New born bunnies

[Queeny]

Hi there I am new to the website and I have a couple of questions I wonder if people can help me? My bunny recently gave birth to 4 babies (this was a surprise as I was informed that my rabbits were both girls). They are now 11 days old and are doing well.I have checked them today and 3 of them have their eyes open but the one still has his closed. Any ideas as to why this is?Also does anyone know when i can re introduce daddy bunny to the babies? When do will they be weened from their mummy and what do I feed them?

Many thanks everyone, hope you can help

x

 

[countrybuns]

Okay about the eyes I am not sure and I am sure a mod will move this to the rabbitry section to get you more help.
I would not re introduce daddy to the buns or to the mom until you have him neutered and then wait 3 weeks ( I have 10 day old babies and dad is now neutered) they will eat the pellets mom eats not sure when again you will probly get more help in the rabbitry section. just make sure that they can reach the water so that when they start drinking on there own they can get to it. at 8 weeks they will be ready for ne home or if you are keeping them seperate living arrangements. good luck!

 

[mistyjr]

Do not introduce the father too the babies.. He might kill them..

 

[aurora369]

Hi, welcome to the forum! I moved your thread over to the Rabbity section so that breeders and those experienced with baby bunnies can help answer your questions.

When was the male removed? If he had any time with mom after the birth (even 15 minutes) mom is most likely pregnant again. Rabbits can and will get pregnant immediately after giving birth and actually have a heightened fertility for a couple days after giving birth. So be prepared for mom to give birth again 28-32 days after the first litter.

I would keep an eye on the one baby with closed eyes. I wouldn't worry until about 14 days. If the eyes are not open by them, you may have to help by gently wiping the eyes with a warm wash cloth. If the eyes stay closed for too long, they can get infected.

Are you planning on neutering Dad? If so, make sure you wait a good 4 weeks or so after the neuter as he will still be able to impregnate mom unless she is spayed as well (and then I would wait until both are fully healed).

As for the babies, I would wait until they are older to introduce. And I would most likely do it through a barrier so that no one gets hurt.

Babies will eat what mom eats. Make sure mom is on unlimited pellets while nursing at it takes lots of energy to produce milk. Lots of hay, and if mom is already eating veggies, then you can continue as the babies will get their digestive enzymes from mom's milk. It is dangerous to feed veggies to babies who's mother has not been fed veggies as they will not have the proper enzymes to digest and can get bad diarrhea.

What are you currently feeding mom?

-Dawn

 

[Queeny]

Hi Dawn

Many thanks for this info. Milly had her first litter of 5 but all died (horrible experience), as soon as this happened i got him neutered. He hasnt been back in for 5 weeks now and since then her second litter have been born. I have wiped a warm cloth over his/her eyes this morning and they have now opened....hooray!
I am currently feeding mum on hay, carrot, cabbage and a little muesli with pellets in (not sure if this is correct). She is constantly starving and begging for food!! When do I need to start feeding the bunnies and do u know what I need to feed them?
Thankyou for moving the thread for me, I am a total novice and havent any idea ha ha.

Thanks again

Mel

 

[aurora369]

No problem about moving your thread. It helps keep us mods on our toes...

I would start free feeding her now. She is at about peak milk production right now and will really need the extra energy. Also always have hay available for her and the babies, they will start nibbling on it soon.

I know that the food available in the UK is different than in North America. But, feeding a plain pellet with out bits of fun stuff in it is best. You probably want about 16-18% protein for nursing moms and growing babies. Once the babies are about 6 months and once mom is no longer feeding babies, they should be fed a pellet with about 12-14% protein. All pellets should have a high fiber of at least 18-20%.

Hay should be given at all times. Alfalfa (lucerne) can be fed to young babies as well as any grass hay (timothy, orchard, oat, brome, etc). Once the babies are about 6 months and for mom once she is not nursing, alfalfa should be limited to a small treat amount and the buns fed mainly grass hays.

If mom is already eating veggies, then continue to feed them and the babies will start nibbling on those too. They will get their digestive enzymes from mom through her milk and will be able to eat the same diet she is getting. If she is not getting veggies at the moment, then hold off feeding them until the babies are about 4-6 months old and do a slow introduction (one veggie at a time in increasing amounts).

Since dad has been neutered for 5 weeks, I would give him one more week just to be safe and then you can start re-introducing him to mom. Do some play dates in neutral territory to make sure they don't fight. If you do introduce him to the babies, make sure you are watching very carefully in case anyone gets aggressive. Hopefully once the babies are weaned (8-10 weeks) then mom and dad will bond back together nicely. I would definitely look into getting mom spayed once her milk dries up, it will really help the bonding and it will prevent cancer.

-Dawn

 

[Queeny]

Hi Dawn

Many thanks for this information it has been very useful. We are not aiming to keep them but i will pass on this info to their new keepers. I say that but I have got rather attached to them already, i am driving my partner mad talking about them all the time.
I will go to the pet shop tomo and get some plain pellets and some decent hay so that the babies can start nibbling on this.
What do you mean by "free feeding"? Does this mean that she should have food available all day?
Thank you for all your help, thank god for the internet as i wouldnt have a clue what to do otherwise.

Mel

 

[Blaze_Amita]

yes, free feeding is having food available at any point of hte day, I typically use self feeders and check them daily for grim and to refill them on my momma's and babies.

 

[aurora369]

Yup, Blaze_Amita beat me to it, free feeding is just providing as much food (pellets, hay) to mom as she wants to eat.

Once the babies are weaned, you can gradually cut her pellets back to about 1/4th cup per 5 pounds (2Kg)of body weight with lots of fresh hay to fill in the rest of the diet.

If she is eating veggies already, continue to do so. If she isn't yet, wait for the babies to be weaned if you want to introduce them to her diet. Always introduce veggies slowly and one at a time. Start with one and watch for any signs of stomach upset (mushy/runny poops) and then start increasing if you see no signs. Then, add in a second veggie, and increase and continue in the same pattern.

Also, do a transition with the new pellets as well. Start with about 25% new and 75% old, and over about a week shift to the new pellets. I would pick out any bits and pieces in the old food though, just give the pellet bits during the transition.

-Dawn

 

[SilverBirchRabbitry]

Best of luck with your kits !

 

[Queeny]

Many thanks for the advice, i have been and bought some timothy hay and some pellets for the babies. They are doing very well and I must say they are rather beautiful. I will try and post some pictures.
Last but not least for this evening, how do I tell if they are boys or girls?

Thanks

Mel

 

[aurora369]

Telling the sex in young babies can be difficult, many people make mistakes (as you have experienced, lol). I would probably wait until they are about 4-6 weeks old to start trying.

You will need to look at their genitals, and gently pull them open, pushing on the top a bit to make it pop out. The little boys will look like doughnuts and the girls will look like tacos.

There is some information in our library here:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12064&forum_id=17

Here are some awesome pictures of little boy genitals:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=55835&forum_id=8

-Dawn

 

[Queeny]

Hi there

Many thanks for this information, I have had a giggleabout the tacos and doughnuts!

There is something else I am concerned about. This morning when I got up one of the smaller bunnies was in a totallyseperate part of the hutch. It is 2 storey and she was on the bottom floor (out of nest). Is there a possibility that the mother has rejected her? If so would you know whyand what do I need to do?I am concerned she wasnt fed last night.

It s a worry being a grandmother lol

Thanks

Mel

 

[massie777]

mom probably didn't reject her she probably just got out of the nest. Since there eyes are open you are going to see them come out of the nest alot more now so you need to watch them. make sure they can not get out of the cage. Babies once they open their eyes are very good at escaping out of the nest box.

 

[aurora369]

They can also get pulled out of the nest when nursing. The just don't let go of the nipple when mom is done nursing, so they hang on and go for a bit of a ride.

And, yes, now that the eyes are open they are going to start coming out more and more. They will start exploring and you will start finding them all huddled together sleeping in the corner of the cage or bugging mom for some more milk.

What type of cage do you have them in? Make sure that the holes are not big enough for the babies to get out of.

-Dawn

 

[Queeny]

Hi everyone

Many thanks for all your messages. The bunnies are now 4 weeks old and I am wondering are they still suckling from thier mother? They seem to be eating everything their mum eats including pellets, brocolli etc and hay. Is this OK, and does mum still need more food (as I dont want to over feed her)?

What is the best age to rehome them, literature says 8-10 weeks, is this correct? We have found loving homes but I dont want to give them away too early.

Last but not least, would it be safe to house the male (Dominic) in with mum and the bunnies. We introduced him to them for a couple of hours and there didnt seem to be a problem. The only problem was that mum wouldnt leave dad alone and kept trying to hump him!!!

Thanks everyone

xx

 

[aurora369]

Good to hear that the babies are doing well!

It is safe to keep free feeding mom and babies until the babies are weaned. Then I would start reducing her back down to about 1/4th cup per 5 pounds (2kg) of bunny. Slowly reduce the amount she's being feed until she is at the desire amount.

And yes, the babies should still be nursing. Mom may start weaning them a bit by herself by not letting them nurse when ever they want. Some mothers will start weaning on their own, and others will let babies keep nursing for months. I had a doe that was still nursing her fully grown 4 month old daughter.

To wean, you can start by taking the biggest and strongest baby away, and then a few days later the next biggest and then a few days later the next biggest, until mom is by herself. This will help taper off her milk supply so she's not stopping cold turkey.

I think many breeders will start taking babies away from mom at around 6-7 weeks. But will keep the siblings together until they are at least 8 weeks old. This time together for the siblings helps them with their social manners and is important for their proper socialization.

Then, when they are between 8-10 weeks old, you can rehome them with the families that you have found.

It is also normal for the babies to be eating everything that mom is eating from about 4 weeks on. They are getting digestive enzymes from mom through her milk and it is helping condition their guts for weaning. Once weaned, you can continue to feed them the same diet they where getting with mom. And they should have unlimited pellets until they are fully grown at about 4-6 months.

-Dawn

 

[Queeny]

Thanks for this information!!

Would you know if it is safe to have dad back in the hutch ?

Thanks

Mel

 

[aurora369]

I'm not too sure about Dad. That is a fairly unique situation.

I would try putting Dad back in, and monitor very closely. If mom and the babies seem okay, there is not fighting then it should be okay. However, I would be inclined to do short sessions everyday for a bit, increasing the amount of time with each visit.

It may be safer to wait until the babies are weaned to have Dad living with Mom full time. But use your discretion, you're the only one able to observe them in person and see how they interact. If you have doubts, then wait, if you feel really comfortable, then go ahead and let Dad stay.

-Dawn