My rabbit just had her first batch of babies-- Update, pics added!!

[haleyh-LHP]

I'm new to the whole rabbit breeding raising process.
I've always had at least 1 rabbit my whole life, but always bought them full grown or weaned.
I ended up breeding my female lopear to my male, and today she ended up giving birth to 3 babies.
I'm new to this, so I've been glued to the outside of her cage watching to see if she's taking care of them.
She had been building her nest for about a week now, and last night after I got home from work around 10, I went out and checked in her box and she had added a lot more fur and built it up, so I figured that either last night or today she would give birth. So I went out this morning around 10, and she was in the box, I opened it and there was blood. I watched her give birth to one of the babies.
She cleaned them up, they crawled under the fur, and she left the box and has been sitting in the other section of the cage. It is now 11:47, and she hasnt been in with them... is this normal? I figured she'd be in there with them letting them nurse and sitting on them for warmth. Why hasn't she checked up on them for the past hour? Should I do something?

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

From my understanding, does will only go to their babies in the morning and dusk for them to nurse. It's a survival instinct for her to not want to spend time with her babies because "predators" could see her going there often and would want to investigate.

 

[bossynbella]

yep rodriguezpoultry thats exactly right. The first time we had baby bunnies I was worried too. But they only feed them early in the morning and late evening. When its less likely they will be seen.
Good luck with your baby bunnies
Melissa

 

[Break an Egg]

They only feed the babies 2ice a day usually at night. They like to stay as far away from the babies as possible. In the wild, mother rabbits leave their young in the warren and spend their time elsewhere so they don't attract predators to the nest.

 

[haleyh-LHP]

Thank you so much guys, that makes me feel a lot better.

How do the babies keep warm though? Since they're naked you would think they get cold easily.

 

[gumpsgirl]

Thank you so much for asking this! My rabbit is due with her litter next Sunday and I haven't done this whole kit thing since I was in 4th grade.

This is good to know and now I won't be panicking over baby bunnies here either.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

That's what the fur is for. When she pulled the fur, she made a nest. This nest is designed to keep the heat in with the babies. How cold is it where you're at? If you're worried, you could put a small amount of heat in there, but I wouldn't unless things are freezing in your area.

 

[Bunnylady]

So far, everything sounds perfectly normal.

When the doe visits the babies, she will stand in the box, and the babies have to crawl under her, reach up, find a nipple, and latch on. She might lick and nose at them a bit, but she will only stand there for a few minutes, then she's outta there for the rest of the day (or night). The babies then crawl back under the fur and hay of the nest, and (hopefully) keep each other warm.

The wild rabbits that our domestic rabbits are decended from dig burrows, where the surrounding soil helps to insulate the litter from the fluctuations of the outside temperatures. Domestic rabbits have only the nesting material, plus whatever other means the breeder provides. A large litter has enough collective mass to keep themselves warm as long as the temperature isn't too extreme (generally, above 40 F). Some breeders will use various means to heat the box or its surrounding area, but there are hazards (fire hazards, for example) that must be taken into account. Most of the rabbit breeders that I know take the litter (nestbox and all) into the house, and only put it in with the doe for brief periods when the temperatures are cold. At this time of year, my babies will probably be left with their mothers all day, but they spend their nights in my hall closet. I've only had a few does that have had problems with this arrangement, they have all learned to deal with it eventually.

 

[haleyh-LHP]

Thank you so much! Bunnylady, the temperature here was well towards the 80s, we had a warm streak, but now it cooled well down. The high for today is 61 degrees Fahrenheit, and the low is 39. Last night we even had snow flurries! Should I bring the box with the babies in tonight? And if I do what time to I return it to the mother so she can feed them?

 

[Bunnylady]

Enough with the snow already! It's April, for cryin' out loud!

I hope you did bring the babies in last night. I wouldn't trust a litter of 3 to the temps we had last night, I imagine you were even cooler. I usually try to get mine back out fairly early, but my girls wait until I get there (a bit impatiently, perhaps!) I certainly don't drag myself out there at the crack of dawn! When it's really cold, the babies stay with mom only as long as it takes her to nurse them, then they go back into the closet.

I had heard all the rumors about how careful you had to be with baby bunnies, not to upset their mothers. Perhaps it was true, a few generations ago. I suspect that, since we tend to treat them more as pets, and prefer friendlier temperaments, does may be less high-strung than they used to be. For whatever reason, my girls put up with an awful lot more than I would have imagined 20 years ago. I have only had one doe that savaged her litter, and one other that abandoned hers, as a result of my interference. Good luck with yours!