I need help with my new born rabbits!

Question

Well, I have a Netherland that has just given birth. I've only seen one kit, once, and I was wondering how long I should wait until I could poke around in the nest so I can see whether there really was a kit. The rabbit's a first time mother, so I think that it's more susceptible to the cannibalism that happens sometimes.

One of my friends, who has done this before, says to wait until they've opened their eyes, but how can I tell if I can't see them?!

Answer 1

Your friend is right. Don't touch the babies, just take a peep to make sure they are ok. You will see them as they grow bigger.

Answer 2

I check my nestbox as soon as I think there are babies born. It is important to check them over and make sure they're ok and remove any dead ones.

Rabbits do not generally cannibalize their kits. If a kit is born dead and is not removed from the nest, sometimes the mother will eat it to get rid of it, as rabbits cannot move their young like a cat or dog out of the way. And sometimes rabbits will do it for no reason at all and are just bad mothers, but it has nothing to do with first litters. If they do it once, there's a good chance she'll never successfully have a litter.

You can handle them right away to check on them, but its a good idea not to leave them out of the nest too long until they grow fur.

Answer 3

my rabbit has had 2 sets of babies the first time she had 2 and 9 the second time i always check them soon as their born u could put the mother out the hutch as u do so so she cant see u touching them rub ur hands in straw b4 u touch them so ur scent dosent get on them although saying that the mum will be used to ur scent good luck  

Answer 4

I've raised rabbits for a few years and I always within minutes of Mom have her babies checked in the nest to see what was what. If mom is aggresive I would try to pet her first then touch the babies. If she is overly aggressive well I just grabbed the nest box as fast as possible then checked quickly and left lol. But you need to check for for any that did not survive or might be injured. Any dead babies need to be removed immediately. Being a first time mom, its a 50 50 shot as to whether she will be a good mom or not. Most of mine always did well. The earlier you handle the babies the easier is it to tame. Good luck!