# I have been a midwife today



## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

I am a nurse so playing midwife was fun today

It was abit of a shock, I went to feed my 4 rabbits today to find 2 dead babies in the bedroom. Hubby cleaned it up but then found one alive hidden in the hay. Then we noticed one hanging out of our rabbit, which we helped her remove as she could not do it and it was stillborn, is it likely the other 2 were aswell?

Lilly the mother is only around 18 weeks old, we have 3 girls and 1 boy, we had our boy snipped 3 weeks ago, we were told he could not be done until 4 months, as before this the vet said was dangerous, he reassured us it was unlikely he would get any of the females pregnant before this time, little did he know

I rung the vet as I had no idea what I was doing, he said to section off the other 3 in the lower part of the hutch and put Lilly and her baby together, as Lilly was not going near the baby and it was alone in the bedroom. Now we have done that and the other 3 cannot get near her they seem to be bonding fine. Lilly seems well in herself and is eating and resting with her baby at the side of her. 

My rabbits are Netherland dwarfs, the baby is about the side of a sausage in length and thickness, is this about right?

Is it likley Dinky (the father) has got the other 2 females pregnant? Poppy looks on the large size lately, she was teeny not long ago, the vet said it is hard to tell.

I am praying this little one survives.

Any advice appreciated


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## Matrix/Logan (May 7, 2009)

Unfortunately the answer is yes! it is very likely he has got the others pregnant too! Just keep an eye on them, they build nests within hours of giving birth which normally happens overnight so you may not witness any signs until you have babies!

I would be very suprised if the baby makes it as the mum is so young, usually immature bunnies don't make good mummies!  Also you probably won't see the mum with the baby as they only feed at dawn and dusk and leave the baby the rest of the time tucked up in the nest. This is a natural instinct in bunnies to help prevent predators finding the babies! So don't be expecting to see mum sitting with the babies as a cat or dog would do! 

Hope the baby survives and your other buns are ok!


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

Here is Lilly, taken a few weeks ago, she has grown quite abit since this, though she is still our little girl


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

I really hope this little one survives, I know it is unlikely to survive but the vet said as they are just in a room together the baby might be ok as Lilly will probably bond well.

I feel so bad this has happened to Lilly at such a young age but hubby has said we took the vets advice and waited until 4 months to have the snip done so we cannot feel bad about this.

Not a nice day really, and I am so worried about this newborn.

Thank you for replying.


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## frags (Feb 5, 2009)

awwww sorry you lost some of the babies, it maybe the baby wont make it due to mums age and traumatic birth with the baby getting stuck it could have frightened her from the babies, just leave the kit in and dont touch it and let nature take its course, its all you can do as hand rearing isnt great at all.
it is likely the other girls are preg too so just keep an eye on them. is mum seperated from the other girls?
time will only tell huni, good luck x


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

HI,

Thank you for your reply.

Yes Lilly is on her own now with the baby and the other 2 females are downstairs with the male.


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## frags (Feb 5, 2009)

im pretty sure he can still inpregnate a doe upto 6 weeks after the snip but im not 100% sure


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

Oh dear


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

We just brought in Lilly & her baby and put them in a small cat carrier, the baby was freezing to touch and I read it is best to bring them in as it gives them a better chance.

I have brought her hay and sawbust she had in the hutch. Will this be ok? the baby is so cold


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## Matrix/Logan (May 7, 2009)

Sorry to say but moving them will just cause the mother more stress and make her more likely to reject the baby than she would have been left in familiar surroundings!


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

but the baby was so cold??? oh no im worrying now.


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

yes up to 6 weeks!
some vets are so useless when it comes to rabbits, u trust their advice this really isnt ur fault. these forums really are ur best bet for rabbit info and advice so welcome!
you really need to separate all ur rabbits, i know its gonna be expensive
but 4 weeks from now ur other girls could give birth(although all rabbits develop differently, more closely if from the same litter), and also the mum can get pregnant straight away after giving birth (I wouldve thought very unlikely with the kit getting stuck). the mummy bun will need plenty of food. 
u can latch the kit to the mums nipple but its not a good idea for an inexperienced breeder, syringe feeding is very tricky as if u over feed it can get into their lungs. I really hope mums instincts kick in and the kit survives good luck!


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

Thank you Em,

I am just worrying ive done the wrong thing bringing them indoors now, but the baby was freezing cold


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## Matrix/Logan (May 7, 2009)

I wouldn't move her again, just leave her with the baby in it's nest and see what she does, best left somewhere quiet, their natural instinct would be to feed at dawn and dusk so if the baby is fine and warm in the morning chances are she fed it in the night. But please try not to touch the baby as they don't like different smells on them and this may add to the risk of her rejecting it. I agree vets are rubbish, i used to be a veterinary nurse and none of our vets had any knowledge on rabbits and used to make us nurses give out advice! 

Please try to get some sleep and see what mother nature does!


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

Thanks.


Would you put them back in or leave them in the house now?


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

my understanding is they can live upto 2 days without milk but must be kept warm, normally with litter mates this would help, did u put all the nest fur around the kit? it will need plenty of bedding to keep him warm, you could consider a heat pad but only under half the carrier, but this might annoy mum, the weather is pretty warm so i would think plenty of bedding will do. dont put anything that doesnt smell of mum in and stroke the mum lots before checking on the kit, if it lives to 3 days then i imagine its being fed, but best to leave them another week. also if the carriers too small mum might sit on it (but not worth disturbing again


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

personally id leave them in the house, maybe allow mum some space ie put the carrier in a pen.


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## Matrix/Logan (May 7, 2009)

I would definately leave her where she is for now and if they are ok in the morning consider a make shift pen indoors for a few days then back out in the hutch once you know she is feeding the baby.


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

The little one has passed away

Lilly, the mother had a difficult birth I think, 2 were stilborn, 1 survived at fist then she had one hanging out of her which we had to assist her with. After that one was removed she delivered her placenta, so does this mean there are no more left? It is just that I have noticed her every now and then kind of jumping, like she is going to be sick or poo, her little tail raises and she looks like she is going to have another but then she tops and runs off.


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## HayleyD (Aug 18, 2009)

Jem29 said:


> The little one has passed away
> 
> Lilly, the mother had a difficult birth I think, 2 were stilborn, 1 survived at fist then she had one hanging out of her which we had to assist her with. After that one was removed she delivered her placenta, so does this mean there are no more left? It is just that I have noticed her every now and then kind of jumping, like she is going to be sick or poo, her little tail raises and she looks like she is going to have another but then she tops and runs off.


Oh dear, I am really really sorry to hear that, you must be gutted. :sad:
How is mum now? I am not experienced enough to give advice as my doe only had her first litter 2 weeks ago so it is all new to me too, BUT from what I have read online I would say that there are no more kits left to be delivered. Let me know how she gets on. x


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

im very very sorry you lost the little baby, i would keep an eye on your other females, just in case they are pregnant to, good luck,


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## Matrix/Logan (May 7, 2009)

Sorry about the baby. I would think mum is just a bit sore, should be ok and i would doubt she has anything left inside her. If she starts to have a discharge or smell pop her to the vets for some antibiotics to be on the safeside!
Hope the others are ok.


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

HI,

She seems ok this evening, running around and eating ok. I shall keep an eye on her though.

Is it likely that the other 2 females are pregnant? surely Dinky won't have been fussy and only taken a fancy to Lilly

I am gutted to be honest, although it wasn't expected at all, it has made me hope now that the other 2 are pregnant so that we can have some little baby bunnys. It has been a weekend of mixed emotions, my children are terribly upset.

I have bought a nesting bed for the rabbits now just incase, with some soft bedding inside. 

Dinky was snipped 3 weeks ago so if he has got any of them pregnant I am sure we will know soon enough.

Thank you so much for your advice.


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## Matrix/Logan (May 7, 2009)

If your buns are pregnant they will make nests using their own fur and hay so just make sure they have plenty of clean dry hay in their hutch and let nature do the rest! 

Baby bunnies are very cute but to be honest not much fun from a childrens point of view until they are about 4 weeks old so even if you have any more i would suggest you refrain from involving the children until the babies naturally come out of the nests as the mum could still reject them up to 4 weeks old! By then they should be eating the rabbit food aswell as feeding from mum.

Good luck, keep us posted!


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

Thank you.

Is it likely he would have got them pregnant or do they usually just stick to one female?

I know it would be hard work, just wish when it happened Lilly had been abit older, poor girl


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## frags (Feb 5, 2009)

Jem29 said:


> Thank you.
> 
> Is it likely he would have got them pregnant or do they usually just stick to one female?
> 
> I know it would be hard work, just wish when it happened Lilly had been abit older, poor girl


lol male buns really arent fussy  it is highly likely but you never know.

sorry for the loss of the littlen x


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

Thank you


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

I agree its very possible they are pregnant too, any new kits best chance of survival is to let mother nature take its course, but to make things less stressful, the mums would be much better by themselves and they will need unlimited amounts of food and some straw for bedding as its warmer, try and keep loud noises down around them too


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

Thank you.

I shall be keeping a close eye on them, I think Poppy may be pregnant. She is lying around alot and is eating more than usual, she is a greedy girl

I couldn't feel anything though when I gave her a cuddle today, I touched her tummy but it just felt chubby, couldn't feel any individual babies in there, I had read you can feel them.


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## frags (Feb 5, 2009)

Jem29 said:


> Thank you.
> 
> I shall be keeping a close eye on them, I think Poppy may be pregnant. She is lying around alot and is eating more than usual, she is a greedy girl
> 
> I couldn't feel anything though when I gave her a cuddle today, I touched her tummy but it just felt chubby, couldn't feel any individual babies in there, I had read you can feel them.


not always especially in the smaller breeds, i can feel mine sometimes but usually 1-3 days before due and they are giant breed so are larger and have bigger litters. smaller breeds generally have smaller litters and they hide deep inside so not too easy to feel.

before my lot kindle they stop eating as much and lay around panting alot


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

also she could have conceived within the last week not necessarily near when the other one did


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## frags (Feb 5, 2009)

emzybabe said:


> also she could have conceived within the last week not necessarily near when the other one did


very good point emzy


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

So basically Dinky is likely to be infertile now as it is coming up to 4 weeks post op so if any of the females are pregnant we should expect them to give birth within the next 4 weeks anyway.

Gosh, what a nerve wracking 4 weeks this will be.

Thanks x


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## frags (Feb 5, 2009)

Jem29 said:


> So basically Dinky is likely to be infertile now as it is coming up to 4 weeks post op so if any of the females are pregnant we should expect them to give birth within the next 4 weeks anyway.
> 
> Gosh, what a nerve wracking 4 weeks this will be.
> 
> Thanks x


nope, another 2 weeks until he is 100% infetile hun


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## Jem29 (Dec 28, 2008)

Oh dear. Is it worth seperating them now? 

What a nightmare this is. The Vet gave us no advice about this at all.


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## Cavalierlover123 (May 27, 2009)

Vets are useless hun!
So sorry about the loss of all the baby buns.
I would seperate the Buck(male) now incase he hasn't done the job yet on the two Doe's(females). Also buns have two wombs.. so the Doe's could have the babies soon and the Buck can get them pregnant straight after the pregnancy. This would be very stressful for the Doe's to have to raise two litters.
If the doe's have kits please dont remove them from the nest or touch them, as this will make the mother reject them. As someone has already said make sure mom has loads of hay to make a nest and give her a little extra food. Best of luck hun!


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

best bet is to separate them all, having another doe in the same hutch will be stressful if they do give birth, and the buck really shouldnt be near them. u will need to do this when u have the does done anyway. check freecycle and gumtree etc for cheap hutches, but u really need to do this asap, then u can rebond them after 4 weeks if nothings happened.


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