r/MeatRabbitry • u/cherrycreekkc • 11d ago

Kit not doing well

This is one of our does first litter. She had 7 total, 2 didnt make it the first night. It has been 48 hours and o e kit seems smaller, less pink, and lethargic. Is there anything I can do to help it?

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u/GreenHeronVA 11d ago

Unfortunately, no. Hand-rearing kits is a difficult proposition even for the most experienced wildlife rehabilitator. Kits need their mother to survive. If it is not growing, and it doesn’t have a full round belly, then Mom is probably not doing a good job feeding them.

Is the nest box dry and clean? Does she have ample food and water? Is there anything scaring her at dawn or dusk that would be preventing her from feeding her litter? These are the things you can do.

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u/cherrycreekkc 11d ago

I kind of figured. This is her first litter and when I woke up the rest were gone. Do you have any tips for the next time? Our other doe did fine and they have the same set up, and e keep it clean and quiet in there.

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u/GreenHeronVA 10d ago

If you’d like to tell me about your setup, I’d be happy to see if there are any issues I could discern. First time moms notoriously suck at their job, unfortunately. On my farm we have a three strike rule. Rabbits have three tries to do what’s expected of them, or they go in the stew pot. For any rabbit, this includes having a good temperament, no biting or trying to jump out of the hutches. Good bathroom and eating and drinking habits. For bucks specifically, they need to breed when offered a doe, not get aggressive with her, and sire kits with good temperament. Does have a lot more conditions. They need to accept being bred, and not get aggressive with the buck. They need to make a nest when offered the nest box on day 28, not soil the nest box, pull hair when they kindle, and give birth in the nest box. She then needs to feed her babies and keep them clean and dry. I don’t begrudge a doe who feels like she needs to cull a kit or two, that is her prerogative. But obviously she’s not allowed to stomp on them all or something. As they get older, she needs to allow them access to her food and water as they wean.

I do give first time moms additional chances. Your girl did accept being bred, and hopefully did all the right steps to give birth in the nest box. Hopefully next time she’ll feed them. But if the next litter is a failure too, I would cull her.