Large breed breeders: need a replacement nursing doe

[The Turtle]

We lost our senior doe right after she'd given birth to seven strong Flemish kits. We need to line up a nursing doe that might be able to help out. We're going to hand-feed as long as necessary but if we can locate a doe in DC/VA/MD who may have lost a litter, or who is close to weaning and could help out some day-old kits, email us:

[email protected]
[email protected]

Almost any decent-size breed (Holland lop, NZ, Californian, even a big Dutch) should be able to help out so we don't lose them.

Turtle

 

[Flashy]

I'm sorry about your doe. At the risk of being incredibly stupid by asking this, did you not mate anyone else up at the same time in case something went wrong?

Just trying to work out ifyou have no doe available, or no doe that can take on 7.

 

[The Turtle]

No, we didn't have another doe available. We recounted; turns out there are eight, not seven!

 

[aurora369]

Hi,

I just moved your thread to the Rabbitry as you will have the best luck finding a lactating doe here.

I hope you can find a suitable foster mommy.

--Dawn

 

[Flashy]

I hope you find some one and their bun to help you.

x



ETA- Is there a list of breeders in your county/country anywhere? If there is, maybe that might be worth checking out?

 

[wabbitmom12]

Oh, sorry about your mama doe!

You might want to call your local 4-H rabbit club (call the 4-H extension office to get the leaders' names). They almost always know someone who has just kindled, or is weaning. Most new mamas will take an orphan kit pretty easily. Sometimes you have to split the kits up between several new mamas - 8 would be a lot on top of the mama's own litter.

Good luck, I hope you find someone to help you out!!

 

[The Turtle]

Our doe's original breeder had some Californians who are suitable, so we took the kits (eight altogether!) up to northern Pennsylvania, where they will be for a few weeks until the mother weans off her own litter, then we'll likely bring the crew back down here.

The kits are strong, Suzette gave them a great start. We are now going to have to deal with losing her. She was a really, really good wabbit.

Turtle

 

[BSAR]

I'm sorry about Suzette.

Its great thou that you found a doe for the kits. And that there momma gave them a great start.

 

[Flashy]

I'm so glad you found a foster doe

It's always horrible to lose a bunny, but she lives on in these 8 fighters, hopefully she will pass her personality, etc, onto these little ones.

Please keep us updated on how they are doing.

x

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I'm so glad you found a foster mom for the kits.

I really hate that you lost your doe. I'm so sorry.

Please keep us informed of the kits and how things are going there!

 

[wabbitmom12]

The Turtle wrote:

The kits are strong, Suzette gave them a great start. We are now going to have to deal with losing her. She was a really, really good wabbit.

Turtle

It is hard to lose them. :sad: I'm so happy that the babies have a foster mama, though.

Binky freeat the Bridge, dear Suzette.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

aurora369 wrote:

Hi,

I just moved your thread to the Rabbitry as you will have the best luck finding a lactating doe here.

I hope you can find a suitable foster mommy.

--Dawn

I just combined these threads since it's been resolved!

YAY!

 

[BlueGiants]

Awwww Nora, I am so sorry to hear you lost Suzette! My sincere sympathy. Glad you found some foster moms. I hope they grow up big and strong and carry on Suzette's legacy. She was a lovely rabbit.

 

[The Turtle]

Update as of this morning: Wayne emailed us and advises that one of his Californians accepted the kits and they've had something to eat and seem to be doing well. Here's hoping all eight of them make it through. And thanks be to the Californian breeders! The Flemish community thanks you...

 

[Bo B Bunny]

That's AWESOME! Zin would be proud knowing a Cali took in the fosters! What good bunners!

 

[The Turtle]

Yup. Of course, within a couple of months these kits would be larger than the surrogate, since California seniors top out under ten pounds and they're likely to be 14... we are already picturing complete chaos when they grow up to where they can come home.

 

[BlueGiants]

I had a Mini Rex raise a pair of whiteFlemish when their moms milk didn't come in. The Mini Rex was the only lactating Doe I had with babies close in age. So she raised her 2 and the 2 Flemish. It was pretty comical when they were about 5 weeks of age and she had to stand on her tippy-toes to let them nurse. And you should have seen the size difference between "siblings"! LOL!

But sheprotected them and took excellent care of them. (TheFlemish boy is now my white stud muffin, Excaliber, and thowing beautiful babies of his own! I am SO glad I did not lose him.)

Best of luck with the babies. I'm glad Wayne had the Cal's on litters. I'm sure he will do all he can for them.

 

[The Turtle]

When we were driving back last night after taking them up to Wayne's, we were actually laughing about just that... "imagine if she was a mini-rex!" So I guess it's technically possible... If you put all eight of these together they might outweigh a mini-rex or mini-lop, even right now.

 

[MyRabbits]

Thank you all for your kind words and support. It never gets any easier when yet another bunny in the long line of bunnies dies!

The thing I keep coming back to time and time again is Sam's grief -- Sam is the sire of the litter. Scott and I had left Suzette lying on a pink blanket on the living room loveseat and both left the room. When Scott came back in the room, Sam had hopped up onto the loveseat beside Suzette. He was sadly and concernedly grooming her. Scott comforted him a bit, and then he perked up a little bit when Scott showed him the kits. Later he went back into his hutch in the rabbit room and just lay despondently for the longest time. Suzette had been such a bright star in his life as she had been in ours.

I can't tell you what joy I got simply from watching Suzette, whether she was doing binkies, or eating, or standing alert at attention, or whatever. And, oh, the silky softness of her fur and the charm of her little dewlap! Scott looks at the kits and tells me he can already tell that some have Suzette's distinctive face and some have Sam's distinctive broad head. It will be nice when some of the kits help us to remember her so well.

 

[The Turtle]

...and you have to update your profile!