A Help! Are my new kits feeding? (Posted on behalf of new member)

[katadvokat]

(Posting this on behalf of new member who is awaiting confirmation email from RO)

I have six kits that are approximately 3 days old that are getting more wrinkled as the days go by. I’m worried my doe isn’t producing milk.

The kits are very warm and active, but I don’t see their bellies very full and their skin is wrinkled. I have seen mama in the nesting box and I have also placed my doe on her back and placed the kits on her. The kits were vigorously searching for food and kept moving from one teat to another, however, I never saw any milk on the kits or on mama and saw no difference in their bellies.

I have also tried to hand-feed the babies with a KMR recipe, but they seem uninterested.

Can someone please take a look at this picture of my babies and let me know if they look healthy and I’m overreacting, or if I need to intervene. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[SableSteel]

The kits have full bellies in that picture. They look healthy. The wrinkling is dried urine or liquid in them. It should go away as they get in their fur but you might want to make sure they have a dry, clean nest

 

[Happy Hollands]

congrats on your new litter!!
it's hard to say from one picture, I would love to see pictures of the babies on their backs. you should be able to see a "white tint" in their belly, it looks like they're wrinkly but have some milk in them. KMR should be your absolute last resort seeing as it is different from rabbit milk, but here's what you should do continuing on!
keep it very close on the babies and mom. make sure the babies are not escaping / trying to blindly find mom for food. that being said, babies can survive up to 72 hours without milk. it would be highly profitable too go to a feed store and purchase Calf Manna (little pellets, similar to rabbit pellets) and feed her 1/2 to one tablespoon per day until the babies are 4 weeks old. this will enhance her milk production, seeing as she had a larger litter. this may sound weird, but also try to massage her teats to get the milk flow coming in. try to feel and see if they are wet - hopefully they are, that would be a great sign. similar to what you were trying to do with KMR, hold the newborns one at a time up to her teats to try getting them to drink that way. hold mom tight, and be persistent even if she wants to run away. they should fill up fast!
do you happen to have any other litters of similar age, or nursing does to foster the babies to?? good luck...!

 

[katadvokat]

Thank you both for your reassurances and helpful advice!
The owner has seen the replies.
Hopefully they will be able up get their account operating and be able to respond to you directly.