mystery bunny born...bum bum bum....

[bufforp89]

Recently I took a few rabbits from my aunt, she was moving house and had to move into an appt. where she cant have pets until the other house she is buying becomes available. She loves them and I am confident that she will take them back.

There was supposed to be one buck and 4 does. They have been seperated since they have been old enough to breed so imagine my suprise when I go to feed the females and find a nest with one baby rabbit

....just one so far anyways.....

So I guess Im wondering what to do if it ends up being only one baby? In my very limited experience with baby rabbits the females usually have the babys close together, this one was born sometime last night, the nest was clean and dry as was baby and there was no sign of blood on mom. The baby is also very large and the mom and buck are small in size....

Right now I have baby in the house in her fur nest chilling out. She is nice and warm and seems content. I didnt want to risk leaving it outside as it is kind of cold and being the only one I didnt know if it would keep warm enough (dont tell anyone but I have already named it Reggie and its going to be mine forever!)

So what do I do if it ends up being the only baby and I have to keep it in the house? I cant bring mom in as Im afraid the dogs will scare her and I dont have a readily available cage for indoors. All of my previous rabbits lived outside. Would I have to handfeed? Or could I just take it to mom to be feed several times a day? I am under the illusion rabbit breeders do that......

So rabbit breeders and keepers give me some advice, words of wisdom or in the very least reassure me everything will be fine

 

[Break an Egg]

You could bring the one bunny in during the day in the nesting box. Then put the baby outside once in the morning and once at night so the mom can feed her. Or, if you have any other does that have kindled, you can try and slip her in there with them.

 

[Inkheart]

Quote:
Exactly- they dont need to be with mom except twice a day to nurse - my friend breeds and shows rabbits and that is how he does it sometimes - also yes if there is another mom you might slip in and make it a foster baby

 

[IcarusSomnio]

Sometimes bunnies only have one kit, perfectly normal. Especially if it's an older doe already who has never given birth before

I had a very sweet-but very spazzy-Flemish cross doe at one point. Whenever my dog WALKED past her cage in the back room (she knew not to disturb her, but had to go potty at some point!), she was spazz out and often times jump in and out of the litter box. I just took the whole litter box out and set it on top of the cage (kits where still very young). I put it back in once in the morning and once in the evening, she would hop right in to feed her kits.

She had calmed down sufficiently by the time they started opening their eyes and exploring outside the nest, so I just left the nest box in her cage by that point.

 

[bufforp89]

This is this does first litter....thats why I was surpised at finding one. It has been 4-5 hours now since I found the first....Could the doe be done? She comes from a line that usually has lots of kits...she herself was from a litter of 12 and her mom was from a litter of 14 but only 12 made it....

So I guess I should just keep the kit in the house and take it to the doe for feeding....I think another of the does is preggers but have no clue when she will kit considering they are not my rabbits and I dont know when they became pregnant, but anyways maybe I will end up slipping the single one in with that litter. When should I take the kit for a feeding? I would assume she nursed this morning so evening? What if mom ignores the kit and dosnt feed it?

 

[Bunnylady]

As to where this kit could have come from - rabbits are capable of breeding through the wire. I haven't seen them do it, but I have had "surprise!" litters myself a few times. For some reason, they have usually been small in number. When the number of kits is low, the individual kits are often quite large. Many times, single kits are so large, the mother experiences a rather prolonged labor (for a rabbit) and the kit is born dead. That this single kit has survived being born is a small miracle in itself!

Kits going solo do have a harder time maintaining their body temperature without siblings to snuggle with. If you can keep it in the house, it will have a much better chance of making it. Take the kit to mom, not the other way 'round (most rabbits don't like being picked up, let's try to disturb the doe as little as possible!) I usually keep my kits, in their nest boxes, in my hall closet. Some of my does have a bit of trouble getting the hang of this arrangement, but eventually, most do. I put the nest box in with Momma and watch to see what she does. If she doesn't get in the box within a couple of minutes, I put the box in a carrier that is just the size of the box, put the doe in, and close the carrier lid. She may not know she is supposed to nurse them, but the kits do! If the doe can't get away, the kits usually can find her and latch on. Most does get the idea after one or two sessions in the carrier, and we have no problems after that.

Most does deliver all their kits within a few minutes of each other. Rabbits have a V-shaped reproductive system, with each horn dedicated to the eggs from the ovary on that side. If a doe is with a buck for an extended period, it is possible for her to conceive a litter only on one side, breed again at a later date, and conceive another litter with a different due date! The two litters will not be kindled on the same date, of course, and the later litter will be at a disadvantage with their older (and larger) siblings, so most people try to avoid having this happen. An Angora breeder told me that Angoras are notorious for spreading delivery out over the course of a couple of days, but most rabbits don't do that.