Hello, I am very new to raising bunnies, in fact I am just watching for a family that is in Mexico for a few more weeks. The problem is there are free range bunnies on the property and cats. The babies are getting eaten like candy by these evil cats so I finally went and rounded up all the little ones I could and put them in a pin. This seems time sensitive but I think I need to get them with their mother so they can eat her nutrients. They are old but I cant tell age, they have fur and opened eyes and are pretty fast. about the size of my palm and I have an average sized palm. There are two potential momma rabbits and the colors of the babies to me mean it could be either one. One momma is brown the other is orange, the father is black and the litter is: two albinos, one black, one brown, and one orange. How should I fix this, I have a suspicion that they are the orange rabbits babies but its hard to tell. should I just put her in the pin with them and observe?
Help baby bunny questions!!!
- Thread starter davisdw2
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woahlookitsme
Well-Known Member
Do the rabbits actually belong to the owners or are they just randomly on the property? I am going to say that the family doesn't know which babies belong to who. Just knowing the parents color sometimes isnt enough especially if they are mixed breeds. Colors can hide in the genetics of rabbits sometimes even showing up four generations later. Do you have pictures of the little ones? Those might be able to help and tell if the babies are still nursing age. Babies stop drinking from mom at about 3-4 weeks.
the family owns all the parent rabbits. they wouldn't know though because they have been gone for almost two months. I have pictures but before I upload I have another question, there were 10 babies total, I caged 5 there are three running around and I found 2 dead by cat. Is it possible for one rabbit to have that many at the same time, and if not, do I only need them in the cage with one mother rabbit, I read somewhere that another mother can be like a foster if all the babies are around the same size, which they are. I also found fur of both colors pulled out and on the ground near where I found the babies. pictures coming soon, I was able to catch one and put her in the cage with the 5 that I have caught so far, the little guys are fast!
LakeCondo
Well-Known Member
Whatever you can do will be better than nothing. I don't understand how people can leave their rabbits for so long without seeming to care about them. My assumption is that none of the rabbits are meant to be pets. I'm so sorry you;ve been put in this situation.
here they are with the one momma I was able to catch, they were close I think that is a good sign but the more I think about it I think either some of these or the other three belong to the other one as well, would a substitute work or should I just try to catch every bunny and put the all together in one cage?
woahlookitsme
Well-Known Member
For a large rabbit(10+lbs) 10 babies is possible in one litter. I am definitely not familiar with colony breedings but if the two mothers get along then you can try to keep both of them and the babies all together. Definitely try to separate them from the male as you dont want more baby bunnies. Mothers will pull fur to make nests for their babies but I do not know if one mother will pull fur for another mom. I am going to guess not but like I said colony breeding is not my thing. The mother pictured is a chestnut agouti for her color. Some of the babies could very possibly be hers depending on her background. I agree with Orlena anything you can do would be better than nothing.
I think the babies look to be about 3-4 weeks old. They are definitely older than 2 weeks as that is when the eyes first open. You will see them starting to nibble on hay and also trying to nurse from mom whichever one it is. The babies dont look older than 4weeks though at least not to me
I think the babies look to be about 3-4 weeks old. They are definitely older than 2 weeks as that is when the eyes first open. You will see them starting to nibble on hay and also trying to nurse from mom whichever one it is. The babies dont look older than 4weeks though at least not to me
yes, I have seen them nibble hay and a couple in the cage try to nurse from the brown rabbit. After they stop nursing, I read they eat the pellets of the mother rabbits to help give them the correct intestinal enzymes, can they be affected negatively if the brown rabbit is not their mother at all?
woahlookitsme
Well-Known Member
I want to say no but i do not know for sure.
appreciate all the advice. Ill feel it out and see how the one rabbit handles all the babies in the pin. If I can though I'll catch them all and put them in the big area and let them go communal, they already all share the same outside space so I don't think one momma would hurt the others babies. It is just a matter of making sure they are all cared for.
tonyshuman
Well-Known Member
I think any mother is better than none, as long as she's not mean to them. No adult males around the babies, though, and keep an eye on the mom (or moms if you catch the other one) with the babies in case they don't accept each other. Also, some of the "males" may not be males; it sounds like they're not handled much so the owners might not know which bunnies are which gender.
Good idea to check, We are pretty sure however that the black one is the only male. They had two breeders and one died of old age soon after they left. The brown one in the photograph is certainly female as well as the orange because they both have had litters in pins before they got out. The problem with these bunnies is they get out very easily, and they are fast. Pretty easy to catch the big ones in the morning when I feed them if need be however. I think it is a good idea to round them all up, they have been free range for a while simply because they have been staying around and we weren't finding dead babies but now with the fresh litter and hungry cats it seems important to put them up. The rabbits are raised mostly for pets for locals in the area but I thought it would be courteous to mention that some do go to a person that revives eagles in the nearby area. I know some people feel negatively towards raising bunnies for hunting but I feel this is a good cause for the eagles around here are endangered. Just thought I would make that clear. Thanks for all the help guys but mostly I appreciate being able to talk it out with people.
