2wks old mini rexs die suddenly

Question
Our Castor doe gave birth to 5 kits and so far has been a good first time mom. Today 2 wks and 1 day old, I went out to check on them and they were ALL dead. No signs that the mother harmed them and can't see what could of went wrong? Her water bottle did jam for 1 may 1 1/2 days and she could of gotten dehydrated which in turn could of caused her to not be feeding them but they looked healthy?

Answer
Hello Traci !
I am sorry to hear about your loss!
I am thinking the water shortage could have been the problem but not sure that was the only thing that caused them to die. Your doe may have a illness called "Mastitis" this is when the breasts get caked up and actually get hard and do not produce milk and if it does it is hard for them to get any out. to slove this in the future you can feed your doe some timothy hay  this is lower in protein and will help with this problem. check her out and see if it looked like she has nursed them recently and if indeed her nipples are dry and cracked if so this is probably the reason.
Again sorry for the loss.
good luck
Dan