1st time mama lost all the babies

[speckled6]

I need some advice, please. I have a first time mama. She kindled 8 healthy looking kits yesterday morning. It was a high of 20 yesterday and mama had made a lovely nest with lots of fur pulled.
Last night I went to check on her babies and all 8 were stiff and cold with blood pooled in their nails. I think the cold was too much even though mama had them tucked in the back of the nest and covered with fur. (They are housed in off the floor cages in an unheated detached garage)
I took the nest box out and tried to warm the babies, but no luck.
Mama is looking for her babies, walking around her cage with hay and fur in her mouth. It's heartbreaking.
So, what do I do for her? Do I breed her again right away? Will that help to keep her from getting mastitis? Will being rebred help break her mothering instinct? Do I need to worry about the next litter (that maybe she might reject them b/c she lost this litter)?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
jean

 

[Tale of Tails Rabbitry]

@speckled6 So sorry for your loss. I really hate losing an entire kindle!

It may have been the cold that directly caused their deaths or it may have been more indirectly, as in the doe was trying to stay warm herself and was laying on them in the nesting box. I have not had that happen, but I have heard of it. We have had cold days in the teens this past week so I was watching for that with my doe, but she is an experienced old mama--4 years old--and she has not done that with her four day old kits.

Personally, I would usually take out the nesting box, but if she could use it to stay warm, I would clean it out and put in fresh hay or straw. I do not breed does immediately after they lose a kindle. I would wait at least two weeks, maybe three (but I have mine on a rotating breeding schedule so it would be more like eight weeks before she was back in rotation). During that recuperative time, you can be sure that she is healthy and ready for the next breeding. I think mastitis is more likely when their milk has come in fully, which takes about three days typically. I only have lost two kindles within a day of birth and neither doe had problems with mastitis.

As much as I love my buns--and I really do love them!--I do not "humanize" them. They are far more resilient emotionally than we are and recuperate from these things much better than we do. I believe we feel the loss of a kit harder and longer than they will. She should be fine in a couple of days.

 

[Bunnylady]

I'm sorry you lost your litter. Whenever I hear someone say their rabbits raise litters in sub-freezing weather, I am lost in admiration. I know I lose litters when the temperatures are in the 40's; which is why I started bringing my litters in the house in cold weather.

While I know rabbits can suffer from mastitis, I've never had one get it.

If this doe was mine, I would give her a day or two, then re-breed her. A doe is at her most fertile immediately after kindling; so if you really want a litter from her, this is your absolutely best chance at getting her pregnant again (but be warned, does typically ripen a lot of eggs at this time, so a litter born after a lost-litter re-breeding is likely to be a large one!) Whether they have live litters or not, my does have tended to continue fur pulling for days during cool weather, so don't be surprised if your doe does too.

Even after more than 30 years of breeding rabbits, I find dead babies depressing. But, the animals are resilient; I think they get over it faster than we do.

 

[Pastor Dave]

Nothing more to add to the 2 replies above.
I agree with Bunny lady, and figure your doe may very well have smothered or crushed the kits inadvertently to stay warm, as Tale of Tails mentioned.

This is my first winter to decide not to breed on through, and haven't been sorry for the decision. Coldest day so far in the shed has been abt 10F when it has been -10F outside. I will breed on a decent day in Feb for a hopefully decent day to kindle in Mar.

 

[Missmonty]

A lot of people struggle with breeding their does in the winter. Its just really hard on them, also with her being a first time mom this probably went towards this. Generally I actually stop breeding once we get into the cold winter months. Then I breed my does in Feb which gives me a March litter generally. I've had a lot of success with that since it generally is warmer around then.

I tend to struggle a bit with my first time moms in general so I try to not breed first time moms in the cold at all. I would wait a few weeks and try again. A lot of rabbit breeders will rebreed right away because apparently they're more fertile right after but I am like Tale of tails and I have a rotation I usually breed. So depending on how many does I have at the time it is usually a few weeks before I rebreed.