# Can Momma's Milk Dry Up



## mistyjr (Apr 28, 2010)

Can Momma's milk dry up even the babies arent old enough to be dewean?

I have 11 day old babies, I checked the mother and it seems that she dont have hardly no milk. There is no fat like there's milk in her tits. Her belly is smooth with no fat. (I dont know how to explain it the right away) because the babies seem they dont have nice full bellies. Like I see in other people's post. There tummies are kinda sucked in a little with no hard full bellies... Every time I put my hand in there they start to cry like they are hungrey. I put the haraquin baby under her because it seems that she dont have no milk and the baby wouldnt latch on good enough..
I dont know..:scared::expressionless

Can her milk be drying up?:grumpy


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## jcottonl02 (Apr 28, 2010)

I wouldn't imagine so....
I don't know if this is the case with rabbits but in humans, the act of a baby suckling causes the hormone Oxytocin to be released, and the act of this positive feedback causes more milk to be produced. If the baby doesn't suckle for a length of time, no Oxytocin is produced, so no more milk is produced.

So if the kits are suckling, I don't see why milk would stop being produced.

I wonder whether stress can cause a doe's milk to dry up? How much does the mother eat? Perhaps it is not enough to sustain her and the milk supply?

Jen


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## mistyjr (Apr 28, 2010)

When I feed all the bun's.It useally take me about 45 mintues. Anyways I go to her hutch first fill her dish all the way. Give her hay and greens. I let her eat, Then go to Spider-man let him eat and then go the rest. Then when I done feeding watering everybody i take the food away from spidy and Momma. And give her lots of Hay. I'm to scared after Spider-Man choked on hes pellets. I'm to scared now to leave food in bowl while I'm not out there.. Plus I go out doors couple times a day and let her nibble on her pellets.. I noticed after she had the babies, Her hip bones is more noticeable and can really feel it. So I try let her eat more then the other bunnies that only get 1/2 cup a day because they are getting way over weight, So I had to change there diet. I'm leaving Friday, I'm going to see what my aunt says about the babies if they are getting enough or i need to do something eles.


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## jcottonl02 (Apr 28, 2010)

Hmm...I hope someone with more experience can come and help.

Jen


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## mistyjr (Apr 28, 2010)

Thanks Jen!


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## fld20 (Apr 28, 2010)

Your doe should be pretty much free fed by this point . Which would explain the hip bones & possible lack of milk . If she dosent have enough nutrients she certainlly cant be supplying the babies with what they need.


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## jcottonl02 (Apr 28, 2010)

At this point, examine the mother for signs of lactation. By gently holding the mother upright, or gently turning her upside down in a lap, the nipples can be examined. They should feel slightly swollen and it is likely that the mother pulled a great deal of fur from her chest and stomach to not only make her nest, but also to better expose the teats for the babies.

Slight pressure in a milking motion should release either small amount of milk or clear fluid. If the mother is lactating, return her to the babies and allow her to calm down and become familiar with her new nest. Examine the babies the next day to make sure that they are being fed.

If the mother is definitely not lactating or has not attempted to pull fur or make a nest, etc., take the mother to a qualified rabbit-experienced veterinarian immediately. The veterinarian will probably give the mother a small dose of oxytocin, a drug that will stimulate the milk glands. She should nurse within the next 24 hours.

http://www.rabbit.org/care/babies.html

That is information from the House Rabbit Society. 

Do the babies bellies look round and swollen? If so, then she must be lactating.

Jen


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## jcottonl02 (Apr 28, 2010)

*jcottonl02 wrote: *


> At this point, examine the mother for signs of lactation. By gently holding the mother upright, or gently turning her upside down in a lap, the nipples can be examined. They should feel slightly swollen and it is likely that the mother pulled a great deal of fur from her chest and stomach to not only make her nest, but also to better expose the teats for the babies.
> 
> Slight pressure in a milking motion should release either small amount of milk or clear fluid. If the mother is lactating, return her to the babies and allow her to calm down and become familiar with her new nest. Examine the babies the next day to make sure that they are being fed.
> 
> ...



Ah, so i was right about the oxytocin . I wasn't sure if it was just with humans or not.

Jen


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## mistyjr (Apr 28, 2010)

When they were first born. There bellies would be nice and big and full. But the last couple of days they havent been as full


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## TinysMom (Apr 28, 2010)

A couple of stupid questions...but..

Did you try to test breed her partway into her pregnancy? (Wondering if she could be pregnant again and thus her milk drying up)

Was she exposed to another buck after having the kits?

Is she getting enough feed and water?

It does sound like she could be drying up because if the babies are that old - they'd be going after the milk right away and usually be pretty full.

I wonder if she could have mastitis. 

I'd write more but I have to go pick up Art from work.


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## mistyjr (Apr 29, 2010)

*TinysMom wrote: *


> A couple of stupid questions...but..
> 
> Did you try to test breed her partway into her pregnancy? (Wondering if she could be pregnant again and thus her milk drying up)
> 
> ...


No, When she lost her 1st litter on March 17th, I breed her that night and she never went back with the buck after that. She is in the hutch with the Mini Rex but their's a divider in between them. So there is no buck around her. Our shed haves 2 rooms, The hutch is separated with the other cages. 

like i said about about feeding her. I go to her first fill her bowl with pellets, Give her lots of hay that filled all threw her cage. Then I go o Spider-Man (from other thread) and then to go feed and water everybody eles that takes me about 45 min to feed and water. Then i take her and spidy food away due to spidy chocking that happen few days ago.. But I do go out their couple more times a day to let her eat a little more.. I'm just afraid having that choking accident again due to pellets. But she does get green couple times a week. Like Parsley. Today she got 1 piece of strawberry top.

I mean her tits been like day one. I dont know if it could be because the other 2 brown babies are 2 times as big as the smaller ones and a lot heavier in size. 
I dont know if I should let the other smaller babies get more TLC during the day?
:?


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## OakRidgeRabbits (Apr 29, 2010)

*mistyjr wrote: *


> When they were first born. There bellies would be nice and big and full. But the last couple of days they havent been as full


If you're not feeding mom, that's why she is feeling bony and lacking in milk production. It's not a good idea to take her food out. She should have access to a high protein feed at all times right now so that her body can take care of her kits. Having a bunny choke on food is scary, but that's no reason to restrict food access.:expressionless


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## jcottonl02 (Apr 29, 2010)

*mistyjr
*


> Today she got 1 piece of strawberry top.


*If you have a pregnant doe you should ensure that she has food available at all times, both during and after the pregnancy.

**You need to feed her twice as much food as you would normally and this needs increasing to three times as much when suckling a whole litter of kittens.

*http://www.mismatch.co.uk/rabbitpregnant.htm

This could definately be the reason why her milk is drying up, and she is skinny. It is scary the thought of a rabbit choking on pellets, but if you breed rabbits I think you'll just need to fight back that fear, because any pregnant does you have should be getting unlimited pellets really. You can't watch 24 hours a day .

Think about how much energy it takes to create new tissues- lots! She spend 31days creating new tissues, and now she's producing lots of a nutrient rich, high quality and calorie-thick milk. So if she can't get this energy from her food, it will come from her fat reserves.

Jen


*
*


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## mistyjr (Apr 29, 2010)

I'm not abusing her.


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## jcottonl02 (Apr 29, 2010)

*mistyjr wrote: *


> I'm not abusing her.



:?

Jen


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## mistyjr (Apr 29, 2010)

Well, It seems like you guys think I am really starving her.


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## TinysMom (Apr 29, 2010)

*mistyjr wrote: *


> Well, It seems like you guys think I am really starving her.


:hug:

I don't think any of us mean it that way at all.

I think that in trying to "protect" her from choking - you're winding up not allowing her what she needs - which is food that is available ALL the time. Any time I walk by a nursing mom's cage and her food bowl is empty...I put more in.

It takes a lot for a mom to nurse kits...especially as they get older. 

We know you h ave the best of intentions....but you do need to leave her food wiht her all the time.


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## mistyjr (Apr 29, 2010)

I checked on her and the babies this morning. I filled her bowl all the way up and left it in with her...


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## pamnock (Apr 29, 2010)

It is possible that her milk is drying up, but as already suggested, slowly increase her feed.

When I have does that don't seem to be milking heavily enough, I give them a few baby carrots - extra carbs as well as increasing moisture. 

Also - it isn't easy to tell in all does if they are milking well by simply examining the teats or attempting to milk them - if they are stressed, the milk will not "let down" making it very difficult to express even a small drop. On the other hand, some does mammary glands fill up like a Holstein's udder! This is especially noticeable after 3 days when the milk comes in.

In most cases, milk production has decreased quite a bit by day 21, close to the time when, in the wild, the doe would be weaning her young.


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## mistyjr (Apr 29, 2010)

Thanks Pam!


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