Help please one litter, who's the mother?

[grumpybabies]

I have just had the surprise of my life, i've just found 7 live and 1 dead baby! The problem is there were 2 unneutered females together, mum and baby, mum seems to have loads of blood on her, but her daughter has a little blood inside her bits, help! I've kept 'mum' with babies and daughter seperated in a different cage, have i done right?

 

[grumpybabies]

Sorry now i've calmed down i just wanted to add that the mum and daughter got out from their cage, and obviously mated through a cage bars, i genuinely thought they wouldn't be able to do that so i didn't check for pregnancy, although i know it has happened to others on here i just didn't think it. I feel such a pratt, this isn't my first accidental litter either, i joined because my rabbit broke out of her cage years ago to mate a free roaming male i'm so mad at myself please don't think bad of me i feel bad enough myself i never wanted another rabbit for the time being let alone 7 :grumpy: i just wanted to give my current ones more time and love. Ironically i was going to have her spayed today but i left it too late to book. Anyway, my problem is, if the one i've left with babies is mum, is daughter pregnant too? Baby overload aaarrrggghhh. I'm usually the one that takes in unwanted rabbits, not creates them i'm so angry at myself can you tell that? Sorry rant over!

 

[polly]

I would maybe check the nipples see which one is loaded with milk for the babies. maybe keep an eye out for more nesting behavior from the one that hasnt had the babies.
wouldnt it be random if both had had babies at same time Lol unlikely but you just never know if they have mated at same time.

 

[grumpybabies]

I called an emergency vet and he said check that but i can't tell that the nipples are bigger even with the one that defeinitely had them so that's no option. I'm going to the vets tom anyway so i'll take the daughter for a check just in case.

 

[bunnybunbunb]

You can easily tell by the tits. The one that had the babies will have milk, the one that doesn't will not. You have to "milk them", not just feel for size.

Did the mother pull fur? If so then look for bald patches on the rabbits. I would had just kept both does together, if here was no fighting there would be no trouble and then you would not have to worry about the babies starving. If the daughter is the mother she may not take the babies back if she is seperated for more than 12 hours or so.

Also, it is possible both does got bred the same day and both had babies. One doe in labour triggers other does around to go into labour, I have saw it many times with does who misscarry or have their babies early. If one does - they all do. I have had it happen 3 times this year alone.

 

[Pipp]

These things happen, don't be so hard on yourself.

Great info from bunnybunbunb.

I'd personally try and leave both rabbits together regardless, although not my area of expertise. A friend had a litter here and they were mostly raised the mom's daughter from a previous litter. She was a better caregiver than their mother.

What breed(s) are they?

Also, can you put your location in your profile?


sas :bunnydance:

 

[tonyshuman]

You can still get the daughter spayed if she is pregnant, depending on how far along she is. I know that can be a hard decision, but it will be hard to ensure that the babies will have a good life if you have a ton on your hands at once.

 

[Pipp]

I'm assuming both bunnies got out at the same time and they only got out once?

If that's the case, I would think that both may have given birth, as per Bunnybunbunb's post. If that's the case, odd that you'll probably never know whose are whose!


sas :bunnydance:

 

[TinysMom]

Don't beat yourself up - accidents happen even to the best of folks.

Instead- start enjoying those babies and as they get older- give them hugs from me!

 

[Baby Juliet]

I have 2 does who chewed out of a wooden hutch. The hutch has a private area which I seldom check. One day I checked it and found kits with eyes already opened. They are now 3 or 4 weeks old and still live with both does. Don't know who's the mother but they all get along OK.

 

[Blaze_Amita]

accidents do happen. I am usually very very careful about not mix breeding my buns, and I had a Holland Lop doe-known for killing her off spring, and a dutch buck that had Maloclussion(Sp is bad). and somehow they bred through the cage wire, and naturally she kept that litter, but I was very selective on the pet owners i chose and well informed them about the teeth from the buck. all the children seem to be fine, not a one has had bad teeth yet- year and a half later.

 

[grumpybabies]

Thanks for all the kind replies, i'm glad someone else's rabbit has mated through bars! Well they are 2 days old now and i have still got mum and daughter seperated, but i took the daughter to the vets and she isn't pregnant and hasn't given birth according to the vet, and the fur pulled for the nest was only mum's colour anyway. When i found babies, it must have just been minutes after giving birth, and daugher was being fine with them, but can i risk putting her back now? I don't want her hurting the babies but i don't want her losing her bond with her mum either, and my problem is they are in my shed, do i risk moving mum, babies and daughter into my house to watch them or will mum go nuts? I hate decisions that might hurt babies.... Please all advice about that would be great. Also just because i am so impatient, i have worked out who the dad is and i hate to say it, but it must be her son so i am trying work out if they will turn out lops or upright ears. Mum is a lop, dad to the first litter was a netherland dwarf with big upright ears and son has upright ears, but must be a lop carrier, so what will end up being dominent? I am an absolute sucker for lops and prob won't give them up! Just a thought i shouldn't be here typing i should be getting photos, and giving hugs from Peg how bad of me! Photos to come of the family!

 

[grumpybabies]

OK serious update! I put daughter with mum and babies with me watching, daughter immediately pulled fur and i thought how sweet, but then i found out she was feeding them!!!! So both have given birth?!! 1 baby was DOA, daughter is about 2 yo and not had a litter before, maybe that was hers and the live 7 mums? Now i doubt myself that mum has given birth, she pulled the fur for the nest and her below was covered in blood, but the babies weren't overly fat the last 2 mornings with just mum there, maybe because they had digested the most by the time i got up. And they necer screamed with hunger when i out my hand in the nest either. Brain overload help?!!!

 

[Baby Juliet]

I would move them in the house so it would be easier to keep an eye on them. The babies certainly won't mind the move. I've had babies in a nest and moved the nest in the house and bring the mother in each day to nurse. If both get along and are willing to nurse you'll have some fat babies.

 

[grumpybabies]

well i don't want to seperate the mum and babies, and bring mum in just to nurse because what happens if they don't feel like feeding them at that time? I have just had to seperate mum and daughter because they were fighting and running over the nest so i have left them with mum mum and i have found out they both have milk so should i seperate the litter and give half each now or what? Mum that they are with is the experienced mum but the daughter seems really keen, i worry i have stressed them both out too much and they will abandon the babies now?

 

[irishbunny]

If it was me I would leave everything the way it is, leave the daughter separated and let the mother have the babies, she seems to have been doing a good job over these last few days.

 

[Baby Juliet]

How about 4 or 5 with mom and3 or 2with daughter? You can bring daughter in with the babies since she don't have a nest yet. Put some hay in a box and place the babies in there. In the morning it may be lined with fur from the daughter.

BTW the babies always nursed when I brought the mother in once or twice a day.

 

[grumpybabies]

Thanks again for such quick replies. I've just read what you have said so bear with me this is what i thought a minute ago... I thought about the splitting the litter up but with 3 or 4 i didn't want them getting too cold, so my plan is keep them all with mum and once a day take the litter to the daughter for an extra feed, or just the ones that need it, however i have just put 4 in with daughter and i tried to get her to feed and she wasn't having it so i've left them with her and see how she in in a few mins. She wouldn't let me hold her above them or bribe her to stay there, but when i put her in with them earlier she went straight to feed as i said. There are a couple of skinny ones that i am worried about so hopefully this plan will work, otherwise i would have left them just with mum i think as she is a proven mother. Will keep you updated and post pics tom i am too tired now and have quite a while sorting out babies yet tonight i think!

 

[Baby Juliet]

Mother rabbits only feed once or twice a day. If she already fed today it's unlikely she'll feed again. You need to do it when she's full of milk usually at the same time of day.

 

[grumpybabies]

Well i got bitten by the daughter for my troubles, and i tried to get mum to feed the runt and i think i had a little bit of success but not too much. Tom night if the runt i still alive, which i am hopeful of, i am just going to take the biggest 4 babies away from mum before feeding so there is less competition. I have done this successfully before for all my runts, the problem is i can't remember what time this mum feeds so i will have to just try my best to get the big ones back mid feed so they don't miss out totally. Will it harm them if the big babies do miss one night's feed totally? If she feeds twice a night it won't be a problem but i'm not sure how many times she feeds. I've decided not to involved daughter at all now i think the changes are stressing both mums out too much Thanks for all the help.