Help! Newbie to rabbits and they're expecting! (Pics on pg2!)

[KDailey]

I bought some rabbits as an impulse buy at a sale last week. 4 bred does and a buck. One of the does turned out to be a buck so now it's 3 bred does and two bucks.

I'll be honest here: when I bought them it was because they only went for $6 each and figured I could sell the babies and make some money on them and then just keep the adults. Please don't judge me for this, I am taking care of them the best to my ability.

Because this was on impulse, it didn't occur to me that there was a possibility I would actually end up with 40 rabbits if each rabbit had a big litter. I have lots of cages/hutches to house them in until they sell. I've had a pet rabbit when I was younger but I've never had one that was bred.

What do I need to be doing for them until the big day? What do I do once the bunnies are here? How many should i be expecting per doe?(they are standard sized, pretty large and definately heavy) When are they weaned?

I'll see if I can get some pictures later but it's been rainy out so I may have to wait till the rain stops

 

[KDailey]

I should add that theyre all being housed separately

 

[EmAbTo48]

Your does will need nest boxes, hay, they should be given as much food as they want and water, I would just fill my does bowl she never ate it all but she was able to eat what she needed.

My doe had from 5-8 babies at a time some do have more...

Babies are weaned 6-8 weeks, personally 8 weeks is best for mom and babies.

Make sure moms cage is clean and dry.

You will know when the time is close when mom starts to build a nest.

That's all I got for some help others I am sure will have lots more, I only have bred my doe twice and unless there show quality bunnies I wouldn't price higher then 5-7 bucks a piece if you want them to sell

!

 

[mtcookie]

The size of the litter will depend two things. The breed and the rabbit her self. Do you know the breed and when she they were bred? Does kindle at 30 to 31 days.
You will need a nesting box with each pregnant doe. I place mine in about a week before they are due to kindle. Also place hay in there so they can make a nest. What you will see is lots of full pulling from a pregnant doe who is getting ready to nest. If you see her making a nest out side the box put the fur in the back side of the box. New moms can some times kindle on wire.( not a good thing) If you see this then place the kits in the nesting box and cover with fur. If they are cold but still alive then seek advice. There are many ways to warm up a kit.
When the kits are born mom will eat the leftover placenta and clean things up a bit. Most of the time you will not see a mama doe feed her babies. They usually feed about twice a day and once at night and early morning. You can tell if the babies are getting milk if their little bellies are full.

 

[KDailey]

Thank you guys!

They didn't give any info as to when they were due but I've had them a week and haven't seen any fur pulling yet. Is the hay for eating or for lining the nest box?

All I know about the rabbits is that they are quite large, bigger than any rabbit I've seen in person. My rabbit I had when I was younger was a standard and I'm sure these girls are much bigger.

 

[Wayne&Kim1963]

I have learned raising rabbits that all rabbits have worms. I usually worm my momma rabbits and the male soon after they deliver babies. I give them 0.06 ml of ivemectim injectable under their skin.

 

[silkiechicken]

I don't know much about rabbits... but this sounds like you've got a bunch of meat rabbits, perhaps a breeding set to make meat from that someone got out of?

 

[KDailey]

They could very well be some sort of meat rabbit. I'm not sure. But they are kind of a tortoise shell color and most meat rabbits I've seen are just plain Jane colors so I wasn't sure. I'll try to get some pictures but I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it off my iPhone

 

[mtcookie]

The standard hay is for nesting. Timmothy hay. However if they eat it its no problem.

 

[bossynbella]

Just wanted to add In my opinion all rabbits should be provided free choice hay as well as pellets. Ours get the same hay every day that they get when we put a nest box in, we just add more, we put pine bedding in the bottom of the box (maybe like an inch or so, not much, then put a handful of hay on top, and give mom some extra "eating" hay the last two weeks, she will take it into her box and arrange it how she likes. Ours do anyway. One of our does starts pulling hair two weeks before she has her kits, but not much, then finishes the last day or two. Another of our does will not pull any hair at all until right before she has them, then she fills the box with fur.
If you don't have nestboxes already I have found a covered cat litter box works well. I will sometimes put a piece of wood on the top so the doe can rest up there as well, but they really work great, and when you want to look at the babies all you have to do is open the lid. Of course you need a big cage for one to work.

Good luck with your rabbits. I look forward to seeing some pictures of them. Also just to be warned, if this is the does' first litter, they may kill the babies, I don't know why but it often takes two litters before they really get the hang of it.

Also if they didn't even know how many bucks and does there where it makes me wonder if they really know if they are pregnant or not. Or where they all together when you bought them?