# Help!



## FuzzyGemma (Apr 17, 2006)

We decided to give our Muffin an opportunity to be a Mommy before spaying her ....
Took her to the vet two days ago, she said that she is healthy and babies are developed and she'll give birth on friday or saturday ....
Well i came home a couple min ago and i saw little baby bunnies in there, but she wasnt close to them....they were just laying in the corner :shockonly 3 for now)
She is in a dark room by herself, im afraid to go and see whats going on ....
But i had no time to make a box for her and i dont know what should i do next ....
And why she's not near her babies? Im pretty sure they are alive ....Maybe she doesnt know what to do with them?
:shock:


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## aurora369 (Apr 18, 2006)

Mommy bunnies do not lay with their babies.

You need to make sure all the babies are warm and covered.Did she pull fur? If not gently pluck some from mommies tummy or use some clean cotton puff balls.

If the babies are cold you need to warm them up asap, they may not be dead even though they feel cold to the touch. Use a heating pad on low and make a little nest out of a towell. Make sure they can wiggle of the heating pad if they get too warm.

#1 priority, make sure babies are warm!

#2 check to make sure mom has no stuck kits, probe abdomen area for any babies left. If there is one, she will need to go to the vets to get it removed.

--Dawn


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## RO STAFF 2 (Apr 18, 2006)

So sorry for not seeing this earlier. 

I'm sure somebody more experienced in breeding will chime in soon, but the mother won't stay with the babies, she just goes to feed them once or twice a day. 

And there's no problem with you handling them to put them in a nest box and make sure they're warm and healthy. (If they're cold, you can rub them until they warm up). 

Good luck with the little ones. 


EDIT: Dawn to the rescue! We posted at the same time. She has great advice. 


PS: Moving this to the Rabbitry...


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## aurora369 (Apr 18, 2006)

Here are some websites to look at:

http://www.debmark.com/rabbits/bunnies.htm

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

This one is really good: http://www.welshrabbitry.com/birth.html

I'll try to find some more in a bit. Good luck

--Dawn


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## RO STAFF 2 (Apr 18, 2006)

Also check out the PINned file at the top of the Rabbitryforum (now that this post hasbeen moved into the right one). :baghead


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## TinysMom (Apr 18, 2006)

You've had some really good advice - now let me share a few thoughts on your new mama's behavior.

First of all, many times - a first time mama might not build a nest. I want to say I was told that in lionheads it could happen about 1/4 of the time - I could be wrong on that. So it is important to make sure that they have something to keep themselves warm. The idea of the nest box keeps them from crawling OUT and wandering around..and yes, I've had little ones do that to find mama if they weren't in a box. 

Secondly, make sure to check them daily to see that they've been fed. My guess is that mama is going to do this somewhere between midnight and 6 am - making sure no one is around when she doe sit.

You have to understand that a rabbit's instinct is to NOT be with their young as they don't want to bring predators to their nest. So - they stay away from the nest and go at night or early morning to nurse their young. THen...they leave again.

She also will not nurse them by laying down like a cat does.She will stand over them and they will nurse. Some does I've had will nurse more than once a day - others will nurse only once a day.

Now - I'm a breeder - and as such, I want you to understand that I'm not "throwing stones" or criticizing you when I ask this next question. Why did you want to breed her? Was it for"her" to have the experience - or for you to have the experience? I ask this because depending upon the breed - there can be risks involved with pregnancy and kindling and I don't know if I would want to riskmy own pet rabbit to breeding if I didn't know what I was doing and had a place for those babies to go once they were born....

However...you do have about 8 weeks to find homes for the babies - so that is good.

Now - if mama doesn't nurse them (and some new mamas won't)....then you will need to put them in a basket or something and hold her over them to let them nurse. If they were born early and are a bit premature - they may have problems nursing and you may have to flip heron her back and hold her down while letting them try to latch on to her...but hopefully - that isn't a factor at all for your rabbit.

Anyway - I would check them a minimum of once per day to make sure they are getting fed. I would also increase mama's feed a bit and make sure she has a LOT of fresh water every day. My mamas have 1/2 gallon bottles if I remember right...and there are times ..depending upon the size of their litter and how much they nurse - that I will have to refill the bottle once during the day. 

Good luck with the babies. Once again- I really wasn't trying to criticize you at all...but in case someone read your post and thought, "Well, I could do that with my doe..." I wanted them to realize that there are some risks involved....

Peg


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## FuzzyGemma (Apr 18, 2006)

Thank you !
She still has 3 babies, theu are covered and i can see them breathing, they are so small though i thought baby bunnies are bigger 
Mommy looks fine she was eating earlier


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## RO STAFF 2 (Apr 18, 2006)




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## aurora369 (Apr 18, 2006)

They are very tiny, and wiggly! Glad to hear mom and babies are okay. 

As Peg said, I would just check to make sure all bellies are full and that mom is feeding them. Wildfire feeds at about 9am and 11pm. But different bunnies will choose different times. Wildfire's cage is right in my living room and she's very used to peope puttering around. So depending on how comfortable your bun is, you may or may not see them feeding.

Post some pictures soon! I know I took pictures every day, from the time they where born. 

--Dawn


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## FuzzyGemma (Apr 18, 2006)

One baby died this morning 
The other two seems ok, the only thing one is much bigger than the other one :?
She is very protective right now, she wont even let me touch her food bowl , so im trying to stay away ...
Ill take pictures in a couple of days , dont want to freack her out right now


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## aurora369 (Apr 19, 2006)

One thing to do is to let her out to run around and check on the babies then.

If she is protective, then it is best to not stress her out. Try to do as much with her out of the cage as possible.

It is normal to have some babies bigger or smaller. In my last litter I had one that was much bigger, but she ended up maturing to the same size when fully grown. I've also had, in adifferent litter with a different doe, one baby regular sized and one baby large. The mom gave birth to one peanut, one regular size, and one non-dwarfing. So anything can happen.As long as babies look healthy and full bellied, they should be fine.

I'm sorry that the one died, but that happens with baby bunnies. It's so heart breaking, and tough.

Good luck with the other two, I'm sure they will be fine.

--Dawn


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## FuzzyGemma (Apr 25, 2006)

The babies:bunnydance:


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## aurora369 (Apr 25, 2006)

Oh, how beautiful! They are just too precious. Give them a little kiss for me.

--Dawn


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## ellenlouise (Apr 25, 2006)

Georgeous babies. What breed are they? How old are they now. I lost my first litter two were still born and then two died the next day. It was heart breaking. Now I have my new litter they are gorgeous. 2 weeks old today. All the best!

Ellen

Cnt wait to see more pics


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## SweetPeasMommie (Apr 25, 2006)

Awwww look at the colourings. How tiny is that. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww


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## FuzzyGemma (May 4, 2006)

*aurora369*
*ellenlouise*
*SweetPeasMommie*
Thank you 
The babies are 17 days old now, they started eating grass
We named them Flopsy and Mopsy 




















:bunnydance:


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## SweetPeasMommie (May 4, 2006)

Which one is which in the name. I love your black and white one. Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww How cute is that. :bunnydance:


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## aurora369 (May 5, 2006)

Oh oh oh!! They are too cute!

Give them lots of little smooches for me!

--Dawn


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## BACI (May 5, 2006)

Thank you so much for sharing the pics. I have been thinking a lot about you. I have not been oh rabbitry and was hoping everything turned out ok. and oooooooooohhhhhh I want one they are soooooo cute. I love the second to last pic. I am not good with the professional names of colors but it is the white and creme or tan... itis soo cute. So, how is everything going? Are you used to the drastic difference in temp in texas vs indiana? My aunt lived there I loved to visit, but the heat I was not too sure of. Well congrats and I hope you get to keep the cuties. Keep the pics coming, Maybe a blog if you have more. WE LOVE to ooh and ahh over all the cuties.thanks again


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## BACI (May 5, 2006)

oh how lucky one of each. Kinda like you planned it. I love the names. ok I am done rambling but still they are adorable


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## rabbit_whisperer (May 7, 2006)

I'm so happy for you! and I do hope that all goes well.......





I've breed rabbit's a couple times and i've seen that the mum does not spend lots and lots of time with the babies.



hope this helps.:bunnydance:


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