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Becca

Becca

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My friend (who we're getting Chester from)'s doe is due again this week sometime and they have the other bunnies (The Chester litter there are 3 bunnies in that litter) who are still living with the pregnant mother. So what does she do? Should she leave the 6 week old bunnies (Chester litter) in when the other babies are born or take them out?

Thanks

x
 
Gosh, why did she let that poor bunny get pregnant again?

Susan :?
 
SOOOSKA wrote:
Gosh, why did she let that poor bunny get pregnant again?

Susan :?
Click to expand...


To be honest its not anyones choice apart from hers...she is an adult.. :expressionless They are her bunnies.. and she has asked me to post on here because she knows there will be some experience answers to do the best for her bunnies so :twitch:
 
Well now shes got to nurse 2 litters? I could be wrong but isnt the first litter way too young to leave yet? What a mess this is and shouldnt this have been thought of BEFORE she was bred again?? Poor bun. Adult or not this was a very irresponsible thing to do. IMOO of course.:(
 
The other litter is 6 weeks so..
Can someone please just answer the question?
Shes not going to be happy with the replies is she?!!!

:|
 
Ok, if it were me I would take the first litter away...if they are feeding and everything on their own. I think its going to be way too stressful on her to nurse 2 litters at once. This of course is only what I would do and you dont have to be so snotty.;)This is upsetting to some of us you know. You MUST have known that this was going to cause a stir. Sheesh.
 
I'm not a breeder, but I know a lot of people end up with accidental litters born when the kits from the first litter are just 4 weeks old - because does are receptive as soon as they give birth and if people had a doe and a buck they didn't know was a buck in together and the doe gives birth... well, you get the picture.

Anyway, if I'm recalling correctly from that situation I believe the advice was to take the older litter away - before the next one is born. I don't think you'd want the two litters in there together.

At 6 weeks they should be perfectly fine without mom, but make sure she keeps the litter together until they're at least 8 weeks old so they have eachother still.
 
Yup, what Missyscove said.

Take the older litter away from mom, but leave the together so they have the support of all the siblings. Wait until they are at least 8 weeks old before separating and finding homes.

--Dawn

 
whaleyk98 wrote:
You MUST have known that this was going to cause a stir. Sheesh.
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Excuse me but its not my bunnies..i can't tell this person what to do!
I was asking a question for my friend - sorry if you felt the need to cause a stir..i was just asking a question you caused the stir ;)
 
True, you cannot tell this person what to do and I wasnt directing my opinions towards you....just stating what I felt. It was you that chose to be defensive and snotty about what comments people had. Im sorry Becca if you took it personally. That really wasnt my intention. I was just shocked.....and hey, I guess stuff like this happens all the time, whether it be on accident or on puropse. Some people just have to be educated a little more. So lets get back to the matter at hand....how is the momma and babies doing? Again I appoligize for making you defensive.;)
 
Six weeks is the normal age for weaning kits so they will be fine ;)
 
I would seriously take a good look at the condition of the nursing mother. Is she still at a good weight and flesh despite this first litter?(rough over the spine? lacking fur condition?)

Nursing is a tremendous strain on a doe and handling litters back to back like this does put her health at risk. I have heard stories of does just dying under this type of stress and while some rabbits can handle it I would strongly discourage your friend from ever breeding a rabbit like this again.

I say this because I just had incident where I noticed one of my pregnant does was underweight a mere day before she was due. When she had her litter I noted that my other "fosters" were either unable to take on more or just didn't take on their breeding. I had a choice, sacrifice the litter or take a chance at letting her raise them in her present condition.

My doe still had a healthy appetite and looked like she was doing well outside of some questionable poops, so I let her keep the litter and treated her for coccidiosis (understanding that this was a risky decision to make)

Long story short, she got 3 weeks into nursing before she suddenly became very sick. I had to put this doe down and while I tried to bottle feed the litter, I slowly lost them one by one over the weeks that followed.

I will never let a doe of mine that isn't in 100% condition carry the burden of raising a litter ever again. Please be careful.

Edit: spelling
 
I had a situation with my first rabbit Coco who ended up having two litters in the space of a months. She actually rejected the first litter at around six weeks or so and just refused to nurse them. But I'd agree, helping the weaning process along at this stage is important.
 
It's fine to wean the first litter at 5 1/2 - 6 weeks of age. I'd take them away 3-4 days before she is due. Keep them together for 10 days - 2 weeks to make sure they are eating and growing normally. Then they can be separated and sent to new homes.

Make sure the cage gets cleaned well before the new litter is born. Clean out the nest box and make sure it's thoroughly dry.

It will be hard on the doe to nurse consecutive litters. I'm hoping that she is up to the task. I'd give her some time off before breeding her again.
 
My best suggestion would be to give the expecting doe unlimited access to protein and calcium rich foods. It must be incredibly stressful on the doe not only to be feeding her kit but also to have a new batch in the oven.

Increase the does food, mix in some critical care, take away the kits that she already has closer to the date, watch them closely if they start to fail at all give them immediate support. Do not separate them the stress at this time will be too much.

If she watches both the doe and the old kits very carefully she should be able to keep them all alive. The doe just needs to have a lot of TLC and over spoiling.
 
Becca wrote:
Shes not going to be happy with the replies is she?!!!
Click to expand...

No one has to be happy with the replies. But it is what it is.

Is this person a meat rabbit breeder? If so, this is actually not an unlikely breeding schedule. Does are constantly kept in production because it's the only option for monetary gain, which is important in a business.

Is this person a show breeder? If so, she should seriously consider her breeding routines and just make sure the does are responding well and still in good condition. Sometimes, show breeders will use this schedule, but it often wears the does out quicker. And once they are out of condition, it takes even longer to get them back in it. It's a delicate balance that has to be strategically planned, not just let happen.

If this person has pet or mixed breed rabbits that are just constantly, indiscriminantly breeding- wow. There is more wrong in this situation than breeding schedule, andit is just flat out, non-debatable irresponsible. If this is the case, it is NOT her choice or right to treat the rabbits in this manner and I will not give advice encouraging such behavior. I advise others to do the same, since help only encourages.
 
Why don't you invite bunnyfood to come join the forum again? :) Then hopefully she can start to learn about this and try to be more responsible in the future without putting her does through so much strain.

Iremember her from earlier on the forum. Maybe suggest her mum or dad come join the forum as well to learn about this since she is only 10.. it's not healthy for her to keep going at this with her rabbits.

Best of luck to bunnyfood.
 
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