so my rabbit had babies.... now what?

[KBlue]

It is common for does to lose their first litter. Some does won't mind if you handle the babies, others will be more territorial. You know your rabbit best, so if she is getting aggressive towards you then slow down on the handling for a few weeks. Otherwise, it won't harm anything.

 

[Josh45640]

I still havent yet seen her nurse them. But I checked on them yesterday and they seem to be healthy and have full bellies. I picked a few of them up and then scratched her behind the ears. She seemed content with me messing with them. I feel better now that I know that she has been nursing so I will leave them alone and let her do her thing. BTW... If any of you are close to Jackson County, Ohio and want a bunny let me know.

 

[Dutchgirl]

We raised our bunnies between February and April, so there wasn't much need for the mother to uncover the babies, and so I don't know anything about them getting too hot. We only saw her nurse them two or three times in the 7 1/2 weeks we had them.

On pricing: we were able to sell our cross-breed bunnies as pets for 8 bucks, and they sold like crazy. There were even two kids that came to us with money and eager faces right after the last one had been sold. I felt so sorry for them...

 

[Connorrm]

Quote:
I would love to know where this information comes from? I see so many posts like this. Out of the thousands of does and probably 500 or so first time mom's I've had in the last 10 years of breeding and showing, I think I've had 14 lose their first litter (Just checked my evans software which keeps track).

I don't know many breeders that have this experience either.

 

[Birdladyof50]

Great info in this thread. What I need to know is it safe for me to move mama and babies to a bigger cage so mama has more room to lay down. The cage she is in is a bit small for her, nest and food water bowls. This is her first litter.

 

[Bunnylady]

What you can do with a doe depends largely on the doe, and your relationship with her. I have had does that were fine with me messing about in their nest boxes, but anyone else had better watch out!

Your doe may be fine with being moved - most of the rabbits I have had would not have a problem with it. However, if your doe is an extremely nervous sort, a move might not be a good idea. I have had the rare doe that abandoned or even savaged her litter when she got upset, so I know that it can happen, though the vast majority of my experience has been that it wasn't an issue. You didn't say how old the litter is? If this doe is comfortable with you, it would probably be fine, but it also might be a good idea to wait until the doe has gotten used to this "motherhood" thing before changing things on her.

 

[bunny5]

hi I'm here to set things straight some people are giving you false information and I don't want anything bad to happen. Mama may not seem interested in the kits, and may be staying away and seem uninterested but this is because she is trying not to attract predators, like in the wild. Mama will only nurse the kits about two times a day and this is only for a few minutes. Handling the kits from birth will not hurt the kits at all, just be careful since they are so delicate, be gentle. Check on the kits everyday, If they are warm, moving, and have round bellies then mama is doing her job. If they are bluish, cold, and movement is scarce or none the babies are dehydrated and need to be immediately warmed up and orphaned either to another mama or fed by you. You can also tell if the babies are dehydrated by gently pinching the skin on the nape (back of the neck) if it stick together or stays where you pinched it your rabbit is more than likely dehydrated.

 

[Bunnylady]

Welcome to the forum, bunny5!

I'm curious - what "false information" are you refuting on this very old thread? The posters are all speaking from experience, and most said exactly the same things you did.