Just drawing on my own experience with our rabbit and how she behaved. We never lost any of the 5 babies they all grew up and were really healthy. Bugsly never stomped on any of them. She was a very good mother - even if you think she was a little "odd".
Help! found rabbit in yard. She's having babies now, what to do???
- Thread starter Mr. Nappy
- Start date
Like others said, you should consider a nest box. I know very little about breeding rabbits in particular, but you have a few things going on there that are issues no matter what the species is. (I've raised and fostered everything from squirrels to cougars, geckos to cobras. Animal behavior is also a favorite subject of independant learning for me))
A) they are exposed on all sides. This makes them vulnerable to temperature changes and drafts. It may also make the mother nervous, as they are a naturally "denning" animal, and she may not do as well in rearing them. Argument for a nest box. lol
B) you have them on a folded towel. You should never use folded/excessive towels or blankets as bedding for newborn animals. A baby could accidently get lost between layers or folds and be smothered or squashed. A single, flat towel or small blanket is *usually* fine, as long as they cant get lost in it. (*On second look I see in the lower pic they seem to be off the towel, so if that's a permanent rearrangement, please dissregard this suggestion.
C) The cardboard with which you've lined the bottom of the crate is a good idea, however, you need to move it to the inside of the crate. As it is now, a kit could easily slip a head or other body part through those bars and become tangled or trapped between the wire and the cardboard. This is a great way to end up with accidentally broken limbs/necks/skulls, especially if mom accidently pushes/presses any kits up against the wires while trying to clean or feed them.
All those saying that the whole "mother will eat the babies if you touch them" thing is a myth are absolutely correct. However, the myth (which has been applied to all manner of animals from hampsters to birds) is based in very real fact, the cause is just misinterpreted.
A lot of infanticide in animals is caused by stress to the mother. Many, many things can cause stress in animals, and stress in animals is generally MUCH different than stress in humans. An animal that feels unsafe for whatever reason may become stressed, as well as animals that have undergone a life change, are on poor diets, and a vast plethora of other reasons. Individuals will have different levels of tolerance as to what they can handle without feeling stressed. This is why some animals do fine when people handle their babies and some do not. It has nothing to do with human smell, and everything to do with that individual animal's stress vs.comfort level.
If the animal is stressed in general, say by a recent life change (new cage, new home, etc) then having it's babies handled may stress it out more, pushing it over that edge. If an animal just plain doesn't trust/like you, even if nothing has changed recently, then your handling her offspring could cause enough stress.
In fact, it has very little to do with the actual touching of the offspring itself. It's more the stress of having someone pestering them invaseively at what for that individual animal might be a very frightening and stressful time.
This is also why it's more common with young and/or 1st time mothers (in every species). Enexperienced mothers are easier to stress at this time than those that have been through it before a time or two and know the ropes.
A) they are exposed on all sides. This makes them vulnerable to temperature changes and drafts. It may also make the mother nervous, as they are a naturally "denning" animal, and she may not do as well in rearing them. Argument for a nest box. lol
B) you have them on a folded towel. You should never use folded/excessive towels or blankets as bedding for newborn animals. A baby could accidently get lost between layers or folds and be smothered or squashed. A single, flat towel or small blanket is *usually* fine, as long as they cant get lost in it. (*On second look I see in the lower pic they seem to be off the towel, so if that's a permanent rearrangement, please dissregard this suggestion.
C) The cardboard with which you've lined the bottom of the crate is a good idea, however, you need to move it to the inside of the crate. As it is now, a kit could easily slip a head or other body part through those bars and become tangled or trapped between the wire and the cardboard. This is a great way to end up with accidentally broken limbs/necks/skulls, especially if mom accidently pushes/presses any kits up against the wires while trying to clean or feed them.
All those saying that the whole "mother will eat the babies if you touch them" thing is a myth are absolutely correct. However, the myth (which has been applied to all manner of animals from hampsters to birds) is based in very real fact, the cause is just misinterpreted.
A lot of infanticide in animals is caused by stress to the mother. Many, many things can cause stress in animals, and stress in animals is generally MUCH different than stress in humans. An animal that feels unsafe for whatever reason may become stressed, as well as animals that have undergone a life change, are on poor diets, and a vast plethora of other reasons. Individuals will have different levels of tolerance as to what they can handle without feeling stressed. This is why some animals do fine when people handle their babies and some do not. It has nothing to do with human smell, and everything to do with that individual animal's stress vs.comfort level.
If the animal is stressed in general, say by a recent life change (new cage, new home, etc) then having it's babies handled may stress it out more, pushing it over that edge. If an animal just plain doesn't trust/like you, even if nothing has changed recently, then your handling her offspring could cause enough stress.
In fact, it has very little to do with the actual touching of the offspring itself. It's more the stress of having someone pestering them invaseively at what for that individual animal might be a very frightening and stressful time.
This is also why it's more common with young and/or 1st time mothers (in every species). Enexperienced mothers are easier to stress at this time than those that have been through it before a time or two and know the ropes.
- Jan 21, 2012
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i also agree she needs a nest box. give her something heavy enough that she cannot tip over. Moce the babies, along with the fur into it. you may want to place a little feed in behind the kits to encourage her to nurse them. Sometimes when you move them like that, the mom will forget they are there. the nest box will keep them from escaping the cage.
she looks like a lilac. Or a lilac mix. If you found her pregnant, chances are she was dumped, or there are more feral rabbits in your area that you are unaware of. Its also possible she may have escaped from a neighbors cage.
to those who want random pregnant bunnies to show up in yard, LOL, no you don't want that! Not only are they hard to catch, they can also become a pest, esp if there are more then one of them breeding in the area. Trust me on this one, most stray/feral rabbits are not fun to deal with.
The doe and those babies got lucky.
she looks like a lilac. Or a lilac mix. If you found her pregnant, chances are she was dumped, or there are more feral rabbits in your area that you are unaware of. Its also possible she may have escaped from a neighbors cage.
to those who want random pregnant bunnies to show up in yard, LOL, no you don't want that! Not only are they hard to catch, they can also become a pest, esp if there are more then one of them breeding in the area. Trust me on this one, most stray/feral rabbits are not fun to deal with.
The doe and those babies got lucky.
- Jan 21, 2012
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& the whole if you touch them the mom will eat them IS a myth. I handle my babies from day one, and have never ever had a doe eat her litter because of it. Its just a wise tale originally told to children, to make them leave the babies alone. (or so I heard). You want to handle them daily to make sure they are healthy.
we have rabbit runs (you know where they run a lot, a path) so ya I want one of those rabbits to show up pregnant, their there already and they've never been a pest, and the dogs have killed them, so whu cant we have a pregnant one? they aint going anywhere and they lived here first so ya, I WANT A PREGNANT ONE!!
- Jan 21, 2012
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wild rabbits, or ferals? & the dogs shouldn't be allowed to kill them either. Sorry, huge pet peeve of mine. Ferals are detrimental to the environment. Probably not a good thing when one show sup in your yard, pregnant. it means there are possibly more of them running loose.
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not like they were grabbing it and killing it. they chase them and once they gave it a heart attack...
, just one. I think their ferals and I do know theres more around, were on the edge of a little forest
- Jan 21, 2012
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If they are ferals they need to be trapped. still not cool the dogs are harassing them. 
we let go on fourwheelers and if our dogs finds one she chases it for a sec then goes back to us. She doesnt harrass them and i wasnt thinking, their wilds i was thinking feral meant wilds.
they have only ever gave on a heart attack
they have only ever gave on a heart attack
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