My Bunny only had one kit, is she caring for it?

[LaineyB319]

Hello,
Long story short, I rescued a rabbit from the side of the road. It was domesticated and I ended up finding out that another person that lived on my road released it. So I took it in and I've been caring for it for the last 3 weeks. I went to relocate it's area to my daughter's room. She is free roam in our bedroom, is litter box trained, and very sociable. When we went to go move her we had established that she had just had one kit under my bed. For obvious reasons I could not leave her nest just in a pile on my carpet under my bed. So I made her a nesting box inside of an unused closet and moved all of her food and supplies in there I kept her litter box in the same location in the bedroom. She definitely isn't happy about not having access back to under the bed. We have made sure there are no other kits anywhere in the room. When I found the kit it was 3 to 4 ft from the nest near the edge of the bed. Cold, it didn't look like it had been cleaned at all after birth it had dried up residue on it with all the fur stuck to it from her nest. I was able to warm it up with my body heat in my shirt and I made a nest in her box and lined it with her fur from the original nest. This was very unexpected. I have found out that she has had two previous litters and did not care for them. I have inspected the baby and it does not seem to be very wrinkly, but it does not have a full looking stomach. And this morning it was wandering out of the nesting box and squeaking wandering around in the closet. I'm wondering how to tell if she is caring for it and wondering if there is anything extra that I need to do seeing that there is only one kit. And I completely had to disturb her original nest so that worries me as well. Otherwise, she seems to be acting normal is a little bit more sensitive to being picked up. It almost looks like her nipples are non-existent. I am just looking for advice. I don't want to intervene and let her do her thing but I don't want to wait too long, if I end up having to help it.

 

[Preitler]

When I have to move a nest I keep the doe in a small area, maybe 2m² max, around the nest for about 2 days, and gibve her a lot of privacy. And I show her the nest two or three times by shoving her nose into it. I also keep the area where the nest was blocked longer.

I use closed nest boxws, about as long as the doe and half as wide and high, entrance some inches above the ground with a ramp (most times just compressed hay) on the outside.

Most important is that the kit stays warm, which can be difficult for a singleton, so make sure the floor of the nest box is insulated and that there is enough on it in the nest. I put a small heating pad with about 3-5W under one corner of the nestbox, but my breeding does are outside.

 

[JBun]

If the kit is looking wrinkly and dehydrated from not nursing yet and/or it's been more than 24-36 hours since birth and she hasn't nursed yet, you could try very carefully holding the kit to the mom's belly to nurse while someone holds the mom. This should be done very carefully over a soft surface. You just don't want the mom to struggle or kick out and accidentally injure the baby.

If the mom isn't producing any milk, there's no choice but to hand feed the kit. This is a last resort due to the high risks of aspiration pneumonia occurring, so great care is needed when hand feeding baby rabbits. You just don't want to wait longer than 36 hours after birth, before making sure the kit is fed, as they weaken quickly after that usually. But when in doubt or you have any concerns, it's always best to consult with a knowledgeable rabbit vet.

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Baby_rabbits_(domestic)
https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Pregnant_rabbits
https://rabbit.org/veterinarians/