Nest ripped apart. 4 kits dead - 2 survived

[RJSchaefer]

I should have checked on them earlier...last checked at 1AM this morning.

Just 15 minutes ago I went out to check on the animals, and found the nest ripped apart. Not sure who the culprit was. The kits were scattered about - either moved or crawled, assuming the latter since they have no injuries. Only one was active and mewling, and it was stuck in a clump of fur.

I managed to reheat one. The other four are goners. I'm kicking myself for not checking as soon as I got up.

So now I have 2 kits in a box on my bookshelf. I've been saving the fur from combing my lops and jersey woolies. I lined the box with clean hay, reheated the kits in warm water up to the neck, gently dried, plopped them in and covered with the saved fur.

What do I do next? We have one pet store in town, very small, and a Walmart and Tractor Supply Company. Good KRM...what kind of nipple?

I know I know I know...hand rearing kits is hard, bordering on impossible. This is probably a lost cause. I still want to try. If these guys survive, they will be pets - I'm not going through all this for dinner.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Could it have been the mother that ripped apart the nest?

I haven't had any luck bottle rearing kits, but you can try using a kitten bottle & nipple, and using either KMR kitten milk replacer, or goats milk (which I HAVE had luck feeding to baby bunnies)... but really the very very best thing that you could do would be to hold the lactating mother rabbit (even on her back on your lap) and get those kits on her to get rabbit milk. If your successful this way they only need to eat once at dawn and once at dusk. Bottle feeding them you will need to do it much more often, and be very very careful not to aspirate the milk into their lungs... go very very slowly, one drop at a time if need be.

Hope this helps!

 

[RJSchaefer]

I think it was the mother. I had a few other does in there, but I don't think they would have done it. And I'd thought she was doing so well with them. Guess I didn't luck out.

Got KMR. Got a little syringe. Feeding them a drop at a time so they don't aspirate. I've got 5 kids, so at least I'm good at 24/7 feeding newborns.

 

[sonnythebunny]

is she kept outside?
the mom might of ripped up the nest because she saw a predator, as when a raccoon bit off my 5 week old kits leg the mom ripped up all her toys and anything she got her paws/teeth on!

I raised the baby without the leg on KMR, a eye-dropper is good, until about they open their eyes, then a little syringe is good

I hope it works out for you and the babies!

 

[RJSchaefer]

Thanks! No, I think she just had no clue what she's doing. It's her first litter. I looked again, and I'm not so sure it was "ripped up" like I initially thought, so much as disregarded/jumped on/etc. She's in a colony setting, with only females. There are chickens in the building, but they've all been together their whole life.

Here are a few pics. I think the broken black kit may be a peanut or runt? I'm not sure. It's significantly smaller than the black and doesn't really feed. I have to hold it still in my palm and gently press it's mouth against a drop on my skin. THEN it might lick it up.

The black one just goes gung-ho.

I'll definitely get a dropper. The syringe is a PITA.

 

[sonnythebunny]

aww...
what breed are they?

 

[RJSchaefer]

The father is a NZ and the mother is a Cali/Rex mix.

 

[sonnythebunny]

then the little one is not a peanut, here is a explanation:
a peanut is a rabbit with the double dwarf gene, so the mom (say a holland lop) usally has 1 dwarf gene and 1 normal, that is called a TRUE DWARF. And the dad (another holland) has 1 dwarf and 1 normal, if you breed these you will get a peanut. but if you breed a rabbit with 2 normal genes, and one with 1 dwarf and 1 normal you MIGHT get a peanut, but it is not very likely, and If you breed rabbits with 2 normal, you will not get a peanut. Also a peanut is malformed, deformed, and it's internal organisms are mush, a runt is just smaller than the others


NZ, cali, or rex do NOT have any dwarf genes

 

[RJSchaefer]

OK. So I just have an itty bitty kit. Phew. I'd read about the dwarf genes, but didn't really think about the genetics of the rabbits.

 

[RJSchaefer]

We bit the bullet, protected our arms, and brought mama in to feed the babies. She sat still as soon as they latched on like a CHAMP! She's usually very mean and hates to be held, but not this time. She just laid on my lap without a twitch while they nursed.

Fingers crossed this works and this will keep up at least for the next two weeks. I've read after that hand rearing is a lot easier.