My rabbit is giving birth and one was born dead how long does it last and what to do if it happens again massage them to breathe?

Answer 1

Let mom take care of her babies! If one is born dead, she'll know what to do. Don't massage the kits, try not to touch them at all. Consult a vet if you'd really like to. But just sit back, don't bother her or the kits, and just let Nature take course.

Answer 2

Babies are born dead for many reasons; doe too young, too many babies, doe interrupted while giving birth, fetal giantism, etc.

What to do? That is hard to say. There may be nothing YOU CAN DO. If the doe has not removed the sack from over the baby's face remove it and give the baby a few LIGHT motions like a mother would if she were licking it.(do not massage, you could break tiny ribs) Do Not pull the sack away from the cord if it is still attached, but cut fairly close to the navel with a pair of scissors and remove sack.(the mother usually does this but may not if her delivery has gone wrong.) Babies born into the cold (mother doesn't cover with fur) may appear dead. Some may be revived if they are not stiff by submerging all but their heads in warm water (85 to 95 degrees). You will notice success if their little legs start moving,leave in water and repeat again in warmed up water (85 to 90 degrees) when you are satisfied that the baby is alive and warm you can dry them off and wrap in warm cloths. You may also rescue some babies by putting on warm heating pad. Bare in mind that these babies must be returned to their mother and if she has had a difficult birth or has been scared by predators she may not take care of them. (unless you are into bottle raising there is not much you can do if this happens) Fetal Giantism is another matter, this usually occurs when a doe is too young to breed, too old to breed or, for some reason, there were not enough babies conceived (low sperm or low egg ratio). There is little you can do about this. If you breed the doe again and this happens again you should cull her from your herd.( Fetal Giantism is when one or two EXTRA large babies are FINALLY born after a VERY hard labor. The doe may be in labor for days, if she does not die from the effort, the babies are always dead. These babies usually are born with fur because your doe has tried for so long to have them.)