• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.
  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

Advice about Multiple Litters Please

Jack's-Jane

Wise Old Thumper
Dont panic NOT any of my Buns!!
I am aware of this scenario:
Three weeks ago a Doe gave birth to a litter of 9 Kits, sadly one died :cry: The Doe IS PREGNANT AGAIN and the litter is due in a couple of weeks. The first litter of Kits are TINY and will only be 5 weeks old when the next litter arrive. What are the options? Will the first litter of Kits stand a chance of surviving if they are removed from Mum at 5 weeks given that the kits are VERY small? As awful as the prospect is would it be 'kinder' to have the SECOND litter PTS rather than risk the first litter getting sick due to being weaned too soon?
The person trying to manage this nightmare is NOT the one responsible for the breeding. She is just having to try to sort out the consequences in the 'least bad' way.
ADVICE PLEASE!!
Janex
 
I would take the first litter and hand rear them for a few weeks till they were up to strength - poor mum though! :shock:
 
elve said:
I would take the first litter and hand rear them for a few weeks till they were up to strength - poor mum though! :shock:
Trouble is hand rearing baby kits is not hugely successful. They usually end up with enteritis :cry: It might not be so bad if the Kits were more robust but I saw them today and the really are teeny-weeny. If I could get my hands on the **** who allowed this to happen I'd throttle them :x :x
Janex
 
I had a similar diemma when I fostered a rat - she had a 3 day old litter and was mostly likely pregnant again (hard to tell as she was literally skin and bones). In the end I made the decision to split the first litter and see how she went - rats can be weaned at 6 weeks anyway and they'd be 4 weeks so it is slightly different. However, the mum sadly died (think it was all too much on her too young body), but her 4 week old babies did fine. They got lots of extra protein foods, as well as Lactol in a water bottle in addition to regular water, lots of mushy easy-to-eat food, etc.
They were all smaller than usual due to the circumstances (basically someone was mass breeding rats at very young ages for snake feed, and keeping dad in with mum :roll: ), but did fine. I did rehome them (all the boys together and all girls together, luckily, didn't want to decide who to split!) but hearing back from the two new owners, they were less healthy than other rats due to their bad start, and one did die quite young :(
I think considering rabbits DO go to petshops at 8 weeks (and sometimes even younger) and do survive even in these unideal circumstances, I would personally split the babies from mum and supplement their diet.
I'm sure I've heard mum animals produce two different types of milk when feeding - one for the newborns and one when they're slightly older? So having two different ages feeding may cause all sorts of complications. But then if that is the case, I'm not sure if she'd carried on producing the older kits milk rather than for the newborns? :?
But her body will have a lot taken out of it and she doesn't need two litters feeding and bothering her at the same time.
I can't personally judge having not seen them, but I'd probably get a vet to look at the 5 week olds and decide whether they'd have a high chance if away from their mum so early. If so, go ahead and do that, supplement them and mum (I think there are a few herbs that promote milk production too?) and let her take care of the new litter. If the likelihood of the 5 week olds making it isn't too good, I think it might be best all around to have the new litter PTS as suggested otherwise you'd end up with two sickly litters and a very very malnourished mum.
 
It may not be successful but it's a case of having no option, other than put the 2nd litter down - At least they all stand a chance if someone can handrear the first litter - I raised a litter of 7 baby wild rabbits to a good age when I was younger, on puppy weaning food I think, with a syringe - They only died when I went to college and left them with my dear mama :evil: who thought the infant school classroom would be a good environment for them :(

I guess she wasn't the best choice as a surrogate mum, since my grandad was a gamekeeper and rabbits were vermin/food in her book - I'm sure you could find someone better than that, so they might survive!
 
I wish Rabbits Only forum wasn't still down, or I could get you the references. But some rabbit mothers naturally start to wean their kits around 4-5 weeks. They continue to feed a little, but not as much and not as often, and some simply refuse to have anything to do with the kits once they reach that age. In the best circumstances, the kits should be with the mother until they are eight weeks old, nursing or no. But from what I know, you CAN wean kits that early, and I've seen it done where the mom has gotten too ill to take care of the kits, such as mastitis (mammary infection) or GI stasis. The kits did fine, and are healthy, the breeder just needed to pay very close attention to their health.

The problems with weaning kits that early are that they are more prone to enteritis and possibly long-term digestive problems, although I've only heard of that once, and it was a guess. It would be a good idea to keep them in the home for longer before they were rehomed, just to prevent stress on their delicate systems.

Wanted to add- this is a lot of stress on the mom and her owner needs to make sure she is getting high quality food with enough protein to fill her needs.
 
We have had this many times.
What we do (and have always had success with) is to take away the first group of babies bringing them into the house and just give them extra TLC.
They would be a minimum of four weeks old as this is the length of the pregnancy and the babies are usually just starting to eat by then. We put in saucers of critical care and as well as having a water bottle they have a bottle of goats milk (must be full cream). They also have baby rabbit pellets and hay.
We have had success with this method on orphaned babies as young as 2 weeks. Sometimes they need to be encouraged to start taking milk or critical care by licking it off our finger.
The poor mum also needs extra care with increased rations of pellets (she should also be fed baby rabbit food as this is higher in required nutrients) plus of course hay. She would benefit from goats milk too. Also spring greens which are excellent for milk production.
 
Thanks every-one!! I have offered to FOSTER the first litter if needs be. Now this is where I REALLY need your help. PLEASE KEEP REMINDING ME THAT I CANNOT KEEP THE BABIES!! I have never fostered before and I just know I will not want to part with any babies I do foster for this lady. BUT I HAVE TO!! So if I do end up with 8 baby bunsters in a couple of weeks ( which will take my Bun count up to 40 :shock: :shock: ) PLEASE keep reminding me that I CANNOT keep them. Be VERY firm with me :roll:
Janex
 
sounds great :D But since when have you listened to the voice of reason? :no:

good luck with the babies, and I hope the loft conversion works out :shock: :lol:
 
elve said:
sounds great :D But since when have you listened to the voice of reason? :no:

good luck with the babies, and I hope the loft conversion works out :shock: :lol:

I PROMISE TO LISTEN!! I am NOT going to name the babies if they come here. I could not afford to neuter and vaccinate another 8 Buns. Unless I have a long lost relative who pops their clogs and leaves me a fortune :? :?
Yeh, right I just saw that low flying pig too..... :lol: :lol:

Janex
 
oh that was what it was but hay jane you can get some good homes for the buns right here


oh hows the new additon doing
 
kim 106 said:
oh that was what it was but hay jane you can get some good homes for the buns right here


oh hows the new additon doing

Hang on, before I know it I'll be a Rescue :shock: :shock:
Janex
 
Aww, Very kind offer for you to rescue. I would have loved to take at least some and rear them, as that was the plan when i just had Charlie. The 2 litters i were meant to rear though both died before they arrived here, Sadly, Mum wont let me now Tilly-Mays here :? xx
 
JCO said:
Thanks every-one!! I have offered to FOSTER the first litter if needs be. Now this is where I REALLY need your help. PLEASE KEEP REMINDING ME THAT I CANNOT KEEP THE BABIES!! I have never fostered before and I just know I will not want to part with any babies I do foster for this lady. BUT I HAVE TO!! So if I do end up with 8 baby bunsters in a couple of weeks ( which will take my Bun count up to 40 :shock: :shock: ) PLEASE keep reminding me that I CANNOT keep them. Be VERY firm with me :roll:
Janex

Awwww Jane you`ve done a wonderful thing offering to foster these kits :D When i`ve taken in unwanted buns in the past, with litters or expecting i became soooooo attatched to them that it took me up to a year to rehome them! :shock: :lol: I was soooooo fussy about who they went to!
I know you`ll be exactly the same, as you love your bunsters soooo much but just try and remember all the goodies you can buy for you`re present 32 buns with 6 less to look after?!
Saying that, how`s the loft conversion going?! :wink: :lol:

Su.x
 
Have just spoken with the lovely lady who is looking after Mum and babies ( A Rescue near to me) and have passed on all the comments from here. She has also been in touch with another very experienced bunny rescue locally so hopefully this situation can have the best chance of a happy outcome. Thanks again guys!! :D :D
Janex
 
Back
Top