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All the baby bunnies died...

southerngardengal

18 years ago

I have a New Zealand White that was given to me by some children that I kept at one time so I don't know how old she is but the last two times she kindled her babies all died. This time she had seven and all of them were dead in the nest box. The last time she only had two and they didn't live long at all. I laid off the death of the two to the heat because it during the summer. It was pretty cool Saturday morning so heat had nothing to do with it. She had seven in her first litter lost one of those. I have had her a couple of years and she has had three litters in that time. The food that I feed them goes along with the guidelines that I have read they need.

I hate to cull her since the girls gave her to me but I am trying to raise some rabbits to sell to people who want them for pets and she isn't helping.

Any suggestions as what could be the problem? Thanks.

Jan

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Comments (5)

GennyM
18 years ago
How sad, I would just keep her as a pet. She is probably an older rabbit it sounds like just by what you said. You could just take care of her and give her a nice life. She deserves it!
broodyjen
18 years ago
I don't know anything about bunnies, but I'm really sorry for your loss. It is always heartbreaking to have any birth be still-born. My condolences.
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Not sure if it is damping off, but it may be some other fungus, some additional points. 1. Make sure your seed starting medium is sterile. Use a "soiless" medium. 2. It sounds like you are using a seed starting tray with a plastic cover. If so, like others have noted, take the top off as soon as a majority of the plants have germinated. 3. Also, water from the bottom. And water as needed (which is probably not 2x a day). The surface does not need to be, and should not be, wet all the time, once the plants get going. Not only is being constantly moist going to encourage fungus, but it is not good for the growth of the plant. You are trying to train the roots of the plant to go down for the moisture. Thus the bottom watering. 4. You may not have a choice (as far as a light source), but I wouldn't move the plants outside until they getting close to planting. If you do put small seedlings outside, put the cover on when outside, then take it back off when you move them in. If that is the only good light they are getting 4-5 hours may not be enough, but this will be evidenced by the plants being "leggy". If there is no sunny window, then try to make a setup as described above. Flourescent shop lights are fine, but they need to be just above the plants (1"-2") for the plants to get enough light. Hope this helps.
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Q. My question is, did my dog leave a scent in the whole which scared the mama away and a predator came at night and hurt the first one?? And how can I help them. They are in my front yard and its so sad that all I am going to think about is that poor baby. Please help!! Mothers' instincts are strong and she'll want her babes to survive. An eyes-closed baby cottontail needs Mom's milk. We observed a female cottontail return to her nest after a pred had destroyed it. There is a low success rate with getting eyes-closed kids to survive, and mature, on formula ~ so please do everything you can to safeguard that nest during the day/evening. You can put strings or two light sticks across the top to see if momma rabbit is comin' back to care for her surviving babe/s...if you don't see her at dawn or dusk. If sticks looks a bit juggled in morning, and the nest hair/grass covering is in place (mom woulda replaced it to protect her babes), good chance momma came back to nurse. Let your dog pee in the yard, well Away from the nest, ... If a predator is in your midst, your dog's scent in the yard or hole will not deter a hungry cat, 'coon, opposum, snake, mink, etc. ... any help you provide would be appreciated by those youngsters ... I'll be happy to help if you need some extra tips. FCF
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dovekeeper
18 years ago
Jan, Mama may not be nursing her babies.
I'm sorry you've lost all these litters. :(
Rosie
Maggie_J
18 years ago
If you have had her a couple of years and she was adult when given to you she could well be at the end of her productive years. Personally, I would not breed a doe with her track record again, unless I felt that I had solved the cause of her problem. I'd cull her for the table or keep her as a pet. If you have other breeding does, save a couple of their most promising youngsters as future breeders. Or bring in some new blood.

A few things to consider before making a decision:
- Is she in excellent health generally? A run-down or overly fat doe may have trouble kindling.
- Does she have her own cage in a peaceful place? Kindling does need privacy and quiet.
- Did you examine her teats to see if she had milk for the babies?
- Has the same buck sired all her litters?
- Have you bred other does to the buck with success?
- Were there visible birth defects in any of the litters?

It is fairly common for a doe to lose her first litter, due to inexperience and confusion. It is more frustrating and sad to lose litter after litter. A replacement doe should not be that expensive. I would look for one around a year old that has already successfully raised a litter.
Old_Hazza
18 years ago
Totally agree with all that Maggie says. Old McDonald.

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