Rabbit people, I have a situation . . .

My sons bunny finally had her babies today, but it looks like they are all dead This was her first litter. Now I am wondering what to do. Should I take them out right away or leave them with her for a bit?

Take the litter away and re breed the doe, either breed her right away or give her a week or so and try to breed her then. How many did she have and were they extra large in size? What breed is the doe?

Piet

I heard it is relatively common for them to loose thier first litter. Im no expert, but that is what I was told.

Piet wrote:Take the litter away and re breed the doe, either breed her right away or give her a week or so and try to breed her then. How many did she have and were they extra large in size? What breed is the doe?

Piet

They are lionhead bunnies, so a small breed. She had three babies and they look like they are normal sized. My son bred her sister last year and she had three also. I was thinking of breeding the sister again and letting this girl rest. What would be best for her; a rest of to be bred again right away?

What Piet said...

Breed her again right away. I have had this happen and that mothering instinct seems to kick in the second time around. I have a feeling it has to do with the hormones that remain in the system.

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They are lionhead bunnies, so a small breed. She had three babies and they look like they are normal sized. My son bred her sister last year and she had three also. I was thinking of breeding the sister again and letting this girl rest. What would be best for her; a rest of to be bred again right away?[/quote]

She doesn't need a rest, i would just breed her again. Specially those small breeds, keep em in the running. It won't benefit her being able to have good litters by letting her do nothing, that can only make it harder for her to breed(fattening = hard to catch preggo) A dwarfed rabbit have one dose of the dwarfing gene and if it has two doses, they will be "peanuts" and do not live, hence dead babies. Peanuts look like an undeveloped baby rabbit with an enlarged forehead and are much smaller then the surviving kits in a litter, so I don't think she had three peanuts, maybe she squished them on the way out if they were rather large and that happens when they have few in a litter. A lionhead can easily have 5 or 6 kits and are generally good mothers, at least much better then Holland Lops.

Piet

New Development: Last night I went out and gave each of the rabbits some greens then headed off to feed the other animals before I reintroduced the mother reabbit to the male again. I was passing by the birthing cage and saw a baby laying there outside the hutch in the run! It was dead of course. The thing is it wasn't there five minutes before and it has been 24 hours since I found the others. All I can think is it was stuck to the mothers fur and chose that moment to fall off. Because it was cold (but not stiff) She can't still be having babies can she? A whole day later?!?