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[CeleAndShade]

So recently I was sold a male lion head but we have checked and others have checked and it is in fact a female, she is pulling fur and ripping newspaper up and making a nest, what should I do?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Cele, you should give the doe a box to nest in. Most people use a wooden nest box but for a one time use you should do fine with a cardboard box. Just about big enough for the doe rabbit to fit into without it falling over. Line the box with soft hay (fescue, timothy, orchardgrass, alfalfa, or clover are all OK to use) and make sure there's extra hay in the cage for her to build with. Make a fist-sized hole, lift up her nesting materials and put them in the hole, and then put the box in the cage where she is nesting. Make sure she's got things that aren't her nest box to chew on. Make sure she's got a nice, quiet environment. Check every day for kits by reaching your hand into the nest box. Don't just guess based on whether the nest looks different, reach in and check. You might also want to make sure you have a richer rabbit feed on hand 16-18 protein is appropriate.

Most rabbits nest within a week of giving birth. But not all rabbits that nest give birth. Many rabbits nest just because they are experiencing high hormones. She could not even be pregnant. My does nest without being bred sometimes, especially in the spring. The maximum time between conception to birth is about 35 days. If its been 35 days since her last encounter with a buck, she's definitely not pregnant.

 

[CeleAndShade]

Cele, you should give the doe a box to nest in. Most people use a wooden nest box but for a one time use you should do fine with a cardboard box. Just about big enough for the doe rabbit to fit into without it falling over. Line the box with soft hay (fescue, timothy, orchardgrass, alfalfa, or clover are all OK to use) and make sure there's extra hay in the cage for her to build with. Make a fist-sized hole, lift up her nesting materials and put them in the hole, and then put the box in the cage where she is nesting. Make sure she's got things that aren't her nest box to chew on. Make sure she's got a nice, quiet environment. Check every day for kits by reaching your hand into the nest box. Don't just guess based on whether the nest looks different, reach in and check. You might also want to make sure you have a richer rabbit feed on hand 16-18 protein is appropriate.

Most rabbits nest within a week of giving birth. But not all rabbits that nest give birth. Many rabbits nest just because they are experiencing high hormones. She could not even be pregnant. My does nest without being bred sometimes, especially in the spring. The maximum time between conception to birth is about 35 days. If its been 35 days since her last encounter with a buck, she's definitely not pregnant.

Thanks for a quick reply! But unfortunately I was not home till 10 and when I got home she had babies, 2 were dead and she started eating one of the dead ones legs, I moved her nest very VERY carefully into a shoebox and they are doing fine now. I'm a first time rabbit owner especially one that was pregnant and I was wondering about her eating the babies? And when does she feed the babies, can't really ask the previous owners about if she had other litters because they said she was a male.

 

[Bunnylady]

Eating dead babies is just "cleaning the nest," I wouldn't worry about it. Now, if she tries to do that with the live ones, that's something to worry about (but since I've only had one doe that did that of the hundreds I have worked with, I don't think it's very likely).

The doe generally only feeds at about dusk and about dawn; I have had some rabbits that only do the morning feeding. She will jump into the nest box and stand over the babies, they crawl under her, find a nipple, and nurse. After a few minutes, she jumps out of the box and that's it - she's done for the day. The babies then crawl back under the fur that the doe had put in the nest. Hopefully, they find each other - babies that crawl away from their siblings can get chilled in a hurry. Most does completely lack any instinct to pick up and move babies, so if one gets pulled out of the box, he's pretty much out of luck unless you find him and put him back where he belongs.

Congrats on the live litter, by the way!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Yup! Bunnylady's right, all normal. Rabbits will eat anything that smells like it would attract a predator. It sounds like this is a first time litter, so just keep a close eye on them and make sure they're eating. If they make it through the first few days fed and warm, they'll probably grow up just fine. Make sure mom has plenty of food.

They'll open their eyes somewhere around 10 days and start hopping out of the nest around 2 weeks. They'll probably wean around 5-7 weeks and you should separate them by gender by 12 weeks if you don't want any more accidental babies. Most people rehome/sell kits around 8 weeks old. Those timeframes can sneak up on you so it's best to know when you can expect to do what when in advance. Baby bunnies grow fast.

 

[CeleAndShade]

I came home today and 1 live healthy baby had teeth marks in its back and they have not been fed. We have separated the mom and babies but she won't take care of them, what do I do now?

 

[balloonflower]

I am only on my second litter of kits for experience, so can only offer so much. This sounds like a very stressful situation for you.

First, hopefully someone else can offer advice on the teethmarks, but are you absolutely sure she is not feeding them? Mama doe will only feed them 2-3 times day for a short period and you'll rarely see it. I was concerned about my recent litter that they weren't thriving as well as the previous, but it turns out that it just must have taken longer for this doe's milk to come in fully--starting day three I noticed marked improvement and the full tummies. The first couple days, I didn't notice the full tummies, but the kits were active and squeaking so I just kept an eye and made sure they stayed warm enough.

 

[CeleAndShade]

I am only on my second litter of kits for experience, so can only offer so much. This sounds like a very stressful situation for you.

First, hopefully someone else can offer advice on the teethmarks, but are you absolutely sure she is not feeding them? Mama doe will only feed them 2-3 times day for a short period and you'll rarely see it. I was concerned about my recent litter that they weren't thriving as well as the previous, but it turns out that it just must have taken longer for this doe's milk to come in fully--starting day three I noticed marked improvement and the full tummies. The first couple days, I didn't notice the full tummies, but the kits were active and squeaking so I just kept an eye and made sure they stayed warm enough.

Yeah she isn't feeding them they were squealing and moving around, and their bellies are not round in the slightest. Someone said to try goat milk on another website but I'm not sure how exactly to do that

 

[balloonflower]

The only thing I've heard of is finding kitten milk replacement at a vet or farm store.

My kits still squeak and wiggle a lot too.

 

[Nutcase]

Quote: You may need to take this into your own hands. The maternal proficiency in female rabbits does tend to vary IME, and I've had does who nurture their litters just as they should and others who refuse to even look at them. If she is producing milk at all, you can hold her on her back in your lap and latch the kits on so they can feed one at a time, twice a day. It isn't ideal but I have resorted to it before to make sure my kits survive the early days. If she is causing harm to them they should probably stay separate between feeds, as long as they have each other to keep warm. Hope this helps