# baby rabbits(help needed)



## K.J.Geckos (Sep 7, 2006)

my Rex rabbit gave birth last fri night to 4 kits.things were going ok untill today.i've been checking on them each day to check there ok but i've noticed they look a bit thinner an a bit more woberly.i've never seen the mother feed them and they make slight squeaking noises and woddle over to her out of the nest and she walks all over them.im scared stiff about whats happening.is this normal i've not bred before.i did go and get some lactol and tried feeding them and they have taken some about 4ml so maybe they are hungry.i just dont want to do more harm then good.any ideas?im worried sick:help:


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## stephenie191 (May 29, 2007)

I used to breed rabbits so firstlly, stay calm. My rabbit 'seemed' to walk all over her kits, i never saw them feed once but all made it to adulthood fine.

They will make squeaking noises, don't worry about that.

Firstlly, i would weigh them each day, just to see if they are losing weight, if they are then hand feeding might be the way to go as it will show the doe isn't feeding her kits.

First things fisrt, weigh them, and if they are losing weight them you will know if she isn't feeding them.

Good luck, keep us posted


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## K.J.Geckos (Sep 7, 2006)

right ill weight them now and keep a note on it.i just noticed they have gone a lot more wrinkled then they were a few days ago.they were a lot less livley then the other day to.im just so worried.i cant bare to see a animal die.would you carry on trying to feed them still or would this be doing more harm then good.just leave the mum to it?


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## stephenie191 (May 29, 2007)

Is this her first litter?


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## stephenie191 (May 29, 2007)

and i would leave mum to it JUST FOR NOW, check them in the morning!


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## K.J.Geckos (Sep 7, 2006)

she was a rescue rabbit but i think it might be.shes a adult and she made a nest an stuff she just doesnt seem a very good mum but we thought thats maybe why she isnt doing much.we didnt even know she was pregnant untill she started ripping out some fur.thought it might be a phantom preg but we made sure just in case.i havnt had her a month.ill check them in the moring.there with mum now and i keep making sure they aint outside the nest.just have to hope i guess.poor clover.


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## stephenie191 (May 29, 2007)

nuttyaboutgeckos said:


> she was a rescue rabbit but i think it might be.shes a adult and she made a nest an stuff she just doesnt seem a very good mum but we thought thats maybe why she isnt doing much.we didnt even know she was pregnant untill she started ripping out some fur.thought it might be a phantom preg but we made sure just in case.i havnt had her a month.ill check them in the moring.there with mum now and i keep making sure they aint outside the nest.just have to hope i guess.poor clover.


most first doe's kill there first litter, i had an excellent doe, had lots of kits and was a brilliant mom but she crushed her first litter. 

Alot of speculation has been made but i geuss its just one of them things.
I hope the doe and kits are fine.


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## K.J.Geckos (Sep 7, 2006)

aww there so cute though.so much easyier to raise a dog though lol.thanks for your help and ill keep you updated.


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## brittone05 (Sep 29, 2006)

Sorry to hijack your thread Nutty but can i ask if it is a sign of pregnancy witht he fur pulling? Our female lion head has been making what I think is a nest with her bits of fur and her hay and has turned rather aggressive over the last week. Cold that be a sign of pregnancy??


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## beardy daz (May 31, 2007)

sound like shes making a nest normally dont get aggressive though just keep an eye out and watch your fingers:smile:


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## K.J.Geckos (Sep 7, 2006)

fur pulling is basicly making a nest for the babys to go into.have you bred her of has she had contact with a male at all.it can be a sign of a false pregnacy too.one of mine is having a false pregnacy at the mo.my rex did get agressive.it can be a sign to do with the changing hormones.she does a fair bit of grunting at me at the moment but i usally just ignor her and do what i was doing.also you might see her gathering bedding and mine tended to eat and drink a lot more.i thought she was pulling our leg at first as it was over a month before she gave birth.i had a feel for the babys but couldnt feel anything.we brought her inside last night with the weather turning cold an wet as the babys were a little cool so we had to change the nest but they are doing ok at the moment.just be on the watch in case she is pregnant.


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## Becky (Mar 26, 2007)

TBH i think pulling the babies out and weighing them etc will do more harm than gd, coz if they smell like humans she will kill them as a way to protect them. At the end of the day there is nothing you can do. Taking them out and bottle feeding them will give them a slim chance of survival aswell... just leave her be. You'll stress her out more by interfering (and yes, i have bred lots of rabbits before )


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## saxon (Feb 26, 2007)

When I was doing a lot of rescue involving rabbits/ guinea pigs and the like I found that the pregnant does/sows were quite aggressive. This was due to them having being moved from an environment they were used to and having a total stranger caring for them.
I had one that ate the ears off both litters she had. The young survived just they had no ears.
If you have been going into the nest, of a rabbit that in effect doesn't trust you, you are very lucky she hasn't killed them. I wouldn't have touched the young until 2 weeks of age. As advised I would weigh them daily. After all you have already handled them. If they lose weight by tomorrow then I would continue with the 'top up' feeds. Rabbits in the wild only feed in the morning and in the evening. It is a misunderstanding to think they need feeding every 2-3 hours. I used to feed until the young wouldn't take any more twice a day. This worked for both wild and domestic rescues.
Basically if the young are still alive now after being born on Friday the doe is feeding them at least something. Have you checked her teats? She may have a mild mastitis. If the teats are sore or hard then get her to the vets for an antibiotic injection.

Becky,

If the doe hasn't killed the young by now, with all the handling, she will proably not do so now. They would normally kill the young, as a form of miguided protection, within hours of them bieng handled.
I must admit if the doe is in pain due to mastitis she may kill the young to stop them attempting to feed from her though.


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## mask-of-sanity (Dec 27, 2006)

a few years ago one of my females kicked her kits out i then hand raised them on latolol, i kept then in an indoor hutch got up in the night to hand feed ,two of them are still going strong and are now at the grand old age of ten so the hand feeding was worth all the hard work


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## K.J.Geckos (Sep 7, 2006)

i have just checked the kits and they are a lot better today.i think the feed last night must of done them some good.when i handle the kits its with a pair of cotten gloves that have been left in the nest since before they were born so theres no worry of my smell getting onto them.one of the smallest ones found it amusing to take a big pee over me so i figure if somethings coming out then something must be going in.im going to carry on keeping a eye on them as advised by the vets this morning and he said i should keep trying them to see if they are hungry.he said the mother doesnt have a fat lot of milk but there is some.like i say they look a lot more healthy and lively today so thats good.mums a lot more relaxed too.yay:no1:


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## Schip (Mar 31, 2007)

Don't worry about mother walking all over them that's how they feed, grab a teat and suck she just sits or moves all over the nest then cleans afterwards, they squeak for a meal.


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## K.J.Geckos (Sep 7, 2006)

poor things though.im so worried about them,they look so fragile.


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## stephenie191 (May 29, 2007)

glad there ok,


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## K.J.Geckos (Sep 7, 2006)

hi guys just a update on the bunnys.they are doing fine now.the mother seems to of taken over feeding for them now and i havnt had to feed them for over a week now.they have all got their eyes open and 2 of the 4 are coming out of the nest every so often to pester mum and hop around.its soooo cute.so thanks for all the help.:no1:


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## Jazzy B Bunny (Jun 21, 2007)

brittone05 said:


> Sorry to hijack your thread Nutty but can i ask if it is a sign of pregnancy witht he fur pulling? Our female lion head has been making what I think is a nest with her bits of fur and her hay and has turned rather aggressive over the last week. Cold that be a sign of pregnancy??


If she is not spayed it could be a sign of a phantom pregnancy. getting her spayed will stop this and make her calm an easier to manage it will also dcrease the risk of cancer.

Make sure you rub your hands over mum befor you touch the kits or she may regect them.


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## brittone05 (Sep 29, 2006)

Thanks for the wonderful advice everyone - my email notification isn't working well so apologies for the delay 

My female has been mated once before I got her and again by my male as I wanted her to have 1 littler and him 1 litter before I got them both spayed/neutered.

She does grunt a LOT at me and is still quite aggressive when we go into the hutch.

she appears quite large around her tum too adn on the only occasion I have been able to hold hr, I did actually feel possible nipples (I know with chins they are not noticable unless they are pregnant)

Fingers crossed that all goes smoothly if she is indeed pregnant


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## cjdnajjo (Nov 14, 2008)

*babies x5*

hi people i got given a rabbit last week,ive opened her cage today to clean her out but noticed 5 babies. As i opened the door 2 fell out so i had to pick them up and put them back,i havent a clue on how to keep the babies as this is the first rabbit ive ever had,could someone please give me some advice on what to do,and do i need to feed mum something special so she can feed them properly? and seeing as i picked the babies up will she reject them? i need some advice please


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## Titch1980 (Mar 6, 2006)

i havent read the whole thread yet, but i will, so forgive me if this has already been said, but.........rabbits only feed their young once a day (usually at night time, depends when she gave birth) if you check them in the morning and they have little round bellies as though they have swallowed a ping pong ball they have more than likely been fed. 
this is advice my sister was given from a forum when her rabbit gave birth 5 weeks ago, she only had 2 kitts and both are doing great now  
HTH xx
i can give you a couple of links for rabbit forums if your interested?


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