Baby bunnies eating habits

[BigMamaKiki]

I have 8 3 week old flemish giant kits with a first time mother. This is my first time breeding rabbits, so i am not sure if this is normal behavior or not. When awake they try to nurse all the time. They are constantly following mama around and wiggling under her every time she stands up. I know she feeds them because i have seen it, and they are all chubby, furry, and active. The kits are eating pellets and hay now too. Should i separate them sometimes to give the mother a break? She seems really hungry all the time and is smaller than her pre-pregnancy size. Also at what age can i start to wean the biggest kits? I have read everything from 6 weeks to 10 weeks.

 

[JBun]

Provide a shelf, nesting box on it's side, or litter box for the mom to go to, to get away from them when she needs a break from their pestering. Are you free feeding the mom pellets and hay? She needs a lot of food to nurse and maintain her own weight.

If she's tolerating them fine and isn't getting upset with them, nipping them, or trying to mount them, I would leave them with her for health reasons, as long as possible and start weaning around 7 weeks old. The earlier you wean, the greater chance they have of developing enteric diseases. The longer they stay with mom and weaning stress is minimized, the greater chance they have of staying healthy.

At weaning time, I would move mom to a new cage and all but 2 of the kits with her, the two biggest being the ones that are weaned first and left in the old cage without mom. Then pull 2 off every couple of days and put with the other weaned kits in the old cage. Keeping the babies in the cage they're used to is least stressful for them at weaning time. And removing a couple at a time allows for moms milk to dry up gradually, instead of suddenly weaning and all stopping at the same time, risking possible mastitis.

https://www.raising-rabbits.com/care-of-baby-rabbits.html
https://www.raising-rabbits.com/raising-baby-rabbits.html
Good info on how weaning enteritis can happen in baby rabbits
(WARNING: link contains graphic medical related photos)
Medirabbit: weaning enteritis/diarrhea