The nest boxes are full,YEAH!! I have one doe who had only 2 kits, one seems to be a giant, the other died. Would you take the surviving kit and place with another doe [they all have 8+ kits] or remove a few of the kits in larger litters and place with the 1 kit? Or leave be and let mother nature take its course?

-- tracy (murfette@stargate.net), April 16, 2002

Answers

Tracy, I would take the single kit and place it with another litter. If the mom hasn't gotten her milk production stimulated, doubtful since she only nursed one. She most likely wouldn't feed a bunch of kits now. Your does should easily be able to handle 9. Also if you foster the single to another litter you can rebreed the doe. I recently have fostered some Californians onto my Havana does. But these Havanas are great milk producers. Good Luck Denise

-- Denise K. (Rabbitmom2@webbworks.com), April 16, 2002.

Thanks Denise, Unfortunatley the kit died. He was twice the size as normal kits. What causes giants?

-- tracy (murfete@stargate.net), April 17, 2002.

>What causes giants?<

A few different causes, but mostly having to do with the buck. Giants are caused due to small litters, wherein the fetus receives all the nourishment intended for a larger litter. This can happen when a doe and/or buck is getting beyond their production prime, or by not allowing the buck to make contact more than once. Using young, verile bucks and replacing older does usually eliminates this problem.

-- Pat Lamar (fuzyfarm@3-cities.com), April 17, 2002.

Tracy, Often Giants occur when the mother only conceieves 1 or 2 kits. They simply get to much in the way of nutrients and grow to big. They often will be born a day or 2 late. When only 1 or 2 kits nurse on these big does sometimes they just don't get the milk stimulated in the doe or they get too much and get over fed! Giants often don't survive. Watch your doe, I have found when there production drops and they are only giving me 1 or 2 its due to one horn of the uterus being damaged, scarred or somehow blocked they generally will not pick up production again. (if interested after you put a doe down, open them up and inspect the uterus, sometimes you can see they "why" at this time) I know that I prefer the nice even litters of 8, not too small and not to big. (I lost a litter of 11 on Sunday doe had them a day early and they were just too small, they looked premature even) Good Luck Denise

-- Denise K. (Rabbitmom2@webbworks.com), April 17, 2002.