Rabbit about to give birth

Question
QUESTION: Hello!
I have 2 Mini Rex's, one a female and one a male. About a month ago, the female was around 6 or 7 months old and gave birth to 6 babies. After about three days they started dying, so we intervened to try and save the last two remaining babies. I don't think the mother was feeding the babies, but I'm assuming she wasn't, as they were shriveled and dying. With the last two babies, we started holding the mother rabbit on her back and letting the babies squirm around on her belly nursing for a few minutes. Afterwards, we used a warm q-tip to rub their bellies gently to stimulate defecation. This process was working well for a few days, but eventually those babies died also.
I didn't separate my adult rabbits after she gave birth last month because I actually didn't know she had given birth for at least a day or two...(she had had her babies in a closet while I was letting her play outside the cage one day and we didn't find them until the next day.)
Now, my female rabbit is nesting intensely, which she did not do the first time around. It has been around 31 days since they may have mated so I'm expecting another kit today or tomorrow. Do you have any advice this time around about how we can care for her kits so that they have the best chance of survival? Should we only intervene if we know she's not feeding them? Is there for sure ways to tell? And if we do intervene, should we repeat the same process of nursing and q-tip stimulating as last time? We'd really like this kit to survive if possible.
Thanks!
Erin

ANSWER: Hi there Erin

With this next litter, best to keep as hands off as possible. You can still check, and should still check, the nest to see if they are being fed and to remove dead ones (they'll make the rest of the litter cold). Hopefully this time round mum will do what nature tells her to do. Don't take kits out of the nest, just stroke your hands on mum and peak in. Well fed babies should look like they've swallowed a golf ball. If any come out the nest before their eyes have opened, put them back. Mum can accidentally drag them out when they're still nursing!

You are right, only intervene if they're looking thin and wrinkled again. It should only be a few weeks and their eyes will be open and they'll be tottering out the nest. Fingers crossed she'll have mummy bun instincts kick in this time.

This is a good time to get daddy bun neutered!

Good luck!
Cat

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your response! My rabbit gave birth Thursday evening to 7 babies (one has already died). The other 6 are doing well so far...I can tell that several of them have round bellies so it seems like they are getting fed! There are a couple babies that are smaller than the others and look like they are not eating; their stomachs are not as round as some of the larger babies. Should I hold the mother rabbit on her back and help the weaker ones who may be getting milk nurse? Or should I still stay hands off and let nature take its course?

Answer
Hi Erin
Sorry for the delay.

If they look like they're being fed a little then it would be easier to keep them in with the litter. Rabbits do breed for quantity not quality so it isn't uncommon for some to be lost in a litter, especially inexperienced mothers or mothers who just don't really want to be mums!

If you're concerned you can try holding mum for the kits to get milk though, just don't stress her too much.

Good luck!
Cat