I need help i just found 3 baby rabbits in the rabbit hutch plz help i wasn't expecting them to be there?????

Question

rite just been down to my rabbit and she has got 3 Babbie's and i had no idea but the thing is coz i didn't no that they were they i put my hand in the nest and i have mucked thing up a bit also i touched the babies omg will she kill them they have been there a few days now as they have got all there black fur have i just killed the Babbie's or will they be safe please help any info is much needed !!!!

Answer 1

No please DON'T worry as the Mother bunny knows human smell,so she won't kill them. Its a **FACT** so don't listen to people who might tell you "They will die" as thats NOT the case.

I am guessing you have a male rabbit??

If you don't & if you let your rabbit roam unattended it could of been a wild one,as there has been MANY cases of wild rabbits mating with domesticated ones incidentally!

What you must do is make sure the hutch is clean(if not clean around the nest,remove the mother as well),then provide 2 times as much food as normal for her & check water at atleast 2 times a day.As long as the hutch is water proof the young will be perfectly fine.To tell if she is feeding them remove her from the cage(as some mother buns can be protective,though don't worry the human smell doesn't bother them at all.) And carefully pick the babies up one at a time,they tummys should be well rounded,if they are thin & making crying sounds call the vet at once.

If they look healthy,Just pop them back in the nest & replace the mother bun. At around 10 days the babies will start to open there eyes,at 3 weeks or so they will start to  venture out the nest similar time they will start to eat the rabbits mix. The mother rabbits only feeds the kits(baby buns) 1-2 times a day max,this is only for 5 mins,as the milk is at least 2-3 times that of cows milk. Rabbits milk is one of the richest in all nutrients in the mammal species.

At 3 to 4 weeks you can start to handled the babies.

The earliest you can ween the kits at is 6-7 weeks **NO** younger in fact 8-9 weeks is best this is what i do.

Hope this helps & the best of luck with your new babes!x*x

Answer 2

The whole thing about moms leaving their babies because they can smell human scent on them? That's actually completely a myth.

Ask your vet about proper baby bunny care. Make sure the mom is well fed and watered. Don't handle the babies too much because they are very fragile. Put extra bedding in their cage. And do you keep your rabbits outdoors? Please bring them inside, if so. In the wild, momma bunnies would bury her babies underground, but if they're in a hutch she can't keep them warm as easily.

Answer 3

She won't kill them because you've touched them, it's perfectly fine to handle the babies, you want to get them socialized from a young age anyway.   Move the nest into a cardboard box that the mother can get in and out of so babies don't fall through the wire or out of the cage.  The babies need to stay with their mother until they are 8 weeks old. Don;t be surprised if one or so doesn't make it because infant mortality rate in rabbits is fairly high.  

Answer 4

ok well for your rabbit to have babies it would have had to been with another rabbit? do you have 2 housed together? How did she get pregnant? NO, touching them you didnt kill them, but WHY did you muck about in the nest? Did you think to ask this before you mucked about? As long as you covered the babies back up they should be fine. DONT hang about and harass the mother too much. Just check on them daily, to be sure none have died. Otherwise leave mom to do her job. If there is another rabbit out there with her, Take that one out. Have them separated since thats probably why she was pregnant. If the other one is a male, then he will breed and breed her and she will be stressed out and possibly kill her babies due to being stressed. Make sure she is comfortable, not too hot, not too cold, no direct sunlight, fresh water everyday, and plenty and food and treats.