eaten babies

Question
Hi.  I am writing, because my grandson's rabbit gave birth to 5 kits yesterday morning.  1 was dead when we found them, 1 died overnight, 1 was still alive, but she ate the legs and ears off the last 2.  My question is; how much pain do these babies feel when they're being eaten alive?  We took the last baby from her, even though we know it will probably die, we feel it will be better than it being tortured by the mother.

Answer
Dear Bonnie,

I am sorry about the tragic loss of the baby bunnies.

It is impossible to know what pain the babies feel.  The mother was not doing this out of aggression.  A stressed, young mother rabbit who feels trapped will overgroom her babies to the point of mutilation.  The fact that she did this suggests that the conditions of the birth were less than ideal.

Please read:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/surpriselitter.html

and

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/breeding.html

which will help prevent a situation like this from happening again.

As for the lone survivor, it would probably be most humane to take him to a vet for gentle, humane euthanasia if all four legs are gone.  It will be pretty much impossible for him to live a normal life unless someone is willing to carry him around and give him 24-hour care.  You can find a vet here:

http://www.rabbit.org/vets

If there are any legs remaining, the baby might have a chance at survival.

I am very sorry.

Dana