Dead baby rabbits

hi there, im new to the forum and i have a rather long, complicated question to ask

why, or how did my newborn rabbits die?
my new zealand white doe, has been with her sister, and a buck for some time now, the buck seemed to have no testicles, and no sexual urges, but he got along great with the does, and until i could get a new buck, i was keeping them all together
however, yesterday, she had given birth to 8, healthy looking babies, but they were dead. i had been very ill that morning, and my mum had been out to feed them, she didnt tell me about all the fur in the nest box until late in the evening, where i went outside, rummaged around, and found them. they looked perfectly healthy, in the nest, covered in fur, but cold, very cold, but only because they were dead

i assumed the other rabbits in the hutch may have killed them, but there were no marks on any of them, nor was there any blood

does anybody know why they might of died? could they have died within a day if she didnt feed them?

the other doe is in her own cage at the moment, as i had a feel, and she is heavily pregnant and due soon

thanks
George

It could be one of many reasons. Is the buck still in with her - it could be that. Have you also got ferrets? Or the other female could have killed them.

I personally don't think they were killed because that would bloody. I would be inclined to think maybe suffocation during kindling or maybe something they were all exposed to like carbon monoxide.

I'm presuming that dad has been removed? There's a link in the health section about accidental litters and breeding that would be worthwhile reading.

Perhaps, they were too cold and died from that? It's hard to say....

young rabbits can die from the cold... it is unlikely to have been a deliberate act on the part of the mother or any others in her group if the babies were in the nest and not harmed or damaged (a killed litter can be very bloody, you wouldnt mistake it if that was the case). They wouldnt die within 24 hours for lack of milk... many does take up to 36 hours for the milk to come in and so the babies are often not even fed the first day. I would think its most likely to have been due to difficulties during kindling or the cold that has affect them.
If you believe the other doe is also pregnant make sure you provide lots of soft nesting material (shreaded paper, barley straw and hey) - i would also reccomend keeping the fur from this nest so you can add it to the next one. If she is indeed pregnant both does will help to raise the litter, and this one who has lost her young ones, may even lactate for the next babies, so the strain will be less on the mother. But make sure you remove the buck ASAP to prevent him pestering the girls.

Not sure, could have been a still birth, or they could have died from the cold. Make sure you remove them straight away.

Also, you must remove the male. It may already be too late, does can get pregnant again just a few hours after giving birth, so if I were you I'd get your doe spayed now, to prevent a reoccurance of the situation. Spaying also removes the risk of uterine cancer - if left unspayed there is 85% chance she will get it.

You must not put the buck with another male until both are neutered and the hormones have died down (takes about 6-8 week post-neuter), as unneutered males can and will fight, and it can get very nasty.