Second Surpirse liter of kits, HELP!

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MTenaud

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I have two bunny head rabbits, didnt know they were male and female and one month ago had a surprise liter of kits, dad hatched onto mom right after birth. they had 5 kits and i separated dad right away, mom denied babies and even bit one of their ears off, i took kits away and long story short, they died 2 days later, i tried to feed them goats milk and i kept them warm.
fast forward one month, mom and dad are still separated but today mom had another surpirse liter! shes on the bottom floor of hutch which is wood, she pulled fur and 10 minutes later gave birth to 4 kits. i grabbed some bedding and placed the kits on there in the corner were she had them. so far shes avoided them -which i read is good. did i do the right thing? should i move them indoors? its 70 degrees out. help! i would be devastated if they died on me again :(
 
When they have a nest with enough fur and hay around that seems fine, it wont hurt to add hay around the nest if there isn't much. Block off wind, or any draft. I had litters outside in freezing temps.

It can take up to 48h until the doe feeds them, but most do that within 24h. And then only twice per day, and most of mine are very reluctant to feed or go anywhere near the nest when I (or anyone else) is around - they are prey animals.
When there is a nest, and the kits are in it that's a good sign that everything is on track. Give them some rest, there wont happen much the first hours.

First timers sometimes are somewhat confused, and a kit losing an ear normally is due to overcleaning. Most times it's better at the second try.
 
I agree with Prietler.

Same thing happened to me btw. A month back I had the first surprise litter and they survived. Two days back, I had another litter (I was expecting it) but unfortunately, two of the babies were eaten alive by red ants. I have one baby left who is doing well till now.

See, I am very protective of my buns so I did a flip feeding when I saw the mother bun avoiding the babies (first litter). After the first feeding, I let the mother with the babies for one day alone. After that when I was sure that the momma was not feeding her buns, I continued with the flip feeding for three days. After three days, the mother bun gained her instincts and started feeding her babies on her own.

I suggest one flip feeding within 12 hours of birth if the momma bun is avoiding the babies. Because once you feed them, you are sure the weak ones won't die of dehydration at least. So, you can leave them with their mother after that and check their bellies from time to time making sure they are being fed at least once a day. If they look dehydrated again, you do another flip feeding. But first make sure whether they are really being avoided.

Also make sure that the bun is producing enough milk for the litter. If you feel she is not, you might want to foster the babies to another doe. Or, you might want to visit a vet who would solve the problem.
 

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