# baby rabbits?



## will (Apr 14, 2013)

Had 8 baby rabbits born yestrday. I took the male out. She already had a nesting box. Witch she has them in now. What next?


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Leave them alone and let mama handle it. Feed and water as usual. Check them after awhile(about a week) to see if their eyes are not gunked up and everything is normal. You can slip your hand under the down in the nest and feel for cool bodies...if you find one, remove it. Other than that, I'd leave them be and let nature happen.


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## Kords-Coop (Aug 17, 2013)

My rabbit just had babies late last night or early this morning. I adopted 2 rabbits about 3weeks ago, the people told me they were both males!! But the black one ending up a mommy. I woke up and had 9 baby bunnies in the cage! What a wake up.
It's okay though, I'm super excited!!!!


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Good looking doe and quite the first litter! Have fun! You can put some apple cider vinegar in the water to keep those young ones from getting conjuctivitis later on and it will help the mama too.


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## Kords-Coop (Aug 17, 2013)

Thanks!!

Needless to say if anyone in the Austin area is looking for bunnies let me know! I don't have enough room for all these cuties once their ready.


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## Grimm (Sep 8, 2013)

Bee said:


> Leave them alone and let mama handle it. Feed and water as usual. Check them after awhile(about a week) to see if their eyes are not gunked up and everything is normal. You can slip your hand under the down in the nest and feel for cool bodies...if you find one, remove it. Other than that, I'd leave them be and let nature happen.


Actually, Bee, don't touch the nest at all! If any of the babies don't make it the mother will remove them from the nest. Don't be surprised if she even eats the sick or dead babies before you get there.

Sometimes the mother will kill her litter if the nest is disturbed. I had this happen many years ago. I didn't know she had babies and was cleaning out the nesting box when I came across the babies. I left them alone. Mom was P.O.ed and killed the babies after that. I stopped getting involved after that.


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## Sundancers (Jun 20, 2012)

Grimm said:


> Actually, Bee, don't touch the nest at all! If any of the babies don't make it the mother will remove them from the nest. Don't be surprised if she even eats the sick or dead babies before you get there.
> 
> Sometimes the mother will kill her litter if the nest is disturbed. I had this happen many years ago. I didn't know she had babies and was cleaning out the nesting box when I came across the babies. I left them alone. Mom was P.O.ed and killed the babies after that. I stopped getting involved after that.


So true ...


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## Grimm (Sep 8, 2013)

Sundancers said:


> So true ...


Hi, Andi!


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Grimm said:


> Actually, Bee, don't touch the nest at all! If any of the babies don't make it the mother will remove them from the nest. Don't be surprised if she even eats the sick or dead babies before you get there.
> 
> Sometimes the mother will kill her litter if the nest is disturbed. I had this happen many years ago. I didn't know she had babies and was cleaning out the nesting box when I came across the babies. I left them alone. Mom was P.O.ed and killed the babies after that. I stopped getting involved after that.


We raised meat rabbits for some time and we always did a check on the babies, just by feel, to count the kits and to remove any dead kits right after the litter was born. We never had any does turn on their kits in all the time we had rabbits. Maybe it was your breed? Our does didn't eat any of the dead kits and we never had any that were ill.

Our NZ were very gentle and good mothers that didn't mind a bit for us to handle the kits, even right after the birth if we so wished. We were breeding for 4-H and often had many litters born at the same time, so we would split the litters if one had too many and one had fewer, so that all kits got equal teat time and good nutrition at the start. We did this as soon as possible after they were born so as to insure the does would foster the new kits.

Just because you had that happen once doesn't mean it's the norm. My sister and I raised rabbits with our kids for several years and never had such an experience as that and she even had several different breeds after that she bred for show and sale, so it wasn't just our gentle NZs that made the difference.


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## Sundancers (Jun 20, 2012)

I guess we are the odd farm out then... We have had rabbits for 25 years now and we let the "mom" take care of the little ones ...

I agree with Grimm... the mother can and will eat her young if she is unhappy...

Be there and done that.

I now know to leave them be and let Mother Nature take place.

We again... Agree to disagree...


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## Grimm (Sep 8, 2013)

Bee said:


> We raised meat rabbits for some time and we always did a check on the babies, just by feel, to count the kits and to remove any dead kits right after the litter was born. We never had any does turn on their kits in all the time we had rabbits. Maybe it was your breed? Our does didn't eat any of the dead kits and we never had any that were ill.
> 
> Our NZ were very gentle and good mothers that didn't mind a bit for us to handle the kits, even right after the birth if we so wished. We were breeding for 4-H and often had many litters born at the same time, so we would split the litters if one had too many and one had fewer, so that all kits got equal teat time and good nutrition at the start. We did this as soon as possible after they were born so as to insure the does would foster the new kits.
> 
> Just because you had that happen once doesn't mean it's the norm. My sister and I raised rabbits with our kids for several years and never had such an experience as that and she even had several different breeds after that she bred for show and sale, so it wasn't just our gentle NZs that made the difference.


I did not mean to offend you, Bee. I wanted to share my past experience so no one goes through what I did.

But to quote your own word, "Just because you never had that happen doesn't mean it's the norm." Every doe is different as is every litter and caretaker. Your experiences and mine may be different but that does not mean someone else will not have a completely different story to share.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

You didn't offend me at all! We each give advice based on our own experience and so my advice given to the OP was the best I had based on what had happened with my rabbits and your advice was based on your experience with your rabbits...they just happen to be different.


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## will (Apr 14, 2013)

Went to check on the rabbits today.. one was on the ground one was on the wire. U put them back. And put a small board above the other board so hopefully they won't jump out any more. I just hope I didn't deter the mom from feeding them I check she can still fit..


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## Kords-Coop (Aug 17, 2013)

I checked on the babies today and I had 2 dead. How do I be sure she's feeding them enough?


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

If they have full bellies when you check them. If they look thin, cool and don't seem to be moving much, they may be failing to thrive. Sometimes kits die and you don't know why, sometimes they've been crushed accidentally by the mother if she is a new mom.


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## Kords-Coop (Aug 17, 2013)

I looked at them, some have fat bellies but like 3 look a little thin.


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## Kords-Coop (Aug 17, 2013)

My kits have what looks like flakes of dead skin on them is that normal or should I be concerned?


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## Kords-Coop (Aug 17, 2013)

Eyes are open and alert 

5 out of 10 lived.


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## Grimm (Sep 8, 2013)

Kords-Coop said:


> Eyes are open and alert
> 
> 5 out of 10 lived.


What a cute bun!


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## will (Apr 14, 2013)

Update. All of them are alive.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Baby bunnies are just the cutest!!!


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## Kords-Coop (Aug 17, 2013)

will said:


> Update. All of them are alive.


Awesome! So cute!
I wish all of mine would have made it, the cutest ones died. I'm trying to figure out if its anything I did wrong. It seemed like the ones that died were not getting fed.


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## will (Apr 14, 2013)

I read online. That if the mother does not feed them u can tell cuz their bellies will not be round and full.. they said if she does not want to feed them. U can hold her down and let them nurse.. twice a day. Then again u could bottle feed em. Just tryin to help.


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## will (Apr 14, 2013)

Is it possible to wean a rabbit at 3 weeks? Do I need to be prepared to bottle feed it?


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## Sundancers (Jun 20, 2012)

Are they eating feed yet?


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## will (Apr 14, 2013)

Yeah they are eating. Goin totaled them from their mom in a few days. Crap I have a lot of rabbits. Lol.


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## Kords-Coop (Aug 17, 2013)

So I just looked in my rabbit pin this morning and my doe had another litter!!! I guess I didn't separate her and the buck quick enough after the first birth. I got 7 plump little kits along with the other 5 one month old kits, this is madness! Lol


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## hildar (Oct 3, 2013)

This also could explain the reason why she didn't let all of them feed. If she knew she was pregnant. However we raised rabbit for years, and I wouldn't go near the babies until after they were about 2 weeks old. One of our mamas would move the babies out of the nesting box, and leave them on the cage floor, we never did know why but all of them would end up dying. After her 4th batch and her doing it, we had a wonderful Rabbit stew. I figured if she couldn't be used for breeding then we would eat her.


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## hillbilly61 (Apr 18, 2013)

Great looking bunny what kind do you have I have been crossing a lot of big breeds to try to find best meat to bone ratio


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## Sundancers (Jun 20, 2012)

For meat rabbits the *Californian & New Zealand *are number 1 and second. I did add a rex buck to add a better fur one time but went back to the Californian a few years after that.


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## Kords-Coop (Aug 17, 2013)

I just saw my doe drinking her own milk, is that normal? Honestly it made me laugh!


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