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Another bunny problem...Sad update and advice needed :(

F

funnybun

Young Bun
Hi, i came here asking for advice a few weeks ago regarding my continental giant nesting and pulling fur, luckily she was just having a phantom pregnancy and her sister was definitely confirmed to be female, both bunnies are booked in to be spayed friday so it all turned out great in the end :)

So now we have another problem, my sister and i both decided to take in any unwanted rabbits and guinea pigs and once 100% healthy we find the best homes possible for them.
Just in the last 10 days we've taken 6 rabbits and 2 guinea pigs.
One of the bunnies came to us last week with 3 x 3 week old kits, the mother isn't in the best of health and is in need of some serious TLC, obviously she will start to gain more weight and get back to an healthy state once the babies are weaned etc...well this morning i found her nesting!

I've googled and searched but i'm coming up with nothing...my sister just tried to phone the previous owner but theres no answer so she's left a message.
My worry is that this girl was left in with a male after giving birth and could be about to kindle again :(
I don't think she's in any fit state to take care of 2 litters, i'm really worried for her.
What do i do if she has another litter?
Any advice would be gratefully received...again :oops:
Is it possible that this could be another phantom and i'm just going overboard with the worrying?
The babies are now 4 weeks old, that's where the worry comes from :(
 
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It is very possible that the Doe is about to kindle again

Are the 4 week old Kits eating well for themselves now ? If so and whilst not ideal you will need to remove the 4 week old kits from the Doe if she Kindles another litter. Litter 2 will not be able to compete with litter 1 as far as milk is concerned so litter 2 would be likely to perish :cry:

In the wild Kits are independent at 4 weeks so it is perfectly possible for litter 1 to cope. You will need to be vigilant re their diet and weights (weigh them at least every 48 hours) This will allow litter 2 to be fed by the Doe who will also require optimum nutrition.
 
Hi,
yes the 4 week old's seem to be eating and drinking well, they very rarely move away from the food bowl bless them.
It feels really mean to remove them from mum at such a young age, but i suppose if that's the best chance for them all then it has to be done :cry:

The previous owner has phoned and said she had originally thought she had 2 female rabbits until she found the babies in the nest, at which point dad was still in with the mother, she said she removed him straight away once she figured which one was the male, and didn't realize she could be pregnant straight away.
She also said the kits are 4 weeks today, so i guess i'd better seperate them soon.
I feel so bad for the mother, it must be a real stress on her little body :(
 
It's somewhat of a sad day today, this morning i've discovered a nest of 5 healthy looking kits, mum seems to be doing well thankfully but one of the the first litter has sadly passed away during the night :cry:
I noticed last night she had runny poop so didn't hold out much hope for her, the weaning process was obviously too much for her little body to take at this stage.
I'm now worried for the other 2 left, if anybody has any advice on what to do to help save the remaining babies that would be great.
 
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funnybun said:
It's somewhat of a sad day today, this morning i've discovered a nest of 5 healthy looking kits, mum seems to be doing well thankfully but one of the the first litter has sadly passed away during the night :cry:
I noticed last night she had runny poop so didn't hold out much hope for her, the weaning process was obviously too much for her little body to take at this stage.
I'm now worried for the other 3 left, if anybody has any advice on what to do to help save the remaining babies that would be great.
Click to expand...

Had you already removed litter 1 before litter 2 arrived ?

You do need to try to remove all fecal matter from litter 1 out of the environment litter 2 are now in to try to avoid cross contamination of any pathogens. Normally I'd say dont disturb the new litter/nest, but if the first litter was in there then IMO the risk of not clearing out all old bedding/nest etc outways the risk of disturbing the new litter. Put the Doe out in a run away from the nest whilst you do this and rub your hands in some of her bedding before you handle litter 2.

Try to make sure litter 1 are all eating lots of hay, dont introduce any new food types at all until they are all at least 9 weeks old.

A water soluble probiotic-Bio Lapis could be given in the drinking water of litter 1 to try to support the balance of gut flora which at this stage will not be fully established

Make sure that you maintain good hand hygiene when handling litter 1 and 2. Always wash your hands before handling either litter and use separate cleaning equipment to clean out their individual environments.
 
Sorry to hear one of the kits didn't make it, it must be really upsetting. I hope all the rest stay healthy & that the Doe can build herself back up, poor thing. Lots of vibes for all the buns & you x
 
Thank you for your advice.
Yes i removed the 1st litter late last night when i noticed mum pulling fur and again nesting like mad, i put lots of fresh hay in and spot cleaned the main area of the hutch the best i could while she was in crazy mode.
It was when i moved the babies to another hutch i noticed one had diahorea, i cleaned her back end and put her in a seperate cage with just hay and water but sadly that wasn't enough to save her.
I've now noticed runny poop in the babies cage again, i've got a feeling this situation isn't going to turn out great :cry:
 
Jbun said:
If this is true watery diarrhea(not just a bit of mushy poop), you need to get the baby to a vet immediately! Watery diarrhea in babies is extremely serious and can be an indication of pathogenic bacteria in their gut.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/poop.html
Click to expand...

We already took the babies to the vet this afternoon and he just gave me something to put in their water and some booster drops and basically told me to cross my fingers, that was it :roll:
They are alive and seem to want to eat still so all i can do is pray they get through this nightmare, bless their little hearts :cry:
 
So sorry you lost the other one!
Are any of the other group showing signs of diarrhea?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
 
funnybun said:
Yes the remaining 2 :cry:
Click to expand...

:cry:
Are they eating pellets too?
Im NOT an expert so it may be worth getting a vets advise but if they're eating pellets, are they eating too many pellets and not enough hay?
If they ear too many pellets too fast without enough hay they can contract diarrhoea - it may be a case of trying to bribe them to eat the hay by making sure its really good quality so they they arw interested, I really hope you manage to save the rest x

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
 
aaammmyyy said:
:cry:
Are they eating pellets too?
Im NOT an expert so it may be worth getting a vets advise but if they're eating pellets, are they eating too many pellets and not enough hay?
If they ear too many pellets too fast without enough hay they can contract diarrhoea - it may be a case of trying to bribe them to eat the hay by making sure its really good quality so they they arw interested, I really hope you manage to save the rest x

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Yes they were eating pellets but the vet advised us to only give them hay for the next day or 2 along with the meds he prescribed, i've just been to check on them again and they seem ok, i can't see any fresh runny poops so i'm hoping for a miracle right now.
 
I'm sorry I don't have any advice as I have no experience of baby buns but I did not want to read and run.

I hope the remaining kits make it, sounds like you are doing everything possible.
 
bunny babe said:
I'm sorry I don't have any advice as I have no experience of baby buns but I did not want to read and run.

I hope the remaining kits make it, sounds like you are doing everything possible.
Click to expand...

Thank you, i have no experience with baby buns either but now find myself with 7 in total :shock:
If these 2 sick babies make it they will definitely be staying with me and my sister, and mum has 100% stolen my heart, she's a keeper too, she needs some TLC and lot's of snuggles after her ordeal :love:
 
I have no experience of caring for baby bunnies, but hopefully someone who does will be along very soon.

Hoping that everything works out for the best in the meantime. xxxxx
 
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