my rabbit just had babies

[janette]

i heard a noise from under the hay in pollys cage and i saw a small thing moving and next to it was about 5 more babie rabbits she must of just had them cause they werent there at dinner time



not sure what im mentto do ??

any advice will be much appreicated

thanx

 

[mistyjr]

Just make sure there's a box for the mother and babies and some straw. and keep them out of the wind..

 

[sbaxter]

Sorry can`t be much help as not experienced but think mums feeds them only twice a day make sure they keep warm in the nest and a good bunny mummy should really do the rest! Congrats and hope someones on soon with more knowledge than me,Are they outside cos your in a cold location?do a search and read other posts about rabbit litters.

 

[mistyjr]

yeah, Where are the bun's at?

 

[Erins Rabbits]

Get the babies ina box ASAP. Check each one over and remove any DOA kits.

You will want to stuff the box full of hay and cover them with any fur she pulled. If she didn't pull any fur you can flip her over on her back and pull about two handfuls gently from her thighs and lower belly. The kits should be well covered in fur and neslted into a depression in the hay.

A small Rubbermaid bin will work for a box in a pinch.

 

[aurora369]

You need to make a nest box for the babies to help keep them contained and together. One of the most common causes of death for young infants is exposure (gets too cold).

A shoe box, a small rubber maid, a clean litter box are all good make shift nest boxes. It needs to have sides high enough to keep the babies from wandering out and low enough for mom to hop in.

Put 1-2" of safe shavings (not cedar!) in the bottom or another soft litter. Then fill the box with lots of hay and make a fist sized hole in the middle of the box.

Transfer the babies and whatever nest she built into the hole in the nest box. Make sure the babies are covered with lots of fur.

If mom is fussy about you messing with the nest, let her out for some play time while you transfer the babies to the nest box.

Having the nest box will also allow you to check the babies easier. You can just pull the box out of the cage instead of having to check on them in the cage.

Mom will only feed the babies once or twice a day. She will stand over top of them and they will feed from below. At the same time she should clean them up a little bit. For the rest of the time, she should ignore them. She will not lie with her babies like a cat or dog will. The babies should have nice round bellies if they are being fed.

Can you post pictures of her current set up and of the babies? We can then make some suggestions for you and tell you if they have been fed yet.

-Dawn

 

[janette]

Yeah will upload them now x

not a great pict but didnt want to disturb them there buried right down again in the nest!

 

[mistyjr]

are they outdoors?

 

[janette]

no my rabbits are indoors !

 

[mistyjr]

well, that's good, then you dont have to worry getting to cold. Just make sure they are covered with straw and mlomma's fur. And she feeds them.

 

[aurora369]

The babies look like they have been fed, so you should not have much to worry about.

I still stronly advise that you put them into a nest box as described in my previous post. It will make the process much easier.

Here is a recent thread we had discussing touching the babies:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=52869&forum_id=8

Don't be afraid to take the babies out and check them over one by one. You should do this at least once to make sure none have any injuries. They can sometimes get hurt when mom pulls off the placenta sacks and if so, then you'll need to make sure the wound doesn't get infected. You should also go through the nest to make sure no placentas got left, as they will start to rot and will make the babies ill.

If mom is uncomfortable with this, then let her have a play time outside the cage while you do your inspection.

-Dawn

 

[janette]

hiya thanx all for good advice polly the mum let us touch her this morning and is back to her old cuddly self after a month of not wanting touched and being aggressive!! babies are doing well (i hope lol)

thank you all again xx

 

[nicolevins]

Great! Hope mam and kits will continue to make good progress Good luck :clover:


(btw, that was my thread lol)