Preventing another litter and more deaths:

[Eyssa]

Yesterday, we happened to find two dead baby rabbits in one of our two rabbit hutches. Problem is, ALL three of the rabbits were supposed to be girls, so apparently the vet made a mistake and misgendered one of them. I know for sure that Spice is indeed a female, because I watched her nurse her litter (which happened to be an oops litter as well)... It's just that the two other rabbits, which happen to be Spice's offspring, are now back to being called "it".

Well, later on in the day when I got home (I was away when the dead babies were found), the babies were gone and I figured that the mother -whoever she is- must've eaten them.

SO. Since I'm new to breeding (I'm not a breeder and I don't plan to become one... this is just one of those oops moments, and I dearly wish I could rewind time and prevent those deaths), and since it's very, very possible there could be another litter on the way (as I'm sure that there's only one male, meaning two possibly impregnated females) then I'm wondering if the presence of all three rabbits in one hutch will endanger another litter. I can't separate them tonight, because I don't have anywhere else to put them, but I'll be darned if I'm going to let another litter die. I mean, not like I want more rabbits, but I can't stand to see them die needlessly like that.

I'm sorry if I sound very much like a newb. I've only been a rabbit owner for two years, and I'm quite frustrated so far with the experience... even though I love them all dearly.

Thanks in advance!!

 

[missyscove]

Oh my! That does sound frustrating.
Have you flipped them all over and taken a good look?
Your best bet would definitely be to separate all three. If one of the girls is pregnant, you don't want her in with other rabbits when she kindles (gives birth).
Also, I'm not sure how old these rabbits are, but I'd also highly suggest you get them spayed/neutered.

 

[Pekoe]

Could you perhaps have them sexed by a breeder? My rabbit's breeder (also the breeder of my neighbour's rabbit) offered to sex the litter that my neighbour had, and usually breeders know their stuff.

That does sound frustrating! I hope you get things sorted out soon. Best of luck to you and your buns.

 

[irishlops]

i agree ^^^^^^^^^^

sepatrate them. i had to do that with mine.

sorry about the babies. my female is due soon, i i hope i dont have to go through with all that you are.

good luck.

 

[Flashy]

I hate to break this to you but potentially you have two more litters on the way if you have two girls, because a doe is most receptive 0-72 hours after birth. This means the male can have done his thing with the one who just gave birth.

They definitely all need to be separated, as quickly as possible. Then you need to work out what the window for them having their litters is, which is any time from now, to 31 days after they were separated. A pregnancy lasts normally about 31 days, but like with people, this can differ, and it can be anything from 28-33 (and in some cases even a few days longer), so ou will need to be aware until 34-35 days after you separate them.

For the one who didn't have these kits it might be worth giving them a nestbox just in case. A nest box needs to be open topped, and just big enough for mum to get in and stand there, and nothing else. the sides need to be high enough so the kits can't get out.

When you separate them, you could potentially use that time to get your buck neutered. He can't be put back in with ladies straight away, he needs 6-8 weeks after a neuter to become infertile, and obviosuly if there is a life litter he can't go near mum until after they are weaned (at about 8 weeks), but if he is neutered (and obviously if they are spayed there is potential for them to rebond after, and you would know that there would not be any more potential litters from this guy.

 

[Eyssa]

Thank you all for your replies! It definitely is frustrating, especially to know that my ignorance to bunny gendering is what caused all of this.

I have indeed flipped them over and had a look myself... quite a few times, actually, but they all look the same. I sort of compared the "baby" rabbits (they'll be a year old in April), Basil and Willow, with their mother, Spice, to try to get some insight but I saw nothing different. And, as pathetic as it sounds, I've looked it up on the internet to only be more confused than ever.

And as far as spaying/neutering goes, I definitely agree. It's just that at this moment in time, while I'm working my on-the-side-job, I don't have enough funds to get them done. It'll be a few weeks before I have enough to get one bunny done, but it definitely will be done. Which brings up the question: should I look for a vet that specializes in rabbits, or would a regular vet be okay?

Unfortunately, I don't know who the breeder of the original two rabbits -Sugar and Spice- are, because I bought them for fifteen bucks at the county fair. And I don't know of anyone in the area that breeds rabbits, though I'm sure there are quite a few breeders.

And yep, I know that now I may have two pregnant females. One of the females may even give birth soon, since there was only one litter that came from this all. I'll have them separated today... I just have to find something to put them in. The best I can do is put one female in our cat carrier (for the time being) with some straw, and another in a large plastic tub with a screen lid I have in storage. Other than that, I really can't do anything better for them. I'm still waiting for my new and improved two-level bunny condo to be finished (it hasn't even been started yet, actually) and we have only one small hutch outside, a dog crate, and another small hutch inside... the latter two which are currently being used.

Again, I thank you for your replies!

 

[Flashy]

Finances are tight, I appreciate that So just keeping them apart is the best you can do for now.

I wonder if maybe you could pen off an area of a room somehow? If a doe was to give birth in one of those small areas it would surely go wrong. If you can find a way to give them more space, that would be great. What country ar eyou in? In the US you will have places like Craigslist where you may be able t pick up a free puppy pen, or a large dog crate or even another hutch or something. In the UK you can try places like freecycle. That might be worth thinking about to try and get them into more appropriate accommodation asap.

I wonder if there is anyone near you, from the forum. Whereabouts are you? Just your local town/city might be enough.

Yes, for those operations a Rabit Savvy vet would be advisable. Especially if your current vet can't sex rabbits, who knows what might be removed! We have a list of Rabbit Savvy vets in a sub forum in the Infirmary. It might be worth checking that out. Rabbit Savvy vets are not necessarily more expensive, it just means that they have a good knowledge of rabbits.

 

[DeniseJP]

Don't feel bad - my neighbor called me in a panic as she had a Rex doe and a Holland Lop doe amd when her son's girlfriend couldn't keep her Rex "doe," they added her to the large pen.

My neighbor called me in a panic a month or so later - she could not understand how three females could reproduce...and there were babies "hopping around in th pen..." could a wild rabbit have gotten into the large enclosure? I sexed the rabbits for her and the late addition was in fact a very male rabbit - mis-sexed by the pet store he was purchased from as a youngster. I adopted him from my neighbor and had him for a number of years until he passed of natural causes last year - he was a tort Rex.

It happens... but neutering will help eliminate the possibilities of unwanted litters and help your bunnies live longer... I am not a veterinarian but I know in dogs neutering eliminates some cancers (mammary cancer in females (and pyometra - a nasty uterine infection) and perianal adenoma in males)... and the last of my Holland line is 10+ years and a happily neutered male that belongs to a friend of mine.

And remember - a rabbit savvy veterinarian is worth his/her weight in gold... I have two I would trust with my past and future buns... one was able to save the last of my Holland line when he was neutered and flat lined on the surgery table... the other was very careful how she removed a growth from a young doe I had.

Just my two cents worth...from my experiences.

Denise

 

[Pipp]

These are from Deb Mark's great site...

This is a buck...

This is a doe...

And here's a few more examples (although I need to find the credits)..

Girl...

Boy...

Hope this helps!!


sas :blushan:

 

[Pipp]

PS: I have rabbits loose in the bathroom, an enclosed back porch, a blocked off front hall, the living room, my bedroom and the spare bedroom.

I've got cardboard boxes set up to hold litter and hay. All but one pair use a litter box.

PS2: Can you put your location in your profile?

PS3: What time frame are we talking here? When did you find the babies? You may have another litter or two in 30 days from that day, but you probably know that.


sas :expressionless

 

[Eyssa]

Just a quick update: I have separated the females/male so that the two girls -or who I believe are the two girls- are now in their own separate plastic tubs with open tops and straw bedding. The other two are in their original pens, but everyone is separated and hopefully happy for now. Whew, that was a lot of work...

Finances are tight, I appreciate that So just keeping them apart is the best you can do for now.

I wonder if maybe you could pen off an area of a room somehow? If a doe was to give birth in one of those small areas it would surely go wrong. If you can find a way to give them more space, that would be great. What country ar eyou in? In the US you will have places like Craigslist where you may be able t pick up a free puppy pen, or a large dog crate or even another hutch or something. In the UK you can try places like freecycle. That might be worth thinking about to try and get them into more appropriate accommodation asap.

I wonder if there is anyone near you, from the forum. Whereabouts are you? Just your local town/city might be enough.

Yes, for those operations a Rabit Savvy vet would be advisable. Especially if your current vet can't sex rabbits, who knows what might be removed! We have a list of Rabbit Savvy vets in a sub forum in the Infirmary. It might be worth checking that out. Rabbit Savvy vets are not necessarily more expensive, it just means that they have a good knowledge of rabbits.

I'd love to be able to pen off an area of the basement (because that's the only place we have to keep them... they're not allowed in the main part of the house, and even if they were there wouldn't be any room =( ) because we honestly have no room. I had to work for about an hour to clear out a small place and set up their boxes. We've got a rather old, drafty house with low-ceilings in the basement and tons of old junk everywhere that is too heavy for me to move. But if I can possibly figure out a way to set up something like a pen, then I'll try to do that if it's the best thing. Thanks for the suggestion! And I'll also try to find a rabbit savvy vet as well... perhaps there's one near me in that list you spoke of.

And thanks, DeniseJP... it makes me feel a bit better to know that there's other people out there that have trouble sexing rabbits. They are quite difficult critters to figure out, haha. And Pipp, it sure does sound like you have a big family! Unfortunately, we can't let our rabbits run loose... we've got three cats in the house along with three dogs, one of whom really likes the rabbits... and not in a good way, either. Right now, I've got two that are kept in our small mudroom in a large hutch and small wire dog crate and the other two, like I said, are in the the basement in open-topped plastic tubs with straw bedding... And thanks for the pictures! I'll have to go compare them here today to make sure of what I have. (By the way, as an answer to your question, I live in the NE United States... if that helps at all. I'm a little leery of putting my exact location on the web.)

Thanks all!