Doe keeps eating litters

[KHo]

Hi,

I have a doe that keeps eating her kits when they are born. She has had 3 litters: 1 on the wire and various degrees of eaten, but definitely dead. So I chalked this up to my fault. #2 she ate/killed 5 of 7, #3 kindled this morning and she started to eat 3 of 8.

I moved all 8 to another doe and put a litter of 1 week olds in this doe's box. 2 of 3 definitely won't make it but I'm going to let nature decide.

I've seen an occasional ear, part of a foot, or a tail over the years, but not anything like this.

Anyone have experience with this?

 

[Blue eyes]

Do you have a photo of her cage area (cage and surrounding area)?

 

[KHo]

This is the setup as pictured below 36w x 24d x 18h:

The 1 week old kits that I put in with her last night are fat and happy this morning with no signs of trouble.

Her babies that I moved to the foster doe have huge milk bellies. Two of the three that were badly injured died on the overnight but that's no surprise. I think #3 will be fine.

I did notice that almost all kits have one ear bitten off from the original mom. Healing fine, but gone :-/

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Is this a stress matter? Stressed due to environment, noises, and caging? Feeling threatened. I am so sad about the innocent babes who got cannibalized or died in this horrific way.

Are those rabbits in the adjacent wire cages? Are they all kept outside? Does their poo and urine drop below and other animals come to investigate?

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Found this info when googling. The House Rabbit Society educator told me right away - in 2004 - to keep a possibly pregnant female rabbit (from a hoarder/neglect scenario) in a quiet, environment away from stress and noise! - Otherwise she may kill her babies due to anxiety, and other reasons mentioned below. I don't breed rabbits. My main focus has been rescue of unwanted rabbits on euthanization lists at overpopulated shelters, or care of captured rabbits, and again, the lifelong care of rabbits that people no longer want...

Why Do Rabbits Eat Their Babies?
There are several why a rabbit eats her kits:

• Stillborn. Where a baby was stillborn, your rabbit will proceed to eat the body.
• Placenta. The rabbit was eating the afterbirth and placenta, and became confused. She ate the baby thinking it was part of the afterbirth.
• Panic. She was already nervous and ate her babies to avoid attracting predators to her hutch.
• Dietary protein. She was left drained and devoid of energy following the birth of her kits.
• Territorial behavior. She has no intention of sharing her hutch and removed the competition.
• Weakest less likely to survive. Rabbits can be Darwinian in their approach to motherhood.

Why Does My Rabbit Keep Killing Her Babies?
If this happens more than once, then you should spay your rabbit and not breed her again. Clearly, your rabbit rejects maternity. The more you force her to breed, the more it will distress her.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

RE: mention of stillborn above:
A large agouti came our way (into quiet home rescue environment) after she gave birth at the noisy, hectic shelter). Several babies died in the steel cubicle confinement space at the shelter, and she was transferred to our quiet home within hours after a socializer noticed the deceased newborns. One additional baby was stillborn several hours later in our quiet bedroom space in her maternity d/k crate with added hay and necessities.

She was thin, and later diagnosed witih coccidiosis. Babies at the shelter died while in shelter cubby environment, but were not cannibalized. (It's horrible to think about being eaten by a grizzly bear or a larger being and you're defenseless, unable to escape).

 

[SableSteel]

Most commonly rabbits eat their babies if the babies die of something else, or are very weak, to clean up the nest for the siblings. If you are sure that she was eating them alive, I would up her protein to an 18% or higher feed. If she still has issues with the higher protein feed, then it's probably stress or behavioral. You don't want a stress prone rabbit in breeding program, neither do you want one with awful mothering instincts, because those behaviors are genetic, o in that case I wouldn't use her for breeding. Most breeders give a doe three strikes and she's already had three. I wouldn't trust anything the house rabbit society says about rabbits in general, much less about breeding rabbits.

 

[KHo]

Thanks all.
@SableSteel I give them "blue seal show hutch deluxe extruded 17" which is at 17%, plus timothy hay. Can you suggest a brand with higher protein?

Kindle #1, I can't say but I am positive that kindle #2 and #3 she was eating them shortly after birth, and while still alive. I moved all of this current #3 to a foster and two died (as expected due to the extent of the injuries).

Maybe there is something wrong with the kits but they were born nice and fat, and are doing great with the foster. So that brings me back to behaviour/stress.

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[SableSteel]

Thanks all.
@SableSteel I give them "blue seal show hutch deluxe extruded 17" which is at 17%, plus timothy hay. Can you suggest a brand with higher protein?

If you want to stick with blue seal they have Home Fresh Top Hutch 18 which is 18% protein. Don't think they have an extruded 18% as far as I know though. Purina Professional also has 18% protein. It would probably be easiest though to just add a bit of Calf Manna as a supplement to this one doe. Calf Manna has 25% protein and high energy; just give a little scoop along with her daily food to raise the protein levels.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Thanks for recognizing that stress could be a factor.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

I'm so sad that the babies were eaten or killed. We've had experiences with babies born in our home and many fosterers and humans who take in dumped rabbits, captured rabbits, do have experiences with females giving birth.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Here's the link to the entire article with excerpts taken in my above post.
How to Stop a Rabbit from Eating Her Babies — Rabbit Care Tips

Another article: Why Is My Rabbit Eating Her Babies | Petsial

 

[KHo]

If you want to stick with blue seal they have Home Fresh Top Hutch 18 which is 18% protein. Don't think they have an extruded 18% as far as I know though. Purina Professional also has 18% protein. It would probably be easiest though to just add a bit of Calf Manna as a supplement to this one doe. Calf Manna has 25% protein and high energy; just give a little scoop along with her daily food to raise the protein levels.

Thanks - I'll pick some up today. Is manna something I can give daily as a regular diet?

And for what it's worth, once the kits are a few days old, she takes really good care. it's that 1-2 day period from kindle #2 that she kept doing it. The two she raised are fat and happy. And the 6 kits she has in there now are fat and happy.

I'll give her one more try and up the protein and put up the dividers, but if kindle #4 is a repeat, then she is done.