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Kits needing help in the nest

Mileycyrus

New Kit
Hi All
My mini Lop doe gave birth to 5 normal sized kits about 7 days ago. 1 died about 2 days ago. I noticed from about day 2 that two kits are thriving and three d
 
Kits

Hi, no she had a phantom pregnancy. For some reason my post was not completed...

My query was, I have 4 kits at day 7. Two are really plump and two are half the size. Can anyone tell me if I can remove the two big ones for 12 hours to see if the other two get looked after? I want them all to survive and I fear the the two stronger ones are just bulldozing the smaller ones.
 
Don't remove the kits, its not natural to remove them from mum. If you remove them, then put them back, mum will likely either kick them out of the nest of kill them as they dont 'smell' right.
 
Hi, no she had a phantom pregnancy. For some reason my post was not completed...

My query was, I have 4 kits at day 7. Two are really plump and two are half the size. Can anyone tell me if I can remove the two big ones for 12 hours to see if the other two get looked after? I want them all to survive and I fear the the two stronger ones are just bulldozing the smaller ones.
.

Was it a different doe, then, who had the 2 dead kits you posted about?
 
I replied on your other thread, http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=297609. This was my reply.

Sky-O said:
Don't remove them for a night because you don't want them to miss out.

How have you been trying to give them additional feeds so far?

I would see if you could hold mum and have someone else hold the babies to mum's nipples. you need to ensure you and the person holding the baby smell of mum and nothing else.

You can also try standing mum over the nest with the stronger babies out.

It may well be that you can't help these kits survive.

You didn't answer the questions asked to you in the other thread on this topic. the main one being, are you free feeding her pellets?

And you replied with

mileycyrus said:
Hi Sky

I'm giving her double the amount of pellets and heaps of carrots, celery, grass and swede with small amounts of fruit. Pellets are still left over when I feed her the next day so I take it she is having enough. I also have heaps of meadow hay in with her and give her a small handful of lucerne hay ( probably Spelt that wrong).

I have been allowing the two little ones to feed for about 20 minutes while my doe is in my arms on her back. She is a very good mum I think?

I thought that the two tubby ones could skip a feed and be ok but if I'd be risking their health I won't do it.

It's very confusing having so many threads for the same problem.

It's definitely not ok to starve the two healthy kits so the others can get their needs met. It only takes about 5 mins to feed so you are giving the others an extra feed and its giving them time to hopefully drink, which is good.

I think you're doing all you can, unless you can squeeze in another additional feed in that way, every day.

Any chance of any pictures?

It's possible you have some with a dwarfing gene, and some without, if they end up thriving. If they don't thrive then likely they were just fundamentally flawed.


Also, just so you know, foetal giants are not a false pregnancy, they are a pregnancy and kindling gone wrong.
 
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