Tips for best care of newborn kits?

[DianeS]

I have a 1-year-old French Angora due to deliver her kits this week. Probably Friday/Saturday although anywhere between Wed-Sun would be in the OK range. She has lost every litter so far, so I'm looking for any tips that experience breeders may know and want to share.

I wasn't her owner for any previous litters, she's new to me. She gets her nestbox with plenty of straw tomorrow. I'm prepared with plenty of straw, calf-manna, hay (alfalfa and timothy), heating pad. Anything else I should have on hand?

I would normally be content to let her just do her thing, but I'm concerned that she really might need some support or help since she's lost the other litters (btwn birth and 2 days old). So any tips of things I might not have read about in my research would be appreciated.

I'm getting excited!

 

[miss_thenorth]

There's basically nothing you can do other than what you have done. She either mothers them or not. Once they are born, check them every now and again , usually morning and evening and feel their bellies. If they are not full at least one of the timesyou check them, you could try to hold the mother on top of them, so they can nurse. that's about all I got. good luck.

 

[ChickenPotPie]

Give her a fruit flavored Tums each day. If she'll eat them, awesome. The calcium boost seems to strengthen does for kindling. Yogurt works, too. (see: http://z13.invisionfree.com/RabbitHabbit_Forums/index.php?showtopic=5475 )

If you have a good rabbit vet who will prescribe oxytocin for you to keep on hand (vet will tell you the dosage for your rabbit), it is a good thing to have in your rabbit medicine chest. It is given to does that have difficulty kindling - when the doe is past her due date and needs to pass the kits but more commonly given to a doe that is already in labor but has long deliveries or has a history of kindling dead kits. Don't expect live kits. It can go either way. I give it to a doe on her due date if I feel kits moving in there but they are not moving or feel very weak movement of kits in her uterus.

I've had good results from it with a particular doe. Her female offspring had no trouble kindling healthy litters. Oxytocin will also stimulate milk production. You must be very careful using this drug. Also, in rare cases some people have a severe allergic reaction to it.

Raspberry leaves are also good to have on hand to give to does who are near their due date.

Be prepared to pull our stuck kits if needed. Usually, if you get a stuck kit, the others behind it do not live. In general, kindling does not take long. Usually 10 - 20 minutes.

Be prepared to resuscitate cold kits or kits that are not breathing. (see: http://z13.invisionfree.com/RabbitHabbit_Forums/index.php?showtopic=29308 ) The "portable warmer" (aka bra/cleavage) has given me the best results for reviving cold kits.

You can ensure she is nursing by laying her on her back in your lap, pulling wool from her teats, and holding kits on her to suckle. Hold onto them and protect them from her back legs. You don't want any flying kits. Do this once a day. If their bellies look round and whitish, they've eaten.

If it's cold, you may choose to keep the kits indoors and bring mom and kits together for a nursing session each day.

Good luck!

 

[20kidsonhill]

Don't handle them for the first 2 weeks, just break open the nest a little to peak, and check for dead. Then try to be patient.