Skinny kit... too late to foster?

[Suzy74]

Hi all! I have two does that kindled on the same night (Daphne and Velma), one week ago. Both litters seem to be doing fine, however Velma's seems to be getting more milk and growing faster. There is one kit in particular from Daphne's litter that is very skinny and I don't believe is getting milk. Daphne isn't eating nearly as much as Velma and I'm just not sure she's producing enough milk for all 6 kits. I'm wondering if I should move the skinny kit over to Velma? Is it too later to let her foster? And other ideas?
Note: Velma has 5 kits, and Daphne 6. Both does are being fed Calf Manna and sunflower seeds.

 

[Tale of Tails Rabbitry]

I do not think that it is too late to foster, although I have not done it personally so their are others here that might give you a better answer on that. I am more concerned about two other things. Firstly, that the kit may be able to nurse with either doe because it is weaker and smaller so it is likely to get pushed away by the other larger, stronger kits. Secondly, why a doe with only six kits might not be producing enough milk...?

How much Calf Manna are you giving Daphne? Are her kits' bellies full and white at any time during the day, particularly after they nurse? If none of them are looking like they could pop after they nurse, then she might not be producing enough milk, but it a few of them are, then she probably is producing enough and the larger ones are pushing the smaller one away.

I typically split the kindle with the larger taken away from the mother for 12 to 24 hours and allow the smaller weaker ones to nurse once or twice during that time, but I have not had to do that with kindles less than seven or eight and rarely under nine. I also would caution that it is common to compare, but kindles collectively have different growth rates as the kits do individually, so comparing one kindle to the other is not necessarily an indication that a doe is not producing enough milk.

And I just have to ask:
Is there a Scooby-Do, too?

 

[Suzy74]

No Scooby-Doo, but our buck's name is Fred

I may try pulling the bigger ones out tonight and just leave the three smallest. I just have to figure out where to put them because I don't have a spare nest box

None of Daphne's kits are roly-poly, but I also have been checking them mid-afternoon, so possibly they would be if I checked them first thing in the morning. I can tell she is nursing at night.

I'm giving them both about a tablespoon of Calf Manna and a tablespoon of BOSS a day. This is in addition to their regular pellet and hay of course.

 

[Tale of Tails Rabbitry]

Sounds like Daphne is being supplemented well enough. This is one of those things that comes down to just being a judgement call. You could try fostering before pulling out the larger ones to see if that works for the little one. You could feed it yourself with warmed kitten replacement milk or raw goat's milk with an eye dropper two to three times a day.

One of the problems when a kindle is small enough that should not have to be split up for a few hours is keeping both groups warm. I would bring the larger ones inside be sure they stay warm enough and trust that the nest is built well enough for the others, if you are going to try that. They will not need a nesting box, just a box of which they will not climb out. I actually have pelts that I have just for this purpose.

 

[Suzy74]

Thanks Tale of Tails! I'll give fostering a chance tonight and see if Mr. Skinny looks like he's gotten anything in the morning. If not, we'll try joint custody

 

[Tale of Tails Rabbitry]

How be it this morning? Nourished?

 

[Suzy74]

Round little belly this morning. Just so tiny compared to the others but maybe he can catch up since he's getting fed now. Daphne's kits seemed better fed this morning as well. Concerning that she is only producing enough milk for 5 kits though

 

[Tale of Tails Rabbitry]

Maybe her milk just came in later than most do...?

 

[Bunnylady]

She may not have much mammary tissue. I had a Mini Rex doe once that only had two or three functional teats. I bred her several times before I finally worked that one out. She'd kindle a nice litter, then over time lose all but a couple of them. I've had a few does whose milk never came in at all - obviously, those get out of the gene pool fast!

Good thing you had another doe that kindled at the same time; this is one of the reasons I try to get several does bred together.