Bunny Boy had Bunnies..

[chickens really]

I desperately need help and have a million questions.
As stated my Bunny Boy is now confirmed a Bunny Girl...
I Rehome my Bunny and then got it back. I was told it was a Male Rabbit hence the name Bunny Boy..
To my udder shock yesterday when I went to clean the house out a nest full of hair with tiny baby bunnies was in the house..
It's cold here in Alberta, Canada. It was -1C this morning. She built a deep nest with lots of hair although I'm not sure the Bunnies will be warn enough?..
What should I do?..Move Momma and Bunnies into my garage Brooder I use for Ducklings?..Just bring in the nest of babies and take them out for feedings?..Seriously I'm a nervous wreak over these Bunnies I didn't know I had..
Oldhenlikesdogs has helped me although I can't expect her on 24/7 to answer all my questions.
Please help me...

 

[chickens really]

@MatthewsHomestead @MillersFarm
And anyone else that can help me?..
@oldhenlikesdogs

 

[member 373180]

It sounds like she knows what she's doing. As long as there are several babies in a good nest, and they're being well fed, they should keep warm just fine.
You may want to pick up the nest and put it in a nesting box, though, to make sure the little wigglers don't get lost and freeze. Just google rabbit nesting box and cut something close to that shape out of cardboard for now.
Good luck!

 

[chickens really]

It sounds like she knows what she's doing. As long as there are several babies in a good nest, and they're being well fed, they should keep warm just fine.
You may want to pick up the nest and put it in a nesting box, though, to make sure the little wigglers don't get lost and freeze. Just google rabbit nesting box and cut something close to that shape out of cardboard for now.
Good luck!

Alright..I think she only had 3 Bunnies though..I'll make a box this morning for them. The nest is pretty big and deep.

 

[chickens really]

Also can I pick them up and count how many she actually has?

 

[Cyprus]

Also can I pick them up and count how many she actually has?

Wear latex gloves to keep your scent off them.
Make sure to hold them very carefully.

 

[chickens really]

Wear latex gloves to keep your scent off them.
Make sure to hold them very carefully.

Do I actually need to wear rubber gloves?

 

[Cyprus]

Do I actually need to wear rubber gloves?

No, you don't have to but it does help prevent the mom rejecting the babies if they don't smell like they should.

 

[chickens really]

No, you don't have to but it does help prevent the mom rejecting the babies if they don't smell like they should.

Alright because I have touched them already..Bunny Boy didn't seam to mind either..

 

[Bunnylady]

Do I actually need to wear rubber gloves?

No. The worry about putting a scent on them is one of those ancient urban legends that may have been an issue a century or two ago, but hardly ever comes into play these days. I have worked with hundreds of does over the years, and only had a couple of does reject their litters (and only after a lot of trauma and upset). I've had a few that were such dingbats, they didn't know they needed to nurse their babies, but that's not the same thing.

Because many things can go wrong, I typically breed several does at the same time, so I will have "back up" if there is an issue with a litter. Occasionally, a doe may have no milk, or there are only one or two survivors of a litter, or one doe may have more babies than she can nurse successfully. I regularly put babies into other does' nest boxes, and they never even notice.

Yes, you need to count the babies. You need to check on them every day, at least once a day, to make sure they are being fed and remove any dead ones. If the mother is particularly protective (some are, some aren't), you may need to distract or even remove her temporarily to keep from getting bitten or scratched yourself, but IME, at least 99.95% of the time, you don't need to worry about the mother attacking or rejecting the litter because of anything you do.

Lots of people manage to raise litters during the winter in far colder climates than mine, but I have lost babies to cold when the temperatures were well above freezing. When I got to the point where I felt like I couldn't stand to see one more dead litter, I started taking the babies into the house when the weather gets cold, and only taking them out to the mothers a couple of times per day. When I first heard about doing that, I was like, "but, but, what about all the stuff I've heard about does rejecting litters??!" Now, I may even go so far as to moving the mothers-to-be into the house if I think cold is going to be an issue; my experience is that rabbits are far more tolerant than the well-meaning but ignorant will have you believe.