Baby rabbit care?

Question

i have had a nice cute cuddly rabbit for 3 weeks she is fully grown and looks a little loneyly..so yesterday i bought her a mate a male rabbit she seems to love him already they have become best friends im afriad they will have babies soon and i have been searching stuff online for a while but not realy any good info can anyone tell me any unfo on careing for newborn baby rabbits?

Answer 1

Congrats! I'm going to get a baby rabbit soon, too. Let the mother care for the babies for the first week or so. Be extra careful about the temperature in the cage, and that all the food is refilled. Your rabbits should have babies every two or three months.

Answer 2

Though i don't support wanting babies just to have cute little babies around(so many people forget that thoses babies do grow up and then they are stuck with more rabbits than they can handle or want) The male and female need to be seperated from each other unless you get them spayed and neutered(and event hen you still need to slowly introduce them)Theres a good chance she is pregnant now that you put them together.

Trying to bottle raise baby rabbits(kits) is extremally difficult, and a lot of times they don't make it. Its best to let the mom take care of them.

Now you need to keep them seperated, and mark on a calender, on the 27th or 28th day put a nestbox in the cage. Give the rabbit plenty of hay. I usually stuff the nextbox full of hay and then spread it around the cage. Some does(female rabbit) will start building a next right away. Some don't build a nest until the day they give birth. The normal gestation for a rabbit is 31 days, though i rarely have one go on the exact 31st day. My rabbits tend to go around the 35th or 36th day with my latest ever born being on the 38th day. Most of the time they give birth at night so you dont see it. Some does will pull a little fur, some pull a lot of fur, i've had some not pull any fur at all. If this is a first time mom, there is a chance this litter will die because sometimes they do not know how to care for the babies or sometimes they even kill the babies.

Rabbits do not sit on there babies all the time, so don't be alarmed if you never see her with the babies. They usually only feed 1-2 times a day, a lot of times at night. When the litter is born, i'd rub your hands real well on the mom(though i don't always do this and have never had a problem with any rabbit neglecting her babies) but just in case, and check the nestbox good to make sure they are no dead babies. Remove any dead babies. I wouldn't full with them to much for the first 2 weeks are so, but check the nestbox everyday to remove any dead babies if needed. You can tell if the mother is feeding them because the babies bellies will be well rounded and they will be very squirmy, i call them jumping beans. lol

Approx. they open there eyes when they are 2 weeks old. I have had a few go as early as 10 days and some as late as 15-16th day. The babies might start jumping out the nextbox at this time. You can change out the hay to put fresh clean hay in if needed.

Provide the babies with a lot of hay to munch on. They will start munching on the moms pellets and l*****g at the waterbottle, or bowl whatever you use for water. I'd use a bottle just in case, would not want any babies accidently falling in and not being able to get out. Sometimes babies suffer from enteritus which is inflammation in the intestinal track. Providing constant hay can minimize this chance and not just free feeding pellets. Its when there stomaghs have a hard time adjusting from weaning of the moms milk to regular pellets. Enteritus can be hard to tell before its to late. Its very sudden because the rabbit can literally be fine one minute and dead the next. Some symptoms can be weight loss and not gaining any weight back no matter how much the rabbit eats. A lot of times the rabbit will still eat and drink normally until the very end, which is why it is so hard to catch in time.

The babies will be safe to wean at 8 weeks and are old enough to be seperated from the mom.

Hope this will help you some.

Answer 3

Have you seen those cartoons where the rabbits just keep multiplying all over the place?

They werent lying! Its really the case. They are almost like tribbles (born pregnant lol)

Answer 4

Don't touch them !  The mother will eat them, due to the alien smell.  Other than that, the mother will care for them.

Answer 5

try http://www.mybunny.org/info/newborn.htm

Answer 6

Well first of as much as you think its okay they shouldn't share the same cage while she is prego and about 2 months that she has the babies with her and she needs a break in between that too. Nesting box is needed. They are normally pregent for around 30 days put it in a little ealier. Here's a few good web sites.

http://www.debmark.com/rabbits/bunnies.h...

http://cmsdwarfs.tripod.com/showdwarf/id...

Answer 7

dude the last thing you want is rabbits, they have big litters spay one or neuter one dont get more

Answer 8

Let the mamma bunny take care of the babies for the first few weeks until they are weaned.  What I suggest is that you take one to the vet to have it spayed/neutered.  Ask your vet for advice, or there lots of books on the subject.

Answer 9

idk really but i think you should keep them warm and dont let them get cold the usual but hey you dont even know if there going to have babies

Answer 10

Make the babies a soft nest area in a box with clean towels.Cover the box with a towel so it is dark, making sure that there will be enough air so the babies do not suffocate. Keep the babies in an out-of-the way, QUIET area. If the room temperature is between 68-72 degrees you will not need to provide extra heat, but if it's cooler than that you will need to provide extra warmth. If the babies were with their mamma, but she is not caring for them (and you are sure she is ignoring them) you will need to separate her from them, so they will not get hurt

Baby rabbits should be fed Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR), which you can buy at pet stores.Because rabbit milk is the most caloric of all mammals, we add in one tablespoon of cream to each can of KMR. Unless you are familiar with and skilled at tube feeding babies, use an eye dropper or sterile oral syringe, which can be purchased at most pharmacies. Feed baby rabbits no more

than twice a day so if baby does not take in the total amount quoted below in one feeding, you may split the feedings in half, AM/PM - but no more frequently as it can cause severe gastrointestinal distress.

If this is a wild rabbit, handle it ONLY during feedings and make sure to keep it in a quiet, safe, out-of-the-way area of your home, as excessive handling and human interaction can be extremely stressful and potentially fatal, and will lessen its chance or survival once released back into the wild.

Following is a guideline for the daily amount to feed a domestic OR wild rabbit who will be approximately 5-6 pounds as an adult (average rabbit size). You can increase the amounts as needed for larger breeds. Remember, if the rabbit does not eat the full amount listed, feed the remainder later, but do not feed more than twice a day.

For the BEST results, go to your local health food store (GNC has this) and get a bottle of ACIDOPHILUS. Ask for the capsules that have the "grainy stuff" inside (they are easier to mix than the “powdery stuff”) and add it to the KMR at each feeding.

Using acidophilus in addition to KMR will GREATLY increase the baby rabbit's chance of survival, because it helps keep the bacterial balance in a baby's tummy adequate.

Age KMR Acidophilus

1 capsule = 1 cc

Newborn 5 cc  1/2 cc  

1 week  10-15 cc 1/2 cc  

2 weeks  26-30 cc 1 cc  

3 AND 4 weeks, until weaned (you may wean at 4 weeks of age) 30 cc  1 cc  

Baby rabbits feed from their mothers while lying on their backs. You may loosely wrap baby in a soft face cloth or hand towel and lay it on your lap or in the crook of your arm. If bunny will NOT eat this way, of course, do the best you can. It is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL to let the baby eat at it's own pace---especially if it is not suckling from you (i.e. if you are using a dropper or syringe to feed it...). If you squirt the liquid in too quickly you can aspirate (get liquid in) the lungs and the rabbit will suffocate.

After each feeding it is important to make the bunny defecate and urinate to keep the intestinal tract and urinary system running smoothly. Use a soft cloth or a cotton ball moistened with warm water and gently stroke from between the bunny's front legs all the way down over the anal area until the bunny starts producing stool and urine, and keep stroking until the bunny stops. You are replicating the behavior of the mother rabbit who would l**k her young to stimulate them to go to the bathroom (as well as to keep the nest clean). The stool will be soft and may be varying shades of green and yellow. Be sure to clean baby's mouth with a damp cloth or paper towel, so that no milk dries in the hair.

Baby rabbit eyes open at about 10 days of age. You may start introducing them to hay and pellets at this point, but no veggies or fruits yet. Just leave some hay and pellets in a corner of the box where the babies can easily get to them. Make sure it the pellets are plain, high fiber and fresh, with no added goodies such as dried banana chips or seeds. Don't ever leave a deep water dish in which a baby could drown; instead, use something shallow and rinse and fill it frequently.

IF THESE ARE WILD RABBIT BABIES: Start giving them small amounts of pesticide-free greens and timothy or oat hay at this point (grass, dandelions, weeds, parsley...), but you do not need to introduce them to pellets, as the goal is to release them back into the wild where the food is not that high in protein. If they are eating pellets and then released into the wild, the change in diet could kill them.

Again, it is critical that you handle wild babies only for feeding and cleaning, or for wound care – as necessary. Keep them in a quiet area away from family goings-on. The goal is to keep them as wild as possible so that they will have a better chance when re-released.

Wild rabbits do not make good pets. The do not become docile like their domesticated cousins and they will be happier in the wild, where they belong. It is illegal and cruel to keep a healthy wild animal as a “pet.”

If you can find a wildlife rehabilitator in your are who will care for and release the babies, this is your best bet.

Wild rabbits should be released as soon as they are eating hay and greens, are urinating, defecating and drinking well and are approximately 5 inches in body length. They will be small, but the longer you keep them, the more agitated and difficult to handle they will become and the less likely their chances for survival in the wild. Make sure to release them in a safe place, where no pesticides are used--and where they will not run out into a street! It is best to release them in the early morning so that they have the day to acclimate. Community parks are NOT the place to release ANY rabbit, let alone a wild one. Prior to the release date, try taking drives and/or walks in the dawn & dusk hours (rabbits are crepuscular) in rural and country-ish areas and find out where other wild rabbits live. We choose to release our babies very early in the morning (5AM) or lat in the afternoon (4-5PM) in order that they have some time to acclimate and find a place to hide. We always make sure to leave several days supply of hay and water, so the babies will not starve or dehydrate will acclimating to their surroundings. It is best to leave the hay and water right next to large bushes, so the rabbits will have some place to run into should a predator come along while they are eating/drinking.

Please contact ZOOH CORNER for more information of releasing wild rabbits - or how to tell IF the rabbit you have is wild (909)868-BUNI [e-mail].

If you plan to keep this rabbit as a pet (as long as it is domestic), make sure that you have the time and really want a House Rabbit. They are wonderful, affectionate, playful pets than can be litter box trained like cats and live 8-13 years if altered and properly cared for. If you just want to let it live in the back yard or a cage - contact us for more information, and for help placing it. Rabbits should not live outside or in isolated cages. They are very social animals, love peopleCand the outside life is simply too dangerous (heat, cold, predators, bacteria) for a rabbit to live a long happy life.