baby bunnies question

FordBuns · Jun 28, 2012

When I got my bunny she was pregnant and the babies are now almost 5 weeks old. They are eating pellets and hay on their own and are also drinking plenty of water. They are getting a little fat I think. This is my first litter and was wondering if someone could give me some advice. Am I feeding them too much or is this normal?

I was also wondering when they can be separated from mom.

Nancy McClelland · Jun 28, 2012

We were told that babies should be given unlimited amounts to feed on til they hit six months. Also read that 8 weeks is when they can be separated.

woahlookitsme · Jun 28, 2012

We feed our moms and litters twice daily. My mom will fill up the bowl and wont refill it until that night. Our bowls are probably 8-10oz for the polish.

It depends on how many babies mom has but you will always have some that will eat more than others. If you see babies that are almost gorging themselves then we usually separate those and regulate how much they get. Its hard to say how much to feed litters because it varies with every breed and type of rabbit.

My moms polish have to be regulated even babies because they easily get overweight if given too much. Some rabbits can be fed unlimited but it depends on the level of activity of that rabbit and if they can self regulate how much food they eat. My tans with their high metabolism are free fed and almost never become overweight because they stay so active

We vary with when our babies are removed. It greatly depends on if we have enough cage space but anywhere between 5weeks to 2.5months. One of my does becomes very annoyed with her babies and wants nothing to do with them after 5 weeks so we take them out and usually keep them together until we have more cage space. Other moms love having their babies around and if we need to we keep them with momma for 2-3 months old. Average time removing babies is 6-8 weeks

FordBuns · Jun 28, 2012

Thanks for the advice!!

The mother is a 2yr old Holland Lop and she was bred to a Holland Lop. There is 5 babies. I feed them 3 cups in the morning and by the next morning the bowl is empty. This that enough? Or should I give them more?

The cage I have them in is big enough for the mom but now it seems a little cramped. I bought another cage the same size because I'm keeping one of the babies. Would it be okay to take the 3 fattest ones out and put them in the other cage?

wendymac · Jun 28, 2012

We raise French Lops and Californians. They have pellets in front of them at all times. Around 5 weeks is when they're eating more pellets and drinking less milk. They should stay with the mother as long as she'll tolerate it, because she's still protecting their delicate system.

They say not to remove them from the mother until 8 weeks. But I have a doe that is ready for them to be gone at 5 weeks, and another at 6. It depends largely on the doe. I'd let them with her until she says "time's up" or they hit 8 weeks.