Pregnancy Query - please help

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wafflyroo

wafflyroo

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Hi there, my rabbit kindled this morning and gave birth to 2 babies. when I checked on them this morning, one was already dead :(my doe is a netherland dwarf and the buck is a netherland dwarf cross. this is the first time I am breeding them, so any help would be great!
1) is it normal for the litter to just have 2?
2) is there anything I can do to help care for the babies?
3) was the stillborn due to the buck being larger than my doe?
Thank you once again.
 
I'll try to answer your questions as best as I can.

1. I think smaller litters are quite common with the small breeds, but I'm not sure if two is average or not. It could also be a smaller litter due to it being a first time pregnancy.
2. Make sure they're being fed. The mum usually feeds them once or twice a day, early morning and evening, check for a big round "ping pong" ball belly. If the kit isn't being fed, you'll need to do assisted feedings.
3. Could be any number of reasons, it's unlikely it was because the buck is larger. It could have gotten a bit stuck during birth, could just simply be stillborn, or may have been a peanut (deformed kit from the combination of the dwarf gene).
 
thank you so much for your reply. I am quite worried for the newborn since there is only one surviving from the litter and temperatures are quite cold here at the moment :(
 
and also, around how long should I wait before the same 2 bunnies can be re-bred?
thanks again for all your help :)
 
Singles in a litter can survive, just make sure the doe has pulled enough hair so the kit can snuggle in. When I have singles I check on them more often since they might go wander and get uncovered. I usually make sure they stay in the back of the box, just so the doe doesn't jump in and accidentally step on them.

Assuming the mom is taking care of the little one, don't try to breed again before the kit she has now has been weaned.
 
Agree with major v.

2 in a litter is pretty normal for a netherland and everyone I know that raises them say they make horrible mothers sometimes and can be very hard to breed.
 
thanks everyone for their helpful replies! this forum has really made it easier for me to ask these questions and get expert advice :) thanks guys..

I've been checking on the baby at least twice daily and the baby seems to be doing well.. just got a few more questions..

1) baby is jerking quite a bit in the nest cage.. doing many flips and squirming around a lot.. is that normal? I'm scared it will hurt itself.. although it's surrounded by the fur and hay in nest box. it's also making some noises.. is that normal too?

2) Is there any reference photos where I can confirm whether or not the baby is getting proper nutrition? I read from the previous reply that it should have a "ping pong belly".. but dies anyone have photos to show the comparison?

once again, thanks so much for all your helpful advice! hope I can get a reply soon :)

nervous first time breeder
 
oh thanks so much for your quick reply!
what about the baby being so active? is that also normal?
 
ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1404821197.294532.jpg

quite hard to take photo while the bunny is so active, but here's a photo that I just took.. seems ok? what do you guys think?
 
Looks very healthy to me :) Colour looks like black otter.

I don't know about the activity level, but active is better than lethargic in my opinion. I know rabbit kits can be quite the explorers, but I'm really not sure how early they become active.
 
are colours genetic?
because the buck is brownish agouti colour (unsure if that's what it's called) and doe is the one in my display photo.
can they still produce a black otter colour baby? :)
 
I don't know the color genetics of dwarfs, but newborns can be quite active and make squeaking noises. They will squirm and jump if you try to hold them, so be very careful when you do. It looks like it's being fed.
 
thanks guys for all your help :) I will continue to post photos of my baby's progress to update you guys. hopefully there won't be many problems ..
I am very interested in the colour genetics though. if anyone has any extra information, I would really appreciate it :)
 
We have a big bunny (not sure of the breed) who had quite large litters. Her first litter consisted of 10 and they were all stillborn. The next two litters were 8 each and all survived until 5 weeks when one had an accident and broke its back and another died of what we believe was a lung abscess as we found an abscess on one of the other kits in the litter the same day. All were taken to the vet and treated. Anyway, ours were very active, particularly the second litter. They were less than 24 hours old when I found one had gotten out of the nesting box and made its way about 4 feet away from it. Mama was standing guard over it, looking not quite sure what to do. The next morning a different one was found sleeping in the litter box. It had gotten out of the nesting box made its way about 2 feet and then gotten IN to the raised litter box. Not sure how that happened unless mama moved them but she seemed disturbed that baby was out of place. They were jumpy little things!
 
I'm not bugging them :( just checking up on it daily to only make sure everything is ok with it.

thanks myjuneangel.. glad to know that it's not only my kit that is so active :) love hearing other peoples experiences to know what happens ...
 
Mummy bunny doesn't mind at all if you handle her bubs. You can even handle wild buns without mum knowing about it or even caring. So you don't really "bug" bunnies which is pretty cool and there are owners on here that pick up and take photos everyday of their beautiful little bunnies cause they grow up so quick
~Shell
 
hey shell, thanks for your reply. yes I have found actually mummy bunny doesn't mind if I check on her baby. she's very calm and settled during the whole process :)
have you bred before? :)
 
Bunnies are very individual though...some momma bunnies don't like you messing with their litter, most don't.

as long as kit is growing, it's doing fine. :)
 
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