Foster mom stopped feeding, now what?

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CCWelch

CCWelch

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Mar 28, 2011
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Location
Shellsburg, Iowa, USA
Help! My foster doe has decided to only feed the 4 day old kits and not the 10 day old kits. She had been feeding both until the day before yesterday.
My main question is how much do I feed 10+ day old New Zealand kits? I have the replacer for them, I am just not sure that 1/2 tsp is enough for the older kits. Also, how do I hold them to feed them? I am using a small syringe. Several of them started to sneeze while feeding, now I have 2 that are hunched up in a corner.

Suggestions please!
I have fed from newborn before but not very successfully, I usually lose half the litter or better before I get a foster doe.

I do generally breed 2 does at the same time to avoid this but this time my second foster didn't take:(
 
The only thing I know is about using a syringe with an adult rabbit: they should not be on their back because would go into the windpipe & that the syringe should go in from the side, not with the tip down the throat. I don't know if this helps, but it's all I know.
 
I have no experience with this, but is there anyway you can hold the doe down and let the kits nurse? I can remember doing that when I was a kid and we would have a runt. Its hard when they are really tiny but by ten days I think they would latch on quick enough that if you could just hold her still for a couple minutes it might be enough.

Or do you think she stopped because she doesn't have enough to feed both litters?

I have four litters and am still not having a bit of luck fostering, everyone has full litters of their own.
Good luck!
 
We tried holding her and putting them on her, I think it is because they have teeth that hurt her now, whereas the younger ones do not hurt her.

I have not gone out to do chores yet, but the other NZ doe was nesting last evening at chore time.

I am thinking, if I can get in town today,I will purchase a bottle and see if that works any better. Between the snow on Friday and the ice yesterday, I have gone nowhere. I just make it a point to keep emergency stuff on hand.
(the rabbit food ran out Sunday and the roads were so bad that the Feed place wasn't open Friday, Saturday or yesterday so the rabbits ate bread yesterday)
 
Ok bottle purchased, found some "pet" milk replacer, it has all the probiotics in it besides the milk replacer.
The babies so far do not like the bottle, I don't think the milk is coming out fast enough.
I fed them once so far today, and will feed again before I go to bed, I am letting them eat as much as they want, when they start letting most of it escape their mouths instead of swallowing it, I stop. This has been about 2 and a half teaspoons. I have also mixed in a small amount of electrolyte because they are all slightly dehydrated from not being fed for 48 hours.
They are now sleeping quietly and not constantly trying to nurse on each other. :)
 
Definitely sounds like progress. Hoping it continues. You are doing an awesome job with them.

Please let me know how they do.

K :)
 
I feel like a human baby mom, I am been drooled on, peed on, even chewed on but still I feed them and they are happy.

I got a bottle yesterday and discovered that they need a very large hole for their formula, if they suck and don't get anything, they stop.
Started feeding Goats Milk Esbilac today with a little of the other powder mixed in for the probiotics, hope they will soon be eating out of a dish on their own.......
 
CCWelch wrote:
I feel like a human baby mom, I am been drooled on, peed on, even chewed on but still I feed them and they are happy.

I got a bottle yesterday and discovered that they need a very large hole for their formula, if they suck and don't get anything, they stop.
Started feeding Goats Milk Esbilac today with a little of the other powder mixed in for the probiotics, hope they will soon be eating out of a dish on their own.......
Click to expand...

You are a good Foster Bunny Mom. Thanks for posting what you are feeding them. Definitely something to put in the "If you need it" catagory.

You will have them eating out of a dish in no time.

K :)
 
I have 1 baby left out of these, the others have all died off after becoming bloated. (2 are alive but one just barely:( )
I would stop them from overeating, I even gave them Simethicone mixed in and still they bloated and died. The one just barely hanging on is not bloated but it won't eat either. I am trying bounce back electrolytes and water every hour.
 
So sorry about the losses. Bunny babies are just so fragile. And like Lake said, you did everything humanly possible to keep those kits alive and thriving.

Hoping the last one does well.

K :)
 
Talked to someone at my Cedar Rapids Rabbit Breeders Association Meeting last night and they suggested that because the bunny is now 3 weeks old that I should drop the formula and give it just baby food (carrots, creamed spinach or peas)and water. Be prepared for diarrhea the first few days, also give it pellets to chew on and oatmeal to eat. Watch how much it eats, it will be underweight but will catch up once it is completely eating solid food.

Right now the last little one is bloated but still wanting to drink water (mixed with "Bounce Back"electrolyte), it also ate some carrot baby food via syringe this afternoon. once she is showing signs of feeling better I will get a picture of her with her orange face from the carrots.
 
I don't think the formula should be dropped abruptly. And I'm sure any veggies, baby food or not, should wait. You probably should slowly introduce soaked, mashed alfalfa pellets in with the formula.
 
It is already nibbling pellets, the KMR is bloating it no matter how little I feed it. I even tried just a teaspoon and it bloated up.
 
Well, I lost the last one this morning. If she had been all right I was going to move her out with Pinky and the foster litter because it was the same size and activity level. It was acting fine when I fed it last night, this morning it was bloated and all cold and in its final hour(no blinking when you touch the eyes but still movement when you pick it up) I left it to go peacefully.

I hope all of these babies realize that a human cared for them very much and that they all touched her heart. Binky free little ones.:rip::cry4::cry1::rainbow::bigtears::bunnyangel2::bunnyangel2::bunnyangel2::bunnyangel2::bunnyangel2::bunnyangel2::bunnyangel2: One angel for each of them. I lost 7 in all.
 
I'm truly sorry. In New Jersey someone knows a human took such good care of those babies. It just wasn't meant to be.

I'll send a word to my Angel who'll watch over your babies. He'll let them know you tried and miss those 7 angels.

Sending hugs.

K
 
I am so sorry they are gone. You did so much for them. Know you did all you could, and much more then many of us would of been able to do.

Hugs
Melissa
 
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