Why did my rabbit give birth early?

[Ozarkhomesteader]

I would make sure this time to give her plenty of hay all the time, if you see her making a nest or pulling fur give her a box, even if its early! I had one doe I didn't even think was pregnant and didnt give her a box cause she was about 3 weeks along, and was going to wait till she tried making a nest.... She ended up having 10 babies!!! That I found, it was her outdoor cage so they escaped. They were all very small and not sure if they would have lived anyways. Oh and she was a mini Rex, and small for one too!

thanks Wow! 10 babies for a mini rex is a lot!! My dutch rabbits only have like 4-5 babies.

 

[abbymckinn]

thanks Wow! 10 babies for a mini rex is a lot!! My dutch rabbits only have like 4-5 babies.  

Yea! Normally they would have around 6! No idea where 10 came from!

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

All sorts of things can go wrong with a rabbit's first litter. How old is she? ANY kind of stress can cause a female rabbit to abort. Do you have a rabbitry? If animals can get near their cages that is not good.

She is about 9-10 months old. they are all in a detached garage, and the only animals that can get in are my dogs and cats (they follow me in while i'm doing chorse, some of the cats hang out in there. She was raised with the farm animals, and when i let her onto the ground to run around (i don't when they are pregnant) she goes right up to the big dogs and sniffs them...totally fearless. If another animal got in there, most likely i would have lost a rabbit. The only ones i can think of that could have maybe figured out how to get in would be a coon, and they would eat one.