My rabbit smokey had her first litter of bunnies only one was born alive. Why were the 4 others born dead.?

Question

My rabbits are well fed and well watered and taken very good care of Smokey is a very health happy rabbit might I say very friendly too. Shes spoiled and loves attention. Can any one give reason why babies would be born dead , but one , she for a first time mom seems to be taking care of the one that is living.

Answer 1

They could have died for a number of reasons. I raise Netherland Dwarfs, and with them first time mom's usually lose their first litter and all other litters that are lost have birth defects causing them to not live. What breed are you raising? Are they raised outside? Where there any signs that it was a hard birth? Sometimes if it's a hard birth then the babies don't get enough oxygen and they die. There will br bruising around the nose on the whisker bed if this is the case. Sorry I couldn't be of more help, but without seeing the kits it's hard to tell you the exact reason.

Answer 2

Kevin, please don't be so rude. This girl is upset and you're here being a jerk. You don't have to agree with her but you can a least pretend to have some manners. If you can't be nice, go somewhere else.

There are just too many reasons why your bunnies died. What exactly was smokey being fed? How old is she? How old is the buck? How long was she pregnant? Is there a chance she could have fallen? Do you know her breed or the breed of the buck?

If she wasn't getting the right nutrients, she may have lost them due to that. Sometimes a diet change or adding fresh foods during pregnancy can help. Rabbits are one of the few species that tend to have MORE problems when they are bred at an older age. If she is over two, that could be the problem. Many rabbit breeders actually recommend the first litter be born when the doe is 9-12 months old but I do not know alot about that. You would need to contact a few and discuss it with them for more information. If the buck is older, his sperm may not have been as healthy as a young buck's. If she accidently hurt herself, she could have injurred them. Depending on the breed(s), there are birth defects that could have been the cause of death. It could just be that she is a new mother and accidentally harmed them without you even knowing it. I think a visit to the vet when the surviving bunny is around 4 weeks is in order. He'll be old enough to spend a few hours alone while you take Smokey to the vet provided you make sure he stays warm. I am so sorry you lost your bunnies.

Answer 3

that kevin guy answers nastily to all questions he answers. everyone should report him for abuse!

in many instances, a rabbit's first litter does not survive. next time give her plenty of alfalfa hay and vitamins in her water while she is pregnant. also, make sure your male rabbit is not a brother to her, because inbred rabbits are weaker, and have more congenital defects. also, separate her from the male, because she can get pregnant right after birth, and he might kill the babies, and keep her in a room that is away from heavy traffic. keep an eye on the remaining baby, and make sure she is feeding it, otherwise you might have to handfeed. there is no reason why her second litter won't be healthy.

Answer 4

hi Kitty i have study a number of your different posts and that i have some questions for you. out of your different posts i have gleaned that you're merely going to be leaving extreme college and also you're searching at making some money because breeding chickens and etc failed. i'm stressful that you have not researched breeding rabbits ok. have you ever figured in vet expenditures, pellets, hay, vegetables, vegetables and fruit? the fee that you stated a puppy keep might want to furnish you with for a equipment is quite positive. have you ever gotten an organization grant from the puppy keep proprietor? you'll want to keep all of them in distinct cages/hutches. Will you've adequate time to spend with each rabbit so they receives adequate workout? those are the cages you'll want: A hutch for the daddy of, a minimum of, 4’ x 2’ for a small/dwarf breed a higher hutch of a minimum of five’ x 2 for a small breed mom and her relations extra hutches for the toddlers post-weaning – if there are 4 toddlers contained in the clutter then you fairly will want a minimum of two spare hutches of four’ x 2’ for small/dwarf breeds. and then you'll must have separate runs as well. I chosen now to not breed rabbits because i won't be able to deal with issues properly if a puppy dies. you could might want to deal with the useless kits and if she isn't dealt with suited the mummy as well. regardless of perfect situations assume to lose some kits. inspect correct the following URLs lower than.

Answer 5

Many times first litters do not survive. Eiether because the mother was to young and her nutritional intake was going to growing her own body. Or she just wasn't sure what to do witht he babies and didn't stiumlate them properly.

were you there for the birth and saw them born dead?
I've had first time mother rabbits kill some babies, either by accident or on purpous. eiether stepping wrong, or a possible birth defect you can't see, etc.

Answer 6

Kevin, that was RUDE!

I'm very sorry to hear that your baby bunnies didn't make it. I looked up a study on the internet that said if the protein levels in the mother's diet were too low during her pregnancy, then the likelihood of stillborn kits increases. You might want to talk to a vet or a rabbit farmer who knows how you should alter the expectant mother's diet for her future pregnancies.

Answer 7

while i have had 2 female rabbits. who both have litters..
our first female Mou she had 2 litters her second batch of them was much more healthy then her second one (it might be due to the fact her brother was the father of the first batch)

however our current female her first batch, she started out with 7 and only 3 survived.. so i think its just the first batch of them isn't as strong as the second time around..