Need some advice from experienced breeders

[whaleyk98]

Hello everyone.

My EL doe just had a litter of 2 babies( kinda expected more but whatever) very unexpectedly as I wasnt expecting them for another two weeks!( I guess I did something wrong)Anywho, she is a first time mom as didnt even make a nest...no fur nothing until AFTER the babes were born. I checked the babies over and it seems as though one has a deep laceration on its upper leg from mom. What do i do about it, just let it go? Any other advice you could give? Its after midnight and Im pretty sure she is done as she is eating and drinking now.

 

[clevername]

wow 2 weeks early!? That's like half the pregnancy, honestly, I'm not sure if there is anything to do at this stage. Did you get in there to see if they are even alive?

 

[whaleyk98]

Oh they are alive and well. I must have not calculated something right or a prior attempt to breed must have been successful with me totally unaware. I checked on them again this morning and they are just great. Im not sure if they have been fed yet or not but she had made them an awsome nest during the night. I have a solid black and either a broken black or broken blue...leaning towards black. I am just unsure what to do about the laceration on the one's leg...do I just leave it alone?

 

[clevername]

Well its great she's figured out what to do now. Check them every so often, you'll know she's fed them when they're tummies look like ping pong balls (sometimes you'll see a faint outline of white where the milk shows through the skin)

Is the laceration gaping or falling away from the body? A dab of super glue works well as a suture. But unless its extreme I wouldn't bother, these thing tend to heal very well if the kit is healthy and growing normally.

 

[whaleyk98]

Its kind of like the skin was peeled away...like a large scratch. I think she did it when she was taking the sac off. Maybe a bite mark? Ill clean it and try a dab of superglue to keep it shut, thanks.

 

[aurora369]

You can clean the wound with a bit of betadine to prevent any infections.

--Dawn

 

[whaleyk98]

Ok Dawn, Thanks.

 

[Elf Mommy]

Congratulations on the babies! Pictures?

Minda

 

[whaleyk98]

Thanks. I still have to get pics of them. Im trying not to bother mama too much right now. As for the wound, I just checked on him/her about an hour ago and it has actually healed already...I am really amazed. I will keep everyone posted and I will get pics in about a week or so. Keep your fingers crossed that everything goes ok. She still has yet to feed them. :waiting:

 

[whaleyk98]

How long can these babies go without their first time feeding? She gave birth about 11pm last night so its been 24 hours. What should I do. Am I just being too paranoid? She doesnt seem too interested in them....

 

[aurora369]

You probably won't see mom feed the babies. They only feed the babies two to three times a day, and sometimes only once.

Rabbits ignore there babies to protect them. In the wild, the mother only goes to the nest for feeding to keep her scent off the nest. Babies don't have enough of a scent to attract predators, but the mom does. She will stay close by, but she will completely ignore them so that predators don't find the nest.

As long as the babies have nice round bellies, then mom is feeding them. I put some pictures in another thread of some well fed babies.
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=40071&forum_id=8

--Dawn

 

[whaleyk98]

I have beencheckingtheir bellies...they are not round at all and there is no hint of white. They are wrinkled and jumpy...they are warm and have a nice nest so should I just leave it at that for a day or so? Thanks for your input...Im a nervous grandma.:?:nerves1

 

[aurora369]

If you feel that the babies have not been fed within about 24 hours of birth, I would try to get them fed.

My advice is to "assist" mom in feeding. Get some good treats to distract her with, and set her in the nest box over the babies then keep giving her treats to keep her distracted. The babies should feed from underneath her.

Keep putting her on the nest like that twice a day until she catches on and starts feeding on her own.

If mom doesn't clean the babies bottoms during feeding, you may need to. Mom's normally stimulate urination and bowel movements by licking them during feedings. You can use a warm, damp wash cloth or cotton ball to help stimulate them.

Are you able to post some pictures of the babies? Then we can see if they look fed or not.

--Dawn

 

[whaleyk98]

Im going to leave her to it tonight and check them in the morning. I will try and get a couple of pics up after if they still look the same. Thanks dawn.

~Kate

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[BlueGiants]

First time moms sometimes need a little prompting. Aurora369 gave good advice. It's not unusual for the milk to take a day to come in. But the doe may need encouragement to nurse them. After 24 hours, they risk dehydration.

 

[naturestee]

How are they doing? Did the babies get fed now?

You can also hold the mom in your lap and place the babies under her belly to feed. That's how I gave extra feedings to a runt in my foster litter.

 

[whaleyk98]

Still no change and they are very listless...I really have no hope for them. I literally put momma on her back and gave them each a nipple but they acted as though there wasn't anything in there....they would suck and suck and suck but then move away frusterated...I kept them at it for as long as she would sit still...about 5 minutes or so. I really don't know what to do. Is it possible that she has no milk and that's what their problem is? She goes into the nest box and sits there...and I think, "ok, she's feeding them now...but shes not. I think she's a horrible first time mom. Is this typical behavior for first time moms????

 

[BlueGiants]

The sucking of the babies can encourage her to "drop" her milk. I'd keep putting her on top of them several times during the day. Although it works for most, some does won't give milk on their backs... keep putting them under her and letting them have access to the nipples. If she doesn't start producing milk soon, it doesn't look good for the babies. Anyone have a lactating doe near you, that would be willing to foster the pair?

 

[whaleyk98]

No, I had to travel 3 hours to get my lops. No one is closer....actually Im sure it doesnt have to be a lop mom...right. There is a rabbit breeder of minirexs just 15 minutes away....I should give them a call and see what they have.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

whaleyk98 wrote:

Its kind of like the skin was peeled away...like a large scratch. I think she did it when she was taking the sac off. Maybe a bite mark? Ill clean it and try a dab of superglue to keep it shut, thanks.

Superglue!?! I really hope you were joking when you mentioned that! Definitley don't use superglue to hold it shut! If you just clean it, it should be fine.

Emily