Jazz just had babies *URGENT ADVICE NEEDED*

[lemonaxis]

OMG

My (just turned today) 8month old bun just produced babies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only rabbit she had seen is BK (RIP) a neutered male!!!!!!!!

What the heck is going on?

I want to save them, she is freaked out, I am freaked out.

Okay I don't know what to do, 2 are dead, 2 are alive. Will she go in and feed them?


She had made a secret nest for them out of an old cage that I have not checked or cleaned out for a while. Its on my deck!!

Now the family are inside.

The are newly born, looks like just a few minutes ago.


As the ONLY rabbit Jazz was around was neutered, I am so weirded out!!

How on earth do I help Jazz look after new babies. (who are grey!!!)

BK was grey/blue.

She is locked into the cage now, stamping and the babies are squeaking.

Will she look after them?
How often should she go see them?
The nest looks incomplete, should I pad it up?
Will the babies get cold?

I have unfortuantely handled the babies to place them protectively away in the more sheltered corner of the cage as the cats were about to get them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Snuggys Mom]

I wouldn't lock her in the cage. Can you bring the cage into a room where the cats aren't allowed? Then Jazz can come in and out of the cage to feed and care for them.

Did you remove the dead kits?

 

[lemonaxis]

dead kits gone.

Can't open cage, no place in my house to do that escept a cold bathroom and the cage is big.

Thank uou for your answer to my thread

 

[Snuggys Mom]

She's only going to feed them once or twice per day. Can you let her out during the middle of the day so she doesn't feel trapped?

As long as the babies are warm, they should be okay.

 

[lemonaxis]

Yes , will definately let her out, its 3am here so might leave her in for the night.

Do you think she will abandon them?
Have they had a feed I wonder?

I am so happy but nervous for her too.
She is due to get spayed on Monday!!

The only other bun thats been at my house has been Kruger and he was downstairs. I am trying to think hard if Jazz ever saw him other than through a pen that was outside, but the pen is tall and I was with them, no way that could have gotten to each other.

Unless there is something I don't remember because this is all very much a surprise to us.

Poor Jazz, shes so young?
Is it okay that she is 8months old?

Should I get her to a vet tomorrow?

How often do new mums abandon their babies?

 

[jordiwes]

Here is a post from aurora369 to help you out. She would be a good person to PM if you have specific questions:

aurora369 wrote:

Did mom pull fur? The babies should be covered in a large pile of fur to keep warm. If there is no fur, you try gently plucking fur from her belly or use some clean cotton balls.

What did you use for a nest box? A shoe box will work in a pinch. Mom needs to be able to get in and out easily but the babies shouldn't be able to wiggle out.

You need to check the nest to make sure there are no placentas or dead babies. Mom should finish labour quickly, and if she's still straining an hour or so after birth, she may have a stuck kit. Check her privates and see if you can see a baby. Feel her abdomen for any left over babies. It would probably be a good idea to take her to a vet for confirmation that she has no babies left in her. Stuck kits could kill her if she begins to bleed or if the baby dies and goes septic.

Make sure the babies stay warm and that mom is feeding them. Their bellies should be full and round like a ping pong ball. You may not see mom feed them as she will only do it once or twice a day and she will stand over over them while they feed from below.

Here's some good advice too:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=20534&forum_id=8

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Sounds like BK left you a present. :biggrin2:Who knows how - maybe he had a third testicle that didn't descend? Maybe they didn't get one when they said they did? Who knows but he's left you a present. I think that's totally cool!

How long was he neutered before meeting Jazz?

ok - check their little tummies and see if they are nice and round.

She'll only feed them a couple of times a day. She might not even be near them otherwise.

do they have fur? cause normally babies that are newborn have no hair.

Most mommy rabbits don't care if you handle the babies. Just rub your hands on her before you touch them incase. If she doesn't take care of them - just go get the babies and put her someplace comfy and let them nurse. Two times a day - morning and night is all they need.

 

[Jenson]

OMG WOW!:shock:

I can't believe that! BK must've left you something to remember him by, hehe. A miracle!

If you can't leave the cage open then maybe just shut her in at night? She really needs to keep a normal routine as possible.

I'd suggest leaving them alone for the rest of the day, you can check them later tonight or tomorrow morning to see if she has fed them. If she has they will have very fat, round tummies. They often won't feed the kits until the night time after they are born so don't worry just yet. If she hasn't fed them they will have flat tummies and go wrinkly.

She should be fine, if she built a nest then she is more than likely planning to take care of them. You don't need to do much besides keep them safe from the cats and check once a day for dead kits. They don't often abandon their babies, but you might want to rub your hands over her before touching the kits. And 8 months is fine for most breeds. I'm sure they will be fine!

Congrats!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Know what, I'm smiling from ear to ear!

 

[lemonaxis]

Well in the short time that has elapsed, I have flipped out! Become a grandmother!!!!
Read a ton of stuff on RO and am researching more as I go on and on and have found out so much, going to take pics in the morning. I did find a fresh placenta in the nest and disposed of it.

Poor Jazz, cats hanging must have been terrifying.

So in total she had five kits, 2 alive, 2 dead and we just found another one too, dead as if still born. It looks like she carried it away from the nest, its smaller than the rest. We just found it, its still warm but gone.

So sad, I am so sad. Is it normal? Why only 2 survive?

 

[BlueGiants]

lemonaxis wrote:

Yes , will definately let her out, its 3am here so might leave her in for the night. You can let her out for now... She isn't going to sit on them and keep them warm, she won't pay them any attention until the morning. Let her get some rest where ever she is used to sleeping. Let her go back in a few hours (based on your time!)

Do you think she will abandon them? NO! Rabbits don't care if you touch the babies.
Have they had a feed I wonder? If they are just born, she may not feed them for 12-18 hours. As long as they are warm and dry, they will be fine for now.

I am so happy but nervous for her too. Stay calm, she can feel your tension and it'll make her nervous.... She knows what to do! Let her do it.
She is due to get spayed on Monday!! That's going to have to wait for now!

The only other bun thats been at my house has been Kruger and he was downstairs. I am trying to think hard if Jazz ever saw him other than through a pen that was outside, but the pen is tall and I was with them, no way that could have gotten to each other. Sounds like Jazz had a spare! Or his neuter wasn't complete... or he got to her early after his neuter.

Unless there is something I don't remember because this is all very much a surprise to us.

Poor Jazz, shes so young?
Is it okay that she is 8months old? 8 months is fine for her age.MostDoesget bred between 7 and 10 months of age. She should be fine.

Should I get her to a vet tomorrow? No! Leave her be... she is fine, (unless you see continuous bleeding or other problems.) Leave the babies to her care.

How often do new mums abandon their babies? Very seldom. I have had does with poor maternal instinct... but it is not common. Stay calm and wait to see how she behaves...

 

[Bo B Bunny]

They can mate THROUGH cages from what I hear. If you blinked he could have gotten her also! LOL!

I'm still grinning from ear to ear.

 

[lemonaxis]

OMg the joy is setting in, the panic is subsiding and I can't get the goofy grin off my face:biggrin2:

Everything is calming down, Jazz is resting, the babie are fine.

I am a grandmamma:biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:


We got baby buns, baby buns in my house......aaaaagh!!!!!:biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:

 

[lemonaxis]

Oh Bo B Bunny, I know how you feel!

Thank you Snuggy, Jenson, Jordives, Blue Giants and Bo B.

I was on RO as soon as I could be and as always it has saved the day and made me feel so comforted and now I am not at all worried, just kinda drunk with happiness!

 

[lemonaxis]

One more thing...could Jazz end up having more...I extremely gently palpated her tum, she seems "empty".

Is 5 a good number, ie should it be higher?

Is it okay to be this insanely happy? Okay thats a retorical one!!!!

I just can't wait for the morning.
Have decided to leave the family in peace as don't want to be unnecessarily meddlesome.

I don't want to try convince myself it was BK but wouldn't that just be lovely!?

He and her spent a lot of time being very romantic and sometimes they even got it right (as opposed to Bk mounting her face a few times LOL).

I thought is was just a dominance thing.
To the very best of my recollection, Kruger and Jazz were not in contact.
But anything possible, one of the kids could have picked her up, let her out of the pen etc etc

But imagine if they are Bk's?
Wow I am just too wired to sleep

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I'm betting they are his.

How long was he neutered before they had time together?

 

[lemonaxis]

Going to TRY sleep now,

BK was neutered for many months, as many as 6!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

Or so you thought!!! LOL!

Goodnight. Sweet dreams!!

 

[aurora369]

Jordiwes already quoted me from another situation similar to yours.

I'll just add that you can make a nest from hay. Take a shoe box (or simlar sized box) and pack it with hay. Make a nice fist sized hole in the middle and transfer as much of the orginal nest into the new nest box.

Having the babies in a box will help them stay together and not get cold. Sometimes the babies will roll around and right out of the nest, which is bad as they will freeze to death.

The baby bellies should be round and plump. Mom will feed once or twice a day.

If it's been 24 hours and it seems like mom is not feeding them, you can encourage mom to feed the babies by putting her on the nest and feeding her treats to keep her calm. You want her to stay on the nest for 5 minutes to allow the babies to suckle till they are full.

Take pictures as soon as you are comfortable, and others experienced with babies can tell you if they look fed or not.

--Dawn

 

[MsBinky]

[align=center]:shock:!!!!!!!!![/align]
[align=center]I so hope they are BK's!!!! That would be so freakin cool! Good luck, I'm sorry I have never dealt with babies so I will keep my mouth shut for the most part. Just make sure they stay together to stay warm and don't panick if you don't see mom feeding them. As long as they have round bellies it means they are being fed. [/align]
[align=center]:biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:[/align]