Ive come to the conclusion my doe isnt feeding her kits on her own. Im putting them on her to let them feed as she is pretty easy to manage. But I was wondering if as well as putting them to her can I also feed them with a bottle of the special milk you get for rabbits. Its just the earlier post saying they look thin on my photo has really worried me as they have never looked any bigger than they look on there. Even after a feed. Ive fed them twice now by placing them on her nipple and they do sound like theyre drinking, but Im not seeing much of a difference in their size. Theyre still wriggling around alot, are warm to touch and make no noise which should indicate that they are ok. Advice would be really appreciated.
doe not feeding her babies voluntarily
- Thread starter lynnnora2
- Start date
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Unfortunately bottle feeding usually just ends up in a dead kit. It is extremely hard to feed them that way without them aspirating some of the liquid, which then ends up killing them. Since your doe is allowing you to help the babies feed off of her, then that is probably their best chance of surviving. Let them feed from more than one nipple until they are seeming to get full and slow down sucking milk, and maybe do it twice a day, in the morning and night. You can tell after feeding if they got enough milk cause their bellies will be nice and round, and you can usually see a lighter portion of skin where the stomach is full of milk. Hopefully after a few days she'll get the hang of it herself, and just check the kits out before you assist their nursing, to see if the mom has already fed them on her own.
Thank you very much for that advice, Have fed the babies this morning and have just finished feeding them about 10 mins ago, and Im now noticing that they do seem to be rounder and so Im not worrying so much. Im so pleased I found this site as it has been the most informative that Ive seen online. :bambiandthumper
woahlookitsme
Well-Known Member
she is obviously giving them something. Babies cannot live beyond 48 hours without getting fed.
tamsin
Well-Known Member
You'll probably need to hold them to her more often than she'd naturally feed them, particularly while they are still getting the hang of it. Try 2-3 feeds per day.
:yeahthat:
OakRidgeRabbits
Well-Known Member
How old are the kits? And what breed are they?
The babies are 4 days old today and are lionheads. Fed them this morning and will do the same later on tonight with the help of my sister. She is starting to get a bit tetchy about feeding them but settles down once they latch on.
OakRidgeRabbits
Well-Known Member
I was asking because dwarf breeds can produce peanuts, which are babies who have double dwarfing genes. It ends in tiny, skinny babies who slowly fade and die. And that kind of thing could make it look like the doe is not feeding her kits.
Usually peanuts pass within about a week. But if they are feeding well, they are probably not peanuts. The peanuts lose interest in nursing and become weak quickly.
Usually peanuts pass within about a week. But if they are feeding well, they are probably not peanuts. The peanuts lose interest in nursing and become weak quickly.
wendymac
Well-Known Member
Please remember that rabbits only feed their kits for a few minutes at a time, once a day. You don't want them eating too much, and that could be why she's getting testy? Rabbits aren't like dogs and cats, who nurse their babies pretty much around the clock. A few minutes of quick suckling, then that's it until the next day.
My doe is feeding her babies fine now and they put 11grams in weight on throughout yesterday, She is feeding them twice a day I think. But they are all doing really well. Im pleased to bits. Also, Ive looked at a number of you tube videos of babies the same age and mine dont look any different in size. They are adorable.
wendymac
Well-Known Member
YAY!!! Usually rabbits know what they're doing, thankfully. LOL I'm glad to hear she's being a good mom and the kits are doing well!
