the edge off her hutch and lay the other end i watched for a couple mins and couldnt see any movement i then checked the baby only to find it was like an ice cube.

I Realy do apprechiate your help and guidance the last couple off days. I would have been at a real loss without you on the other end off my keyboard.

THANK YOU


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

There is nothing you can do in these situations unfortunately


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## Guest (Jul 18, 2011)

Oh no, I'm so sorry 


RIP lil babies binky free at the bridge xxxx


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

im so so sorry 

you did all you possibly could for the little bubbas, i am so sorry you lost them 

RIP little ones, Binky free over rainbow bridge, where all the buns we have loved and lost will take you under their wings


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