I'm guessing she is in labour, she's been doing this "pushing" gestire and licking her parts for about two hours now.. Im really tired and its her first time giving birth and I'm staying awake to make sure everything goes well but now I'm starting to worry.. She hasen't even built a nest so what do I do about the babies? Help! Urgent!
Urgent! How do I know when my doe is in labour?
- Thread starter Akittay
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ladysown
Well-Known Member
you may need to check if the kits are stuck.
some rabbits make up a nice nest AFTER the kits are born.
some rabbits make up a nice nest AFTER the kits are born.
swarning1222
Well-Known Member
I caught my girl in the middle of having them so I'm not sure how she was acting before, but I do know there will be blood if she's in labor. And that's normal. But you should give her a box. It will probably put her a little more at ease too and then she will have somewhere to put them. Anything you can grab right now will work, I used a cardboard box and her favorite blanket. It happened so fast, but I think my rabbit built her nest (with the hair) after she put them in the box too.
ladysown
Well-Known Member
you may need to turn her over and take a good looks at her girlie bits, just to make sure you have no stuck kits.
Keep a good watch on her.
Keep a good watch on her.
MiniLopMad
Well-Known Member
Rabbits shouldn't be in labour for too long, so make sure you check there is no stuck kits
If you really can't tell, take her to a vet and they'll be able to help!
I hope everything goes well
If you really can't tell, take her to a vet and they'll be able to help!
I hope everything goes well
She had two babies so far but not in her nest, I gave her another box and she now uses it, but still no furView attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1440311752.605908.jpg
When you think she is done and had a chance to rest, you can try plucking some fur off of her belly to line the nest with. This will also help expose the nipples and stimulate milk production. Her fur should be easier to pull off of the belly at this time. Though she may still pull some out on her own once she's all done giving birth.
Until you get a nice pile of fur in there for the babies, they need to be able to nestle into something to keep warm. The hay needs to be built up some, then make a hollow towards the back of the nest box(like a burrow) that they can nestle down into. If you have a grass hay that is softer, I would use that. Maybe use a bit of fleece(nothing with holes in it or loose threads) to put under and around them temporarily, to keep them warm until you get some fur in there. You'll need to pluck enough fur so that there is a layer below them and on top of them when they nestle down into it. If it is warm where you are, you won't need as much fur in the nest, as you don't want the babies overheating. Just enough for them to nestle into if they are a bit cold.
Also make sure to use a nest box the babies can't squirm their way out of and get separated and chilled. Something with high enough sides to keep them in, but low enough for mom to jump in to nurse. The nest box should be big enough for mom to turn around in comfortably, but not so big that the babies will wander too far away from the main part of the nest.
Keep a close eye on them the next 24 hours to make sure mom feeds them. They will have plump bellies if she has, usually with a whitish spot where the milk is in the stomach.
Cute babies
Here's what my nest box looked like.
Until you get a nice pile of fur in there for the babies, they need to be able to nestle into something to keep warm. The hay needs to be built up some, then make a hollow towards the back of the nest box(like a burrow) that they can nestle down into. If you have a grass hay that is softer, I would use that. Maybe use a bit of fleece(nothing with holes in it or loose threads) to put under and around them temporarily, to keep them warm until you get some fur in there. You'll need to pluck enough fur so that there is a layer below them and on top of them when they nestle down into it. If it is warm where you are, you won't need as much fur in the nest, as you don't want the babies overheating. Just enough for them to nestle into if they are a bit cold.
Also make sure to use a nest box the babies can't squirm their way out of and get separated and chilled. Something with high enough sides to keep them in, but low enough for mom to jump in to nurse. The nest box should be big enough for mom to turn around in comfortably, but not so big that the babies will wander too far away from the main part of the nest.
Keep a close eye on them the next 24 hours to make sure mom feeds them. They will have plump bellies if she has, usually with a whitish spot where the milk is in the stomach.
Cute babies
Here's what my nest box looked like.
Two hours later,,, both of the babies are okay.
My doe gave birth to another one out of the nest and it's dead, But it was still warm when I arrived but dead.
I don't know what to do, I'm really tired but I don't want her to have babies out of the nest.
My doe gave birth to another one out of the nest and it's dead, But it was still warm when I arrived but dead.
I don't know what to do, I'm really tired but I don't want her to have babies out of the nest.
BlazeBunnies
Well-Known Member
She should be done now... Just make sure the two are nice and warm and in a secure place that the doe can access easily
Sorry about the baby
The baby may have already been dead due to the length of time it took for her to deliver it. Usually once a rabbit starts having the babies, she should have them all in half hours time. If it drags out too long, this puts the babies at risk.
The baby may have already been dead due to the length of time it took for her to deliver it. Usually once a rabbit starts having the babies, she should have them all in half hours time. If it drags out too long, this puts the babies at risk.
Does she have plenty of hay elsewhere that she can munch on instead of the hay in the nest? Rabbits only nurse once a day, at the most twice, so she probably won't feed them until tonight.
If she has plenty of hay in her cage that she can eat, and she is still going in the nest box, you may need to pull it out of there until this evening, so the kits don't get trampled. Then this evening put it in there to see if she will nurse them. If not, then you may need to pull it back out and try again later. If they haven't been fed by morning, when it's been more than 24 hours since birth, then you will probably need to step in.
I just want to warn you to be prepared for this not to work out. First time mothers often have issues knowing how to be good moms, and sometimes these litters may not survive. There are some things you can try if you need to intervene like holding her and carefully putting the babies to her belly to nurse, but they don't always work out.
If she has plenty of hay in her cage that she can eat, and she is still going in the nest box, you may need to pull it out of there until this evening, so the kits don't get trampled. Then this evening put it in there to see if she will nurse them. If not, then you may need to pull it back out and try again later. If they haven't been fed by morning, when it's been more than 24 hours since birth, then you will probably need to step in.
I just want to warn you to be prepared for this not to work out. First time mothers often have issues knowing how to be good moms, and sometimes these litters may not survive. There are some things you can try if you need to intervene like holding her and carefully putting the babies to her belly to nurse, but they don't always work out.
Thumperina
Well-Known Member
I would say try not to stress her too much
Rabbits instinctively hide their kits so that only mother knows where they are (in the wild I mean)
I hope things work out for the 2 survivors.
could I recommend Sherwood forest pellets for nursing mothers and babies? IS she supposed to switch to alfalfa?
Rabbits instinctively hide their kits so that only mother knows where they are (in the wild I mean)
I hope things work out for the 2 survivors.
could I recommend Sherwood forest pellets for nursing mothers and babies? IS she supposed to switch to alfalfa?
Tomorrow I'm going to the pet store to get high quality food
Thanks for the advice
She gave birth to a 5th baby just now and of course it's dead, I don't mind I just want my doe to be okay and nothing stays in. If however the mother gives up on her young I'll send them to a rabbit shelter with great moms
Thanks for the advice
She gave birth to a 5th baby just now and of course it's dead, I don't mind I just want my doe to be okay and nothing stays in. If however the mother gives up on her young I'll send them to a rabbit shelter with great moms
