My mini lop-earred mother rabbit just had her fifth litter today and she only had ONE baby which is VERY unusual for her. Plus, shes not taking care of it ... like she didnt make a nest or rip off fur like she usually does. Please help!!!! This is VERY unusual for her and I'm very worried for the baby!: O
You can gently pull some fur out of the mother rabbit. I have also used cut up fleece to act as 'fur', for the baby. If the mother is not feeding the baby (the kit will be weak, thin, cold, and possibly squeaking), hold the mother rabbit on your lap and hold the baby bunny on her. This may be very tedious, but it is better than watching the poor baby bunny die!
You may also want to take the kit & nest box out during the day to keep it warm ... but its up to you. I usually try to let the doe take over for the kit. I would put a warm water bottle in with the baby. Wrap the bottle in 2 to 3 layers of paper towel, and stick it at the far end of the nest box. Put the baby next to it, but not so close that it over heats! If the baby wants to be warmer, he should be able to move closer to it, and if he is to hot, he can move away.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Another idea .... your doe may also have more kits inside her! Perhaps she has one stuck, and that is why she has only had 1! It may be worth it to take her to the vet, just to make sure, otherwise she may end up dying, and the kit she already has had will, most likely, die too.
Is your doe acting normal? Is she eating, drinking, having bowel movements? Does she seem alert?
Hope this helps! Good luck!
There is a chance the baby is sick, in which case some mother animals abandon the baby for fear of getting sick themselves. It might be handicapped (maybe paralyzed limbs?) Or something of the sort . If nothing appears wrong with the baby, the mother could have just lost interest. After a large amount of litters, some animals don't want to take care of their young anymore. This could also be why she only had one baby; some animals' bodies can't handle so many babies.
If she's taken care of her previous litters, she should care for this one, too. You can pull fur from her if she doesn't because it's very loose at this time and will come free easily. Make sure the kit stays well-covered - one lonely kit is in danger of getting chilled with no litter mates to snuggle with. Sometimes a mom will delay feeding for a short while. If you're positive she's not feeding the kit, your best bet is to foster the kit to another mother. You can also try restraining her and putting the kit under her to nurse. I haven't had a lot of luck with the milk letting down right that way, though .
most likely its not going to make it mother rabbits will push sick or dead baby's of to the side and they will not take care of them its normal don't worry its ok as long as she is taking care of the others its fine if not she may not be a good mom but i would breed her Again and see what happens just to make shure. hope this helps
Hi, there are a couple of possibilities. She may have just had to many litters. If a bunny has to many litters, they can in a wy go on strike. They will ignore the babies until you get the point that shes done. Another possibility is that the baby doesn't smell right to her. This could mean that the baby is sick but you can't tell. Or it might be that she just cant handle any more babies. If she normally has multiple babies and she only had 1, it might be her way of trying to shut down because she is incapable of kindling anymore litters. I will put a link in the sources box, and it should help. It tell you what to expect and what to do if the mom has decided she wants nothing to do with the baby. Its best if you read the whole thing but if you want, you can only read the part about intervening.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com HIH
edit: If she still has more babies in her, get her to the vet IMMEDIATLY!!!! She can die if they dont get the babies out of her. I hope all goes well!
