help with my female rabbit

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janette

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my female rabbit had 6 babies 12days ago she has been a really good mum! but she has now started taking the hay and bedding away from the babies and has become quite nasty she has bittin my son which has come to us as a real surprise as she has always been good .Also has now not liking being in the same cage as the babies she scrappes to get out and pushes the babies about she seems to get really wound up when babies are moving about her catch ! Is this normal ??



:(im worried about her cause she has changed over the passed 2-3 days




 
Perhaps she is stressed with having people in her cage... Small children. I dunno how old your son is, but mother rabbits tend to be protective. Some overly protective.

I wouldn't mess with her personally. If shes not harming the babies, I'd just leave her be honestly.
 
Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears wrote:
Are the babies in a nest box?
I'd doubting so, since they are getting pushed around, aren't nest boxes meant to be somewhat compact just enough room for the mother to comfortably jump in and out without hurting the babies? The best you can do is stay out of the cage as much as possible don't even really go near the cage except when you need to give fresh food and water.
 
Now that the babies are older, they will start following her around pestering her for milk. She needs a space to get away from the babies, like a shelf or a nest box with a cover on it.

She's probably getting very stressed from the babies constantly demanding to be nursed.

This is one reason that a nest box is highly recommended.

Giver her lots of time away from the babies. And if possible, put a shelf in her cage. You could build her a bigger cage out of NIC panels but you just have to put something around the bottom of the cage because the babies can fit though those holes (like cardboard or double layer the grids).

At twelve days old, they don't really need the nest anymore. All their eyes should be open. You should check each one individually and make sure they all have their eyes open. If their eyes stay shut too long, they can become infected and cause blindness. Use a warm, wet wash cloth to gently open any eyes that are stuck.

She is doing her job of mothering very well. Rabbits do not mother like dogs/cats/people do. They don't spend much time with the babies at all and it can seem concerning if you have never raised baby rabbits before.

-Dawn
 

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