Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Harey Chest

Uh, let me clear that up.  Hare, not Hair.  One of my rabbit does had a litter of kits yesterday.  This was her first litter so I wasn't expecting much.  I found 2 of them outside the "nest" she made.  One was a Popsicle, the other wasn't THAT cold, yet.  I've always heard that a dead rabbit isn't a dead rabbit unless it's a warm dead rabbit.  I heard that if you warm the kit up sometimes, sometimes, it will "come back to life."  So in the "incubator" it went.  Let me tell you, it felt weird.

Why did I breed rabbits in the middle of the winter?  Well, so far, the winter we've been having this year, hasn't been real bad.  The temperatures have been running anywhere from upper thirties to the lower fifties.  That's just about perfect for rabbits.  They can handle colder temps a lot better than they can handle the heat.  So, that's why I'd been breeding them.  But just my luck, every time I had a rabbit due, the temps plummeted.  Always.   If you want a cold day, just tell me a month in advanced.  I'll make sure one of our rabbits are due that day.  *Just shaken my head.*

Anyway, I was hoping that I could help this little feller "come back" in the hope that I could return it to the nest later.  I noticed that the doe had a small bunch of hair picked back in the back of her cage.  Notice I didn't say in her kitting box.  Oooooh no.  She had them outside the box.  Another sign of a first time momma.  I didn't look to see if she had anymore back there.  She is the most skittish of all my rabbits.  I let her be.  I'll check later to see.

I carried that little kit in my bra for an hour hoping to warm it up.  Every time I would bring it out to check on it, I could have sworn I felt it move.  So, back in it would go.  Finally it got down to where I just couldn't carry it around anymore.  Those little claws can be sharp!  Country Girl, who's in nursing school, brought out her stethoscope.  We were going to make sure.  She said she heard a faint heart beat.  Back in it went. I was trying to position it so that it wouldn't smother. Not much room in there!  Finally it was in there for a few hours and it was warm.  We checked for a heartbeat one more time.  Nothing.  The little booger had died.  We had tried.   It just wasn't meant to be.

After this last round of the "let's see if we can pick the coldest day to have babies" game, I've decided to wait a couple months before I breed again.  I swear if it turns hot, I give up.........

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, incubator.


7 comments:

Vera said...

Shame about the loss of the little kit. But you might have saved it putting it where you did. My friend tucked a 'dead' baby goat into her bra, and that came back to life and became a household pet!

Anonymous said...

In May my first time momma rabbit had three on the cage floor. I carried them around against my belly under my sweatshirt. One died that morning, number two that night, number three the next day. All we can do is try. I have two does pregnant due in about ten days.
Good luck to you. I am praying for a better out come.

Mama Mess said...

We just lost a litter of 9 to a first time Momma. You are right, all we can do is try to save them!

small farm girl said...

Vera, I couldn't imagine putting a goat in there. There wasn't much room for the baby rabbit! LOL!!


Anon, that's true. All we can do is try.

Goodwife, yep, just try.

Cat Eye Cottage said...

I'm sorry you couldn't save the kit. I have saved a few that way and others not so much. You win some, you loss some. I just lost a litter with one of my first time mamas. She had the kits all over the cage floor and barely pulled any fur. I'm hoping she does better next time.

Kellie from Indiana said...

Sorry about the kit. We had decent temps too though a heck of alot of snow so I dont blame you for trying. Wish I had that kind of "heater" in my bra! LOL!

small farm girl said...

Weekend, I think I MAY have some still alive. I'm not real sure yet. I see the doe back in her nest messing around with things. I think she will make a good mother next time.

Kellie, You don't want these "heaters"!!! They are HOT in the summer. LOL!!