bunnie?

[Melodie]

Hi am new to this site and i have a couple bunnies? I have two female bunnies and they both gave birth yesterday on easter while i was out ...I know wow it was not planed but i think its great but, I was wondering how do i keep the mothers comfortable one of the mothers isbreathing hard and how long do they have to stay with the mother before they go to there new homes?Please give me the best info you can...

 

[LadyBug]

hello!

a couple of things....................

#1. go post in 'the rabbitry and show room' they'll be able to help you the best and your post will hopefullyget more attention from people that breed.

#2. they need to stay with their mom for at least 8 weeks. about that time you'll need to spilt the boys from the girls, i think. you could probable get away with waiting until 12 weeks, but i wouldn't push it.

#3. are the dad(s) yours too? if so, KEEP THEM AWAY FROM THE MOMS! i want to be VERY clear on this one, or else you're going to be having another litter(s) soon, and that's not good for any bunny concerned(well, the males wouldn't care, but............). they can menstruate right after birth, and the doe WILL get pregnant again if the boy mates with her. that's not good for her or ether litter. it's bad for the post-natal litter because she'll push them away early to get ready for the new babies, plus she'll not have as much energy to make milk for them. it's bad for the pre-natal litter because she's having to put her resources into feeding the other litter, meaning less for the growing babies.

:rant:sorry if i went into 'fact telling(more like fact ranting:whistling) mode:baghead!

Guys, if mixed facts, Please correct me! i think i've got all my bunnies, er, duck in a row, but i wanna make sure!

And above all, welcome to the forum and i hope you like it here!

:hug::wave:

Anna

 

[polly]

Hi Melodie welcome to RO The mums should usually go on as normal after giving birth.

Can you tell us what breeds they are? sometimes bunnies esp. if they are a dwarf or on their first litter can have a stuck baby I would think it would be a good idea to have alook at your does butt and make sure there is no blood or baby or take her to teh vet and have her checked to be on the safe side. Also sometimes bunnies can have a baby as much as 24 hours later but as she is breathing hard she would be better with a vert check.

They need to stay with their mum till they are 6 weks by then they are usually weaned off their mums milk

you can rehome them from 8 weeks on but a lot of breeders will kepp them till they are 12 weeks

Hoep this helps I will go get a mod to move this to the rabbitry for you. As then more of teh breeders will see it

 

[BlueGiants]

I've moved this post to the Rabbitry area. You'll get more advice here about babies.

How many babies did each doe have? Did you check the nests for dead babies or left over placenta? You do have to make sure the nest is clean. The mothers will not reject the babies if you touch them.

The doe that is breathing heavy... is she nursing the babies? Producing milk (lactating) may cause the doe to breath heavy for a short while.

What breeds are the girls? You need to leave the babies with the doe a MINIMUM of 6 weeks for most breeds, but you shouldn't send any baby to a new home until they are 8 weeks old.

Where is the buck that bred with them? Is he seperate? The does can get pregnant again, RIGHT AWAY, if he is not kept away. You really should consider neutering him.

 

[Melodie]

Yes the male is mine also he got in the cage with the females one day i didnt even notice for couple days..but thank you so much and i am not sure what kind of bunnies i have 2 where found at a park someone left them there also i got the other 2 from a pet store they dont have eny idea they couldnt even tell me if i had a boy or girl..i finally figured that one out..lol

 

[Melodie]

Thank you for moveing this.. also the male is in his own cage also this is the first time i have had baby bunnies how do i tell if she has milk every time i have checked on them she has never been on them to nurse i have checked every hour also one had 7 and the other only 2

 

[aurora369]

A rabbit will only nurse one or two times a day. They are animals of prey, so they don't lie with their babies like cats and dogs do. Until they have fur, open eyes and are hopping about, the mom's will ignore the babies unless they are nursing.

If the babies have nice round bellies, they are getting fed. They are probably feeding the babies when no one is around.

If you want, you can transfer a couple of babies from the larger litter to the smaller one. You generally want at least three in a litter to help the babies keep warm.

Are both mom's in the same cage?

Are the babies in a nesting box? If they are just in a nest on the floor, you can pick up the entire nest and put it in a shoe box. The box helps keep the babies from wiggling out of the nest and getting so cold it dies.

--Dawn

 

[Melodie]

they are in different cages the mother wont hurt the babys right ... also it is about 90degress her my question is how do i keep them cool there are on my back patio with a big fan i just hope it is helping...my home is to small to bring them all in ...

 

[Melodie]

Also can i put both moms in the same cage so i can bring them in the house where it is much cooler..?

 

[BlueGiants]

You can not put the mothers in the same cage. You will have to keep them seperate for now. You can switch babies between the nests.

Move one or two from the nest of 7 to the nest with 2, as long as it looks like both moms are feeding their babies. (the babies should look like they swallowed a ping-pong ball!)

Fans will keep the babies cool enough as long as it's not blowing right on the nestboxes. During the day, you can uncover the babies from the fur to keep them cooler.

 

[Melodie]

THANK YOU

 

[undergunfire]

Hey, Melodie! You probably saw my post on Criagslist inviting people here that recieved bunnies for Easter. My ad had pictures of my bunnies in it.

I hope this wonderful forum helps you a lot and you stick around...it is always so nice to have people from Arizona on here.

I am in Prescott, by the way...about 2 hours north of Phoenix .


- Amy

 

[gentle giants]

You will most likely not see her nurse the babies, they tend to prefer privacy for things like that. When she does nurse, she will stand over the nest and the babies will reach up to her belly. It only takes a few minutes, usually around five minutes. As you were told in previous posts, make sure the buck can't get near them again. It would be a very good idea to get him neutered, that way this can't happen again. Two does and one buck can produce a LOT of babies, and you would have to find homesfor all of them.

 

[Melodie]

Thank you for posting im always on there must people cant stand there pets and im always watching to get the ones i can about 3 months ago i got three red eared sliders of there and i sence i have had them they are so much more friendler every time they here me come in to the room they come up out of the water so they can pretty much talk to me in there own way lol there very cute ..Also i got buck and doe off of her someone found them in a park near there home there are very nice know but when i got them they where not the doe bit the hack out of my hand but i got her much more relaxed now who ever had them first didnt care about them at all so thanx again..Oh question so what is it like out there how the weather????I would love to be eny where but here this place is a zoo and it is so dang hot well winter is ending i hate the summers here..

 

[Melodie]

Oh ya i dont have the buck he isno where around he is actual at my friends she wanted to see how it was to have a bunny but she is going to bring him back she says he dont like her lol i tried telling her he only loves me lol I hope the doe that had the 7 aint upset because, i took all of her babys besides 3 out of her cage for the other bunny to feed she is doing much better i think she likes the mothering thang i know i did lol I think thats why i have pets know my kids are all in school besides one but my other pet kids keep me happy and busy im a stay at home mom..Oh ya i lived in prescott proble when i was about 13 with my aunt but it was nice out there it snowed alot i really liked that i need to take a trip one weekend where it snows ..But eny how thanx

 

[Haley]

Im just catching up on some of your posts Melodie

Youre doing a great job. I know this is a lot of info to absorb if youre new to bunnies and now have babies.

Just be very sure to keep the dad away from the females and from the babies. If youre unsure of some of the sexes of your adults, keep him away from all of them. The last thing you want is another pregnant female right now.

As the babies mature you will have to separate them by sex. So its good to get some housing lined up in the next few weeks.

Other than that, I highly recommend you at least neuter the boy. There are so many unwanted bunnies out there (both pure bred and mixed) so you dont want them mating again. A neuter is usually fairly cheap, like 60 bucks or so. You then have to wait at least 2 months still before he can get close to a female since he will still have sperm in his system after the neuter.

Heres our list of Arizona Rabbit Savvy Vets: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11588&forum_id=9

Its important not to just use any vet because many arent experienced with bunnies. You can also send a PM to undergunfire or timetowaste if you need help- they are both in AZ!

Hope that helps

Haley

 

[Melodie]

ohhh wow thank you ya i have had the brown and white and the black in white for at least a year so i know them pretty good...But my buck and the other black doe i just got about 2 months ago or so...