Kits Covered In Dried Urine?

[GypsyG]

A little while ago when I went to check Wendy's litter, I found the kits covered in dried urine! I don't know if Wendy peed on them or if they peed on each other, but either way, she doesn't seem to be cleaning them as she should. I haven't ever seen this before... Usually my mammas keep their babies nice and clean. Why is this happening and what should I do?

 

[GypsyG]

Here are some pictures.

 

[Baymule]

Does will pee on the kits to “hide” them. Something may have upset her that she felt threatened. The good news is they have fur, it will help them stay warm. The downside is they can get ammonia pneumonia and die. You will have to keep their bedding changed and check several times a day, if possible. Poor babies, momma is peeing on them and they will get cold.

Hopefully she just did it that one time and they will be ok. Sometimes they pee on the kits, they stay wet, cold and get pneumonia.

 

[GypsyG]

Does will pee on the kits to “hide” them. Something may have upset her that she felt threatened. The good news is they have fur, it will help them stay warm. The downside is they can get ammonia pneumonia and die. You will have to keep their bedding changed and check several times a day, if possible. Poor babies, momma is peeing on them and they will get cold.

Hopefully she just did it that one time and they will be ok. Sometimes they pee on the kits, they stay wet, cold and get pneumonia.

They seem dry and warm, just icky, stained, and crusty.
I hope she does not do it again, it's supposed to get pretty chilly tonight. Do you think that she will clean them back up?

 

[Baymule]

She very well could clean them up. Possibly a dog or other animal came close to the cage and upset her.

 

[Bunnylady]

It's normal for baby rabbits to pee in response to disturbance, and unless the mother happens to be there to clean them, they just get each other wet. Often the whole litter will pee at the same time, since one bunny peeing seems to inspire the others to do the same. This seems to be especially true with large litters that are growing well. As long as the nest is drying out in between, it shouldn't be a problem.

It looks like the nest material is getting rather gross, so if these were mine, I would replace a lot of the hay, retaining as much of the fur as possible. Since hay isn't very absorbent, I'd put back a lot more than I took out. I'd only do this if the doe is the tolerant sort; the last thing you want to do is upset a mom that is otherwise doing a fantastic job.

 

[GypsyG]

It's normal for baby rabbits to pee in response to disturbance, and unless the mother happens to be there to clean them, they just get each other wet. Often the whole litter will pee at the same time, since one bunny peeing seems to inspire the others to do the same. This seems to be especially true with large litters that are growing well. As long as the nest is drying out in between, it shouldn't be a problem.

It looks like the nest material is getting rather gross, so if these were mine, I would replace a lot of the hay, retaining as much of the fur as possible. Since hay isn't very absorbent, I'd put back a lot more than I took out. I'd only do this if the doe is the tolerant sort; the last thing you want to do is upset a mom that is otherwise doing a fantastic job.

Thank you! Your knowledge and helpful advice is greatly appreciated! I usually use staw instead of hay, but on nest box placing day I found a little mold in my bale of straw. What is your favorite nesting material?