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Update on kits

lillian03

Young Bun
We had a very bad frost last night, and despite me leaving the oil heater on, I went in this morning to find all but one away from the nest, dead :(

I'm gutted. I don't know what else I could have done as I'd tried getting her to stand over the nest and tried laying her across my lap and latching the kits on, but she just wasn't having any of it. She WAS feeding the reamianing kits as their bellies were fat, but I suspect she'd been in at their nest as they were inches away, and the nest was uncovered, either that or they'd crawled out and died. The live one was buried right deep down and seems well.


I've brought her into the house now, in a warm box with a nesting box with the remaining kit inside. I'm keeping a very close eye on it. It's belly is fat so I'm happy on that front and she's not aggressive towards it.

Whatever happened I've learnt a stark lesson and have bought a new hutch and a little wooden nesting box, prepared for the fact she may well give birth again in a matter of weeks.

I spoke to the vet nurse again today and she said that this can be common in first litters, plus the cold weather, but I still feel terrible.

Please can i have huge vibes for the remaining kit? If she stops feeding I'm taking it down the vet asap to get it hand fed, I can't bear to lose this one too :(
 
I'm afraid I know nothing about hand rearing but I'm sorry for your loss and the best of luck to the pair of you x
 
I'm sorry about the kits.

Please get the kit into a nest box and get a heat source underneath it like I suggested yesterday. Also bring them inside like you said you thought you might.

Mummy bunny has done an awesome job so this isn't a case of an issue with it being a first litter. I suspect she will carry on feeding the remaining kit.

Come on little kit!
 
I bought her in this morning. With a nesting box.

Sadly it wasn't that easy as I have 3 cats and a dog, plus children who leave doors open so nowhere really safe to keep them. Have them in my bedroom with a newly fitted bolt on the door.
 
Sorry to hear about your baby bunnies very sad news :(. Mummy bunny is doing her best im sure. I have hand reared a baby bunny and he is 5 now :D Good luck to your mummy bunny, baby bunny and yourself.
 
I bought her in this morning. With a nesting box.

Sadly it wasn't that easy as I have 3 cats and a dog, plus children who leave doors open so nowhere really safe to keep them. Have them in my bedroom with a newly fitted bolt on the door.

That's understandable.

What are you using as a nest box?

Is it just mum or the kit who is in now?
 
That's understandable.

What are you using as a nest box?

Is it just mum or the kit who is in now?

I've got a shoe box, which mum (dwarf) can fit into as I've cut a hole in the side. That's placed in a large box, and all lined with hay and newspaper. I've got it standing on some books with a hot water bottle underneath. Both mum and kit are in x
 
I've got a shoe box, which mum (dwarf) can fit into as I've cut a hole in the side. That's placed in a large box, and all lined with hay and newspaper. I've got it standing on some books with a hot water bottle underneath. Both mum and kit are in x

That sounds absolutely perfect! Good one!

How does the tummy of that baby look?
 
I've now put the large cardboard box inside the dog crate, so that if by chance one of the cats or dog gets in then there's an extra barrier. Blankets over the top and hole cut in the side of the large box, so mum can run around a little.

Kit's belly is fat :)

Though I don't think after the disruption today mum will feed until the early hours or tomorrow.
 
Update: sunday

Little one survived the night, I'm so so glad I brought them in as he/she's made it clear they won't stay in the nest! I've made it so it can follow mum round and seek warmth from her, but not get out of the main box.

Both are settled, warm, and it's belly is getting full. I allowed it to drink a little kitten milk from a tiny syringe last night, then made it 'go' (I spent hours looking up advice on this to make sure I got it as right as I could) and it curled up with mum and went to sleep :love:

Mum didn't feed last night as she was unsettled, so I'm glad I did feed a little just to keep it hydrated and fed until she fed this evening.
 
I'm so glad the little kit has survived.:D Sending more vibes for the little one xxx
 
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No, she hasn't, at least, not fully :(


It's had 2x 3ml of milk this afternoon and has begun to suckle from the end of the syringe, so is clearly hungry.

It's skin isn't so wrinkly and it's eyes are beginning to open. It's comfortable with being handled (I am heating a face cloth to hold it in whilst feeding and making it 'go').

Is it normal for it to be following her round and trying to sleep under her?
 
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How old is the kit?

If its younger than 10 days and its eyes are starting to open this may explain what happened to the others.
 
Can I ask, were either mum or dad a dwarf breed of anything? Particularly lionhead or netherland dwarf?
 
Loads of vibes for your remaining kit x some buns just aren't great mummies sadly. My blue Frenchie came to me via breeder who couldn't use her as she scattered her litter.
 
yes, both are netherland dwarf cross. I forget what the mother of both of mine was (they're both white with black spots if that helps?) , but the father was netherland dwarf. Both of mine are small, and this kit is very active.

None of the others had their eyes open, or even beginning to open when they died.
 
It sounds like you might have and have had Max Factor babies, potentially. Those are babies that carry a nasty gene and that would likely explain why they died. I would also expect this one to struggle, especially with his sight, because his eyes should be sealed tightly right now.
 
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