my bun babes are dying

[c101900]

just recently my bunny had babies and they seemedhealthy and fine for the first two days and then all of a sudden theyeach died one by one. i dont think the mommy was feeding them. i wouldhave fed them myself but im not sure what to do. do they have to have aspecial formula or do they drink warm milk? PLEASE HELP ME! I DONT WANTANYMORE TO DIE. im so upset.

 

[2bunmom]

You can feed them KMR which is kitty replacementmilk. It can be bought in pet shops and I have seen itatWalmarts. You also canfeed them goatsmilk. That comes in a can and can be boughtin somegrocery stores. It is usually found in with the canned milksuch as Carnation and etc. Of course you could use freshgoats milk if you know of a goat farm.You will need a syringeor an eye dropper to feed them with. Some posters have evensaid that you could hold the mother rabbit down and put the kits up toher nipples so they could eat. Hopefully the mom is producingmilk. You can tell if they are getting fed by theirstomachs. They should be nice and round.It is important to keep the kits( babyrabbits)warm. Do you have a nest box forthem?I hope this helps until someone with moreexperience comes to help. So sorry for the loss of some ofthe kits. I hope you can keep some of them alive.Oh and after feeding you need to take a damp cotton ball or cloth andmassage their private parts tostimulate them topeeand poop. Beckie

 

[c101900]

thank you beckie. those are great ideas. i willtry anything right now. i appreciate your response. i will update laterand yes they have a nesting box. thank you so much.

 

[Meganc731]

Good luck with your babies!

Megan

 

[Carolyn]

Hi c101900,

I'm so sorry. I know you're terribly upset. 2bunmom did an excellentjob at advising you. You can also add a touch of cream to the KMR ifyou wish. Be careful to syringe feed the babies slowly. They coulddrown if fed too fast for their little bodies. If they're wrinkly andcry and their abdomen appears sunken in, they're not getting fed. Besure they remain in the nestbox and if they fall out, put them back in.The doe won't turn away from them if they have your scent on her.

The suggested portions are of how much milk to feed are:

Newborn to 1 week: 2 ml.

1-2 weeks: 5-7 ml.

2-3 weeks: 7-13 ml.

3-6 weeks: 13-15 ml.


Also, the mother usually feeds the litter once a day at dawn, around5:00 a.m. Some mothers do feed 2x, but once seems to be a given.

We'll be thinking of you. Keep us posted.

-Carolyn

P.S. When their eyes open, you can begin to offer them solid food and grasshay in addition to the milk.

 

[Loz n Ebony]

How are they doing?

 

[c101900]

thank you all for your input. unfortunately itwas just too late. there was only one left. i went to the petstore assoon as i knew what to get. my husband held the baby in a hot towelwhile i went to get the kmr, but it was already gone by the time i gothome. thank you anyway. thanks to all of you i know what to do if thisever happens again. thank you.

 

[mygrl2k3]

awwwww thats too bad

 

[2bunmom]

AW, I am so sorry that it was to late to help anyof them. It is such a helpless feeling knowing that you needto do something and you do not know what that somethingis. My thoughts are with you. Beckie