help!!!!! baby bunnies

[zuppa]

here is a photo of the setup for now. the gray box is the nest box while the blue box is the litter pan.
yes, she has been living with her older babies until now. I have put them in a different enclosure for now.
The nest is in the cage but she keeps messing with it and uncovering the little ones.
I will purchase another playpen for her. What do you recommend for a decent price?

I also recommend to get secondhand check your local sites where people sell&buy secondhand, playpen or baby fireguards would be great and you can get really cheap sometimes in excellent condition like new. Of course you disinfect before you start using them.

I think this cage is too small and she has no room at all, no wonder she gets stressed. If this cage is high enough you can add a piece of wood to make a shelf for her it would give her some extra room, but in my experience those cages are rarely higher than 50 cm, but still you can add a little shelf.
If you don't have any other place to keep her you can remove the nest and put it into a large cardboard box (think like banana box or bigger) and place next to her cage that would make some kind of extension she will see her nest and you will let her out for nursing. But that will only work for the next couple weeks as after that kits will start exploring territory and will be able to get out from this temporary cardboard box anyway, you will need to build much larger gate so they can be all together. Where are her older kits at the moment, you said you removed them from the cage they are still 4 week old?

 

[Rosy]

the cage shes in is 46.9 L x 22.8 W x 24 H in.

What size pen is suitable?

 

[Mariam+Theo]

the cage shes in is 46.9 L x 22.8 W x 24 H in.

What size pen is suitable?

That is too small. A playpen that has 8 walls on it and put it in a rectangle shape. (here is a link to one that would work, but is just expensive: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0758FX7MJ/ref=twister_B076PQMLFK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1). I would put the food bowl and water bowl/water bottle in one corner, the litter box in another, and the nesting box in another corner. I would ditch the cage completely, or give it to the other babies along with your first playpen.

 

[Augustus&HazelGrace]

You could also use the small cage as a litterbox!

 

[Rosy]

Yes i understand that the cage is too small. Thats why i would like to purchase a pen for them. Thanks for the link @Theo . @Augustus&HazelGrace thats a good idea but i think its too big for a litter box...its not that small, its just too small for the bunnies to live in.

 

[JBun]

If she keeps upsetting the nest, you can remove it from her area and just return the nest early in the morning and late in the evening when she normally would nurse them. Then once she does you can remove the nest box again.

She might be doing this because she is confused about the new babies and old babies. Or she's upset because she's missing the older babies. After she's nursed the new babies, I would consider letting her have some time with the older babies. Though initially I would be careful because if she's been separated from them too long, she could react negatively to being with them again and could even possibly injure them. So any sign of aggressive behavior and I would immediately stop the playtime and not try again.

 

[Rosy]

@JBun I came down today and found that she had destroyed the fur on top of the babies and completely uncovered them. They were cold. And quite wrinkly. It doesn't look like she's taking care of them much, if at all.

i tried putting mom with her older babies today. it started off well with everybody minding their own business and a bit of grooming each other. not sure exactly what happened next, possibly the babies were trying to nurse but it it looked like she was on top of one and trying to hump it! i quickly separated them.

 

[Rosy]

@zuppa here is a pic of the baby (4 weeks) bunnies enclosure. obviously, this is temporary

 

[Rosy]

@zuppa this is what ive done for the mom to give her more space. Ive also left the cage open so she can go in and out as she pleases. is this ok? again, this is temporary until i find something suitable.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

For the babies set up put a litter box in a corner and put some of the mom's droppings in the box. Here is a link on litter training: https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/litter-training.html. I suggest putting all of their hay in the litter box and replacing it daily. They will not eat hay that has been pottied on.

For the mom, I would remove the babies from the mom's cage and keep them under a heat lamp to keep them warm. Keep them in the nest she built for them but put a heating pad underneath if you have one. I would only put the babies in the cage at 7 A.M. and 7 P.M. so she can feed them, but remove them after they are fed. I would give them goat milk if they start to lose weight, and if the mom rejects them completely I would give them the rabbit formula I suggested for the first litter: https://www.amazon.com/Wombaroo-Rab...05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1&tag=forumyield-20

 

[JBun]

I'm guessing you already warmed the babies up. If she isn't nursing them, I would hold her on my lap and carefully bring the babies under her belly to nurse. This works better if you have someone to help, and it needs to be done carefully so no babies get injured.

Once the babies have been fed and the nest reconstructed with fur, there is no need for a heating pad or lamp, and actually shouldn't be used. Using those without the babies being able to move away from the heat if they get too hot, means they could overheat and could die. Something like that should only ever be used with caution, and with a part of the nest left cool so they can move from the heat if needed.

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Once the babies have been fed and the nest reconstructed with fur, there is no need for a heating pad or lamp, and actually shouldn't be used. Using those without the babies being able to move away from the heat if they get too hot, means they could overheat and could die. Something like that should only ever be used with caution, and with a part of the nest left cool so they can move from the heat if needed.

I didn't know this. @Rosy don't listen to what I said and just listen to Jbun.

 

[Rosy]

Yesterday, the poor little one that was bleeding passed away. i fed a bit of goat milk to the remaining babies last night. This morning, i came down and another baby was out of the nest! sadly he didnt survive. down to one kit. how do i ensure that he stays warm?

 

[Rosy]

@JBun the mom is a bit aggressive. any tips? im going to try what you suggested.

 

[Julie&Bunnies]

Put the

Yesterday, the poor little one that was bleeding passed away. i fed a bit of goat milk to the remaining babies last night. This morning, i came down and another baby was out of the nest! sadly he didnt survive. down to one kit. how do i ensure that he stays warm?

Put the baby in a high-sided cardboard box. Since there only one and no one to snuggle with to keep warm, I would use a blanket in the box. I have always used baby blankets with infants and never had it fail me. The mother might be knocking them out of the nest. I would keep the baby separate from the mother and only put them together to nurse twice a day, 12 hours apart. Sounds like Mom is hormonal and they can be unpredictable. Keep baby's box in the warmest room you have. After the new baby nurses, let the other two also nurse but supervise so she doesn't injure them. This will keep her milk supply going and prevent older babies from getting ill.

 

[majorv]

Kits who aren’t being fed will leave the nest to go look for food. This leaves them vulnerable to getting cold if they don’t have enough fur yet. I would try doing what Jbun suggested and hold the doe while trying to let the kit nurse.

The older kits are old enough to move to hay and pellets, especially if they were already eating Mom’s when you had to pull them from her. Given how she reacted to them I wouldn’t put her with them anymore.