INFO on new litter

[bethan]

Hello.
I thought I knew everything I would about breeding my two bunnies andspent weeks roaming the net finding new info, but now that I have someim soo confused!
Mama rabbit has hardly any fur herself.. she looks a mess.
Babies seem okay (born about 9-9.30pm tues 22 (i think)).
The weather is crazy.. we've had days of 30 degrees celcius and now wehave rain and we've had hail its on and off, hot and cold. So I dontknow what to exepct but will the babies be okay in the differentweathers? And can anyone tell me about what should happen and when,like with development: eyes opening, leaving the nest.

Thanks

 

[JimD]

Greetings!

Here's a link from the Top Picks that may be of interest to you.

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=5541&forum_id=1

~JimD

 

HI Bethann,

no matter how prepared we think we are , theres always something new croping up unexpectedly .

Is there anyway you could bring themin , I know a lot of breeders have an areain their cellars to house Doesand Babies during the winter months, as long asmaintanence is kept up there should belittle or no smell . If you cannot dothat perhaps a tarp wraped around thecage with air holes forcirculation .

Babies eyes should be opened by 14 days ,if not check for infection , Mom will letthem out of the nest starting around day18 , and they will start nibbling on grassesand pellets , They are now at themost adorable , nows the timetolove on them and get them used to beinghandled with their eyes openwhere they can see whats going on .they will also start baby binkies , thoseare the sweetest to see .

By 4 to 6 weeks old they will be eatingfully on their own with littlenursing from mom . only removethem before 8 weeks IF the mother isshowing signs of aggression toward them ,they will nurse still off and on untillweek 8.

I have found weaning partners are betterthan caging them singly , depending on breed youcan do this right up until yourehome them or deicde they need seperatecages , always keeping in mindsome smaller breeds mature faster thanothers.

Good Luck with Your litter andplease Pictures woulddefinately be a plus lol . ofcourse Im not sure how manyhere love babies butIm sure you will findaround say 2000 lol .

 

[bethan]

Thanks for the info! I cant bring them in costhe cage is too big, but all seems okayIll do my best toget some photos!

 

[bethan]

I found one of my baby rabbits dead thisafternnon:tears2: after noticingshe was missing. It was inthe furthest corner wedged in between litter box and the wall. It wasstiff and cold and I just really dont know why my bunny got there. Whydidnt the mom help it? It was 8 almost 9 days old. How could she havegot there it was too far to walk?

Also one of the remaining babies is much smaller than the others. Couldit have got more of the netherland genes from its crossbred parents oris it not developing right?

 

Hi Bethan ,

Sorry for the loss and I can help explain abit as to what happened , The baby mostlikely wiggled and squirmed overthe top of the nest box , then in searchof a warm plac continued to qiggleand squirm , they cant walk at 8 or9 days old but they surely can wiggle andmove . Its a hard thing to say and harder to witness, but Mother Rabbits unlikecats and dogs will not rescue theirbabies , they will feed them if they are where they are supposed tobe , but the moment they are out of thebox the mother neither looks for them norfeeds them , they die of hypothermia .Its a sad fact of survival .

The smaller one most likely is the runt ofthe litter , last one or 2 bornand usually much smaller , Itschances of survival now are greatly increased ,being One of few to nurse , Heshould be fine , but watch the mother toinsure she is in fact feeding him. If not you can flipMomm Over and let the baby nurse for a few minutesand He should be fine . Or Hold Momm on your lapand with legs closed put thebaby under her to nurse.

Everything should remain finefor the baby as long asshe and you insure he is eating .

 

[bluebird]

Sorry you lost one. when i had my rabbitsoutside i never bred them in the late fall.the small one maybe a runt or it could also be a peanut if both parents carry the dwarfgene.if its a peanut it will not live.bluebird

 

[bethan]

Thanks Gypsy and Bluebird.
Icarus (the smaller one) was facing the opposite way to the rest of thebabies so i picked him/her up to move her clser to the rest of thebunch. She didnt squirm as much as the rest do... and when i checked afew minutes later she/he was squashed under the rest of the bunch(could barely spot her/him) So I popped her on top of the rest andcovered them with fur. Is it okay for her to be squashed by the rest ofthem or could she suffocate? Im really worried.
Also Bluebird It is Summer in my countrybut we have been having cold weather.

 

Hi Bethan ,

Letting him/ her squiggle underthe littermates is fine , itis doing it for the extra body warmth, The little one will neither suffocatenor get crushed by the others ,they do this to indeed keep warm andto bond with the others intheir litter . There alwaysseems to be a wrong way Joe inevery litter , but when its time to feedthey will turn to and nurse . You aredoing a f ine job insuring their survival, just leep checking them everyday , Im sure theywill do fine . Keep us posted .

 

[bethan]

Thanks. Today we had all the eyesopen!:bunnydance:Very cute indeed! All the charlies (3 of them), thechinchilla-grey oneand the solid black have black eyes, andthe pure white one has lovely pink eyes:inlove:.