# Baby Bunnies Feet Chewed off?



## calicoty (Mar 10, 2008)

I appreciate all your time and effort with us. I have a question that hopefully you can help me with. We had a litter of 10 Californians. (or first litter) They are about 3.5 weeks old. All are growing well. In the past 3 days we have lost 3 of them, oddly enough though, it looks as though their toes are chewed. Could the mother be doing this? She doesn't seem at all aggresive towards them--or us. Could it be another rodent that is getting up under the cage? Our cages are not hanging cages, but on stands. 

Is concerning as I thought if we were going to lose the babies it would be right after they were born, not as they are furred and growing well. Please let me know your thoughts as to what might be going on and what might be our best course of action. (bringing the babies inside at night, moving them to a different type of cage....etc) Thanks again!

Rickki


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

My thought is RATS. We had a gander two years ago that tore a toenail. Tiny wound... but it grew and grew. The rats were eating him at night. Once we started confining him in a rat-proof crate, the wound healed just fine. Naturally we started an extermination campaign as well.

If the cages are outdoors, it could also be raccoons or even feral cats. Raccoons are noted for this kind of behaviour. They will reach through the wire and grab what they can, pulling it and eating it through the wire. 

If you think it is rats, based on what I said, all your rabbits are at risk. Certainly bring the youngsters indoors at night and start a massive poison and trapping campaign. Get a "one feeding" poison. Make sure the poison is safe from pets and livestock. Rats generally only get really bold like that when the numbers are huge and the pressure of finding enough feed makes them less cautious than usual.


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## KOHL HAWKE (May 8, 2010)

RATS! 
I agree with MaggieJ. 
This same thing happened to a breeder we know.


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

Rat vote here.

My wonderful kitty, Mia, just got a rat yesterday that ran out of the rabbitry when I was finishing with the refurbishing of it. I moved a board that was laying on the ground along the wall and a darn rat went running.
It was huge!!
The cat who is small and only 1 yrs old attacked it.
They got into a wrestling match.
The cat and rat fought through the sheep pen and out to the field.

The rat screamed sounds I never heard from a rodent before, squeaks from hell!
The 2 of them were at times totally wrapped together biting and clawing.

The rat got away, hopefully with fatal injuries.
The cat, my hero for taking on such a large rat, got several bits that left her feeling pretty sore and limping.

We were lucky. Our rabbits just kindled that day. 
We had no clue a rat was around since nothing has been messed with.
I hope it had just moved in and now has been evicted, hopefully permanently.

I have been working on getting all cages hanging so nothing shadows or lays on the ground to help prevent things like rats moving in.
I also keep cats and a few chickens in the rabbitry for bug and pest patrol.
I know those nasty rats will climb walls and cages to get bites of kits.
Hopefully with everything wide open so they cant hide, and cats on patrol, rats wont like my rabbitry.


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## jkmlad (Jun 18, 2009)

I have a rabbit with a missing toe as a result of my overzealous pup. She recovered nicely, and now the dog isn't allowed in the rabbitry when babies between 2 and 8 weeks old. For some reason, after that age isn't quite so interesting to him. Go figure. If you have dogs, and you think rodents are the problem, leave them out at night for a few nights. We had a curious raccoon hanging about, and a few nights of having to deal with the dog made her move on.


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## goatmarm (Nov 19, 2005)

It wouldn't hurt to give the doe some protein in the form of a slice of hotdog, just in case it is her chewing the feet. Although I have not had a doe chewing on her litter, a friend of ours had this problem frequently. Maybe it had to do with the feed and lack of certain vitamins/minerals? She often gave pieces of hotdog to does who were about to kindle who had a history of chewing off ears and limbs of her kits. As long as she remembered to give the hotdog, she didn't lose any babies to cannibalism by the doe. If she forgot, she would end up with litters that had ears & feet chewed off and bites all over the kits. Usually it was only certain does who did this.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

goatmarm said:


> It wouldn't hurt to give the doe some protein in the form of a slice of hotdog, just in case it is her chewing the feet. Although I have not had a doe chewing on her litter, a friend of ours had this problem frequently. Maybe it had to do with the feed and lack of certain vitamins/minerals? She often gave pieces of hotdog to does who were about to kindle who had a history of chewing off ears and limbs of her kits. As long as she remembered to give the hotdog, she didn't lose any babies to cannibalism by the doe. If she forgot, she would end up with litters that had ears & feet chewed off and bites all over the kits. Usually it was only certain does who did this.


Since this is the feet only, I think it is safe to assume that the attack is coming from underneath the cage.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Rat, raccoon, dog, take your pick. Could be any one.

I never heard of giving a doe hot dog slices. I do feed my just kindled does some bread and milk or berry flavored yogurt.


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## Cheribelle (Jul 23, 2007)

I have heard of feeding a bit of raw hamburdger to the doe, hotdog would probably be for the same reason.


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## trinityoaks (Sep 17, 2008)

Cheribelle said:


> I have heard of feeding a bit of raw hamburdger to the doe, hotdog would probably be for the same reason.


Rabbits are complete herbivores. I think that those who advocate giving meat (of any kind) to rabbits are misguided, at best.


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## whatrset (Apr 13, 2010)

trinityoaks said:


> Rabbits are complete herbivores. I think that those who advocate giving meat (of any kind) to rabbits are misguided, at best.


While I do not disagree with the herbivore part of this statement I have to think abouit certain things that go amis in the cage after kindling... Like the afterbirth. It is not a veggie, yet it tends to disappear as if the ick fairey removes it. (At least this was my experince from my rabbits of years ago). So, I doubt a lil hotdog is going to hurt them.


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## trinityoaks (Sep 17, 2008)

whatrset said:


> So, I doubt a lil hotdog is going to hurt them.


Yes, but I doubt there is any scientific evidence to indicate that it helps. I don't see the point of giving them something that COULD be harmful and CAN'T be shown to be helpful.


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

I've heard these suggestions of feeding hot dog or bacon to does. Personally, even if I believed that it would help to give a meat protein (which I don't), neither bacon nor hot dogs qualify in my opinion. There is very little protein in either. Junk food, full of salt, nitrites and who knows what.


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## whatrset (Apr 13, 2010)

But Maggie, the bunnies love salt!


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

whatrset said:


> While I do not disagree with the herbivore part of this statement I have to think abouit certain things that go amis in the cage after kindling... Like the afterbirth. It is not a veggie, yet it tends to disappear as if the ick fairey removes it. (At least this was my experince from my rabbits of years ago). So, I doubt a lil hotdog is going to hurt them.


Afterbirth is totally different! Its made by their own body and has no cow, pork or chicken in it. Its not processed and is raw and has no risk for salmonella or e-coli or other potentially bad bacteria in it. Its also not meat, muscle. Its an organ designed by nature to be eaten by the mom.


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## goatmarm (Nov 19, 2005)

I noted that I had not given the meat to my own rabbits, but that this method was used by a neighbor. I figured it indicated a lack of something in their diet. I do not know who gave her the tip, only that it DID help prevent HER does from cannibalizing or disfiguring their litters.
I guess what I should have said is that it may be worth a try if the kits are still getting nibbled on even after the cage is rodent proofed.


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

If a doe is cannibalizing kits in any way and its not due to diet/husbandry then it should be culled as thats not normal behavior!
Why take the risk of possibly passing on a bad trait?
Meat is not the solution.
They do not have what it takes for proper digestion of meat products. They biologically are not designed for it. Biology of rabbits can be researched.
Look to herbal sources to balance nutrients.


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## Honorine (Feb 27, 2006)

I have to go with River Pines on this. It has been my experience that a doe who maims her kits repeatedly over a number of litters has something wrong with her and should be culled. There's no curing them, it becomes very set behavior, and if someone has found a way around it by feeding her rabbits meat thats a bandaid on a serious behavior problem, not a sound husbandry practice that should be suggested to others with the the same problem. If the doe maims its kits over and over again cull it and start over, its not normal.

Now I won't comment on the nutritional value and whether rabbits can digest meat, as I feed my rabbits some funky stuff sometimes, but its not something I would do myself.

OP, think you've got rats, how horrible, I hope you can find and dispatch the culprits quickly.


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