Pregnancy and lactation

Question
QUESTION: If a rabbit is pregnant again right after her first litter, does her milk production stop?

ANSWER: Dear Abigail,

Usually, the milk production will continue as long as the kits are still nursing.  This is what stimulates continued production.  Pregnancy should not have much effect, if any.

Dana

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

QUESTION: Hello Dana,

My baby rabbits are about 2 weeks old now, when they nurse they switch nipple to nipple often like there's no milk coming out. When I check the mother's nipple, it doesn't really squirt much milk, only a tiny tiny drop. It's like her milk production is less than it was when the kits were first born. I also do this manually. The mother rabbit doesn't feed the kits at all and will step all over them. She has eaten one and stepped all over them before. So I'm making the rabbits nurse by laying the mother rabbit on my lap so she won't move. Well, that's the only way I can think of to help the babies grow. And they are now 2 weeks old, it's working rather than KMR. How do I get her to produce adequate milk?

Answer
Dear Abigail,

It is very normal for the babies to move around and jockey for position on the nipples.  And it is also nearly impossible for you to "milk" the mama:  rabbits just don't deliver the way cows do!  The best gauge of how much milk she is producing is by feeling her mammary glands, which should feel swollen and large before nursing.  You also can weigh each of the babies before and after nursing (use a postal scale and make little marks on their ears with a marking pen) to see how much each baby is getting.  You might be surprised!

The lap idea is a good one, as long as she doesn't struggle and the babies can't fall off.  Another way is to put her in a carrier with the lid off so you can put the babies in with her (on a soft towel) and gently hold her and stroke and comfort her while the babies nurse.  This way, she can stand up and feel secure while the babies can nurse in a natural position.

If she really is not producing milk, you can ask a local vet about giving her a shot of prolactin and/or oxytocin, the former to promote lactation, and the latter to promote letting the milk come down into the ducts where the babies can access it with nursing.

Otherwise, it's back to the formula:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/orphan.html

I hope this helps.  And if she is not a good mother, then it's even *more* important for you to read these articles:

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

www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

Good luck,

Dana