Hand raising 4 ( used to be 5 RIP ) baby bunnies !

[Jasminebunny]

So.. today my bunnie had 5 bunnies while she was running around , and got behind our washing machine and decided to have them there ..
Couldn't get to them , so she couldn't feed them.. i think , so we got them out and put them with her but she wouldn't feed them still .
Would just lay next to them , but they were really hungry , so we had to feed them by hand so they didn't die because they hadn't eaten for ages .
They were very wrinkled and their stomachs were not full , so we hand fed half evaporated milk , half regular milk .
I mananged to get atleast 1-2 ml of the milk into them , and stimulated their gut .
Sadly one passed away , , poor buns heart stopped

Please can someone give me some tips!

 

[Jasminebunny]

The babies

 

[zuppa]

Does she have milk at all? Maybe offer her some rolled oats in addition to her unlimited high protein pellets, fennel is also good for nursing does so she can produce more milk. And make sure she has unlimited fresh water at all times.

You can try holding her over nest for a few minutes so kits could get some natural milk. I never used milk replacements but as far as I know CMR would suit or goat milk with added whipped cream. But I would really try feeding them mother's milk it should work.
How old are kits, they can survive without milk up to 48 hours and sometimes they can be wrinkled when just born she will maybe feed them later. I am not sure if evaporated milk and cow milk are good for them but I never tried.

 

[JBun]

If the mom still has milk, I would try and get them to nurse off her by holding her on my lap and having someone bring the babies up underneath to her belly to nurse. Or if that doesn't work, laying her on her back on your lap and holding the babies to her belly to nurse. But this is the least preferred method as she could kick or squirm and throw the baby off or kick and injure the baby.

Hand feeding is a last resort as the mother's milk is more nutritious and hand feeding poses a high risk of causing aspiration pneumonia. But if hand feeding is necessary it needs to be done with great care to minimize aspiration risks. I would use the mixture recommended in the first link below of 3 parts powdered kmr, 3 parts water, one part plain heavy cream (not whipped, not sweetened ). The second link has other tips on raising a litter.
https://www.2ndchance.info/bunnies.htmhttps://flashsplace.webs.com/accidentallitters.htm

 

[Jasminebunny]

Does she have milk at all? Maybe offer her some rolled oats in addition to her unlimited high protein pellets, fennel is also good for nursing does so she can produce more milk. And make sure she has unlimited fresh water at all times.

You can try holding her over nest for a few minutes so kits could get some natural milk. I never used milk replacements but as far as I know CMR would suit or goat milk with added whipped cream. But I would really try feeding them mother's milk it should work.
How old are kits, they can survive without milk up to 48 hours and sometimes they can be wrinkled when just born she will maybe feed them later. I am not sure if evaporated milk and cow milk are good for them but I never tried.

They were born like yesterday morning , and she didn't feed them all day .
She hates being held , and will probably bite or nip me if i try .

 

[Preitler]

That's normal. It can take up to 48h (rare, most times it's within 24h) for the milk to drop. Meddling with the nest and her doesn't necessaryly make things better. I wouldn't feed some random milk.

As it is now, if you didn't do that already anyway, I would put the kits in a warm nest inside a nestbox (not necessary when the nest is good anyway, but it helps keeping them in there, cardboard will do, if you have a way to heat it to body temperature without setting your house on fire that can reduce their energy needs)
Place it in the does cage or pen - a rather small space, stuff the does nose in there 2-3 times to show her where the nest is and give her lots of food and some privacy.
Meanwhile you can get a proper milk replacer, or goats milk (I used evaporated goats milk with some stuff mixed in it - rabbit milk is very rich stuff). Adding colostrum increases their chances, normally they get it at the first feedings from the doe.

 

[Jasminebunny]

That's normal. It can take up to 48h (rare, most times it's within 24h) for the milk to drop. Meddling with the nest and her doesn't necessaryly make things better. I wouldn't feed some random milk.

As it is now, if you didn't do that already anyway, I would put the kits in a warm nest inside a nestbox (not necessary when the nest is good anyway, but it helps keeping them in there, cardboard will do, if you have a way to heat it to body temperature without setting your house on fire that can reduce their energy needs)
Place it in the does cage or pen - a rather small space, stuff the does nose in there 2-3 times to show her where the nest is and give her lots of food and some privacy.
Meanwhile you can get a proper milk replacer, or goats milk (I used evaporated goats milk with some stuff mixed in it - rabbit milk is very rich stuff). Adding colostrum increases their chances, normally they get it at the first feedings from the doe.

Oh, sorry my dad recommended it .
She sits with them , but doesn't feed them .
My bun jasmine would feed them more than once a day , like 2-3 times a day , with my last litter , and wouldn't really ignore them .

One was very hungry by the time i got there , i don't know if that is why the baby died .
The kits are in a little cardboard box in the picture , with a old soft fleecey top and fur .

 

[Preitler]

But they are covered with about an inch of fluffy fur now, right? In the picture they are not covered at all. Chilling is the biggest threat to kits. If there's not enogh fur cotton wool, dryer lint etc. can be added. The box is big enough for the doe to comfortably lie in there?
Feeding two times a day is normal, at dusk and dawn. Some of my does will not go anywhere close to the nest as long as someone is around. As prey animals they protect the nest from predators that way. Others don't care that much, but usually those are more experienced does.

What does need most is food, quiet and privacy. That little voice in their head telling them what to do next isn't always that load and can be droned out by too many strange things going on.

Get some goat milk or replacer anyway, it's Murphys Law: If you have it, you wont need it

 

[Jasminebunny]

Struggling to keep them warm , going to put a hot water bottle down underneath a new blanket

 

[Jasminebunny]

But they are covered with about an inch of fluffy fur now, right? In the picture they are not covered at all. Chilling is the biggest threat to kits. If there's not enogh fur cotton wool, dryer lint etc. can be added. The box is big enough for the doe to comfortably lie in there?
Feeding two times a day is normal, at dusk and dawn. Some of my does will not go anywhere close to the nest as long as someone is around. As prey animals they protect the nest from predators that way. Others don't care that much, but usually those are more experienced does.

What does need most is food, quiet and privacy. That little voice in their head telling them what to do next isn't always that load and can be droned out by too many strange things going on.

Get some goat milk or replacer anyway, it's Murphys Law: If you have it, you wont need it

No i meant thats what happened with my last litter , she isn't feeding them at all .
I don't have any fur , but could i brush her to get some fur?

 

[Jasminebunny]

Bunnies are getting warm now , she did pull a lot of fur but it's wet .

 

[Jasminebunny]

They are so nice and warm , at the moment .
Mother bun wont let me brush her so i won't do that .

 

[Jasminebunny]

Also a few of them have rashes on their feet , or some thing

 

[Jasminebunny]

Are they being fed enough?
And my sister ordered formula in case we need it , it's comming by 8 pm even though Corona

 

[Jasminebunny]

 

[Jasminebunny]

No i meant thats what happened with my last litter , she isn't feeding them at all .
I don't have any fur.

 

[Jasminebunny]

So we lost another baby.

 

[Jasminebunny]

The mother still isn't feeding them , she's free roamed in the same room though .
So they are being hand fed

 

[Mariam+Theo]

I'm so sorry I hope the other ones make it!

 

[Jasminebunny]

I'm so sorry I hope the other ones make it!

Thanks , i hope so too ,