# Worried about new babies with a new mama



## Menkot (Dec 4, 2017)

Our rabbit had a surprise litter early Saturday morning or late Friday night. We found a dead baby in the bottom of the cage Saturday morning. The rest of the babies (7) were in the hutch in a pile of hay with some hair over them. We transferred them to a nesting box with hay and mama's hair and separated the male. I know you won't see the mama feeding since they only eat twice a day. The babies look thin though. I never see fat bellies on them. They have pee'd in my son's hand when he picked them up. I'm adding a picture. Do they look thin??


----------



## promiseacres (Dec 5, 2017)

They do look thin.  
I would check mom for milk.


----------



## Bunnylady (Dec 5, 2017)

First-time mothers often don't have a lot of milk right at first. If the babies are getting anything to eat, you should be able to see a whitish blob just below the rib cage when you look at the belly. If all is proceeding normally, at about day 3, the mother's milk will come in suddenly, and the babies will look like they've swallowed little balloons! 

Incidentally, if the buck was in with this doe when the babies were born, there's an excellent chance that she's pregnant again. Put a note on your phone to check in 4 weeks' time, or something; she might not be, but at least you won't get caught by surprise again.


----------



## Menkot (Dec 5, 2017)

We wouldn't have had a surprise litter if Ricky had been Ethel like he was supposed to have been lol. Ricky is now fixed  (and will be kept separate for a long while). We will be watching her closely in a month. I don't know if the babies will make it. When I checked them early this morning, they were almost lifeless shriveled raisins. They are active again and in the house. I fed them what I had on hand (used this for a wild rabbit years ago and it lived...). I bought kitten formula and heavy cream and fed them again with that later this morning. We will just do our best. Thanks everybody.


----------



## Bunnylady (Dec 5, 2017)

The sex-change fairy strikes again.

Good luck with the little guys!


----------



## Menkot (Dec 6, 2017)

Would it be a bad thing to add a third feeding a day since they are so far behind? We have 4 left out of the seven. 3 did not make it. The 4 that are left are very active but just so thin. They act hungry. I don't want to over feed, but I know they have some ground to make up.


----------

