rabbit mortality

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I took the doe away from her litter on Saturday noticed one bunny losing weight but was bright eyed & showed curiosity...no diarhea(sp?) no nasal discharge...its like he quit eating or drinking when I removed the doe... the other are thriving fine...this one died Friday nite...could he have been stressed without his mother?

-- Larry Buffaloe (B4LOE@msn.com), August 24, 1999

Answers

how old were babys? always give weaned babys extra hay when weaning, stress shouldnt have caused death with out symtoms look for other causes was it the runt?

-- kathy hart (saddlebronc@msn.com), August 29, 1999.

I always leave the does in for at least 5 weeks. Many times at that age they are still nursing. I would suspect they were too young when you took the doe out. If it wasn't disease and they weren't killed then I would suspect they somehow weren't getting water.

-- Bob Ambrozaitis (rambrozaitis@snet.net), September 28, 1999.

Anyway, should have said they were 6 weeks old at the time. Same Mother had 10 kits 4 weeks ago fostered 2 to another does that had 5 kits & all are doing real well. These happen to be "flea market" rabbits that look just like the wild ones out back, was told they were called San Juan rabbits? Anyone know their history?

-- Larry Buffaloe (B4LOE@msn.com), October 12, 1999.

Hi Larry, I almost lost a baby acting like you discribed. I tried seperation, different food, medication. Quite by accident, I saw it flinch when trying to eat. After checking it's teeth, I found them to be growing wrong. I clipped them with wire cutters twice, once a month until they grew straight on their own. She lived. That was my only one out of numberous litters.

-- D Tur (gdgtur@goes.com), April 24, 2000.

Larry, I have raised many rabbits over the past several years, and I have noticed that rabbits are very sensitive and loving animals. I never removed the kits before six weeks of age, also the suggestion of checking the teeth was a good idea, and also, believe it or not, i had one young one that was seven weeks old that died from ear mite infection. I have had several kits be stressed without the mother, although many times the mother is more than happy to get rid of the babies. Good luck.

-- Traci Rae Davis (krystalgrace61@yahoo.com), March 13, 2001.

Forgot to add that, if a doe should die before the kits are weaned, mama cats raise baby rabbits, and mama rabbits raise baby kittens. Also, u can buy kitten milk replacer to feed the baby rabbits through a tiny baby bottle made for kittens or just use an eye dropper.

-- Traci Rae Davis (krystalgrace61@yahoo.com), March 13, 2001.

-- (squeegeewee@yahoo.com), July 14, 2001