Separating Pregnant Does??

[Becca]

My friend has 4 bunnies - 2 does which may be pregnant - they want 2 litters. They are sisters and currently live together. Is it better to leave them together to have litters in same hutch or should they be separated into different hutches?

Thanks in advance

Becca x

 

[Evey]

I think it's best to separate them, but I'm sure more knowledgeable people will come along to give their opinions!

-Kathy

 

[clevername]

I would separate them.

Does can become territorial with the onset of pregnant and kindling. Its better not to tempt fate by leaving two pregnant does together, they could fight, they could attack each others litters. Besides a doe with a single litter in one cage is cramped enough.

 

[Becca]

What she is worried about is that if she seperates them and they are not pregnant she is worried that they wont like each other again when they go back together - if that makes sense.!

 

[clevername]

To me, leaving them together and risking two pregnancies (not to mention the mothers) sounds like the greater risk. If you put them back later on and they don't like each other anymore, you'll still have that cage left over from when you had to seperate them, right?

 

[JadeIcing]

Does she know when they would be done? She could wait till they are very close and seperate them than.

 

[BlueGiants]

I would take a chance on them not liking each other sometime in the future over having the does destroy each other's litters.

Seperate them until 5 days past their due date. If you want, put them in cages side by side so they can see and touch each other through the wire. But they each need their own nestbox and space with the babies.

 

[Becca]

Okay I'll tell her! Thanks guys!

 

[BlueGiants]

I meant to say, seperate them until 5 days past their due day IF THEY DON"T HAVE BABIES! If they do kindle (have babies) they will need to stay seperated until they wean the babies (around 6 weeks).

Sorry, trying to multi-task... and not doing a good job of it!

 

[bunnybunbunb]

I have a few friends who had does have babies together and had no problem. As along as the does are bonded and are due at the same time there is no problem. I had two does have babies together too. The first doe to birth had loads of problems and did not want to take care of them due to it. The other doe had her soon after and tried to care for all of the babies however all of the other doe's babies died. I still have 3 of the babies from the one that tried to care for them all. They are very sweet.

 

[guineatech]

I tried this once, with sisters raised together since birth. Their due dates were a week apart.

The first doe kindled fine...10 babies in a well-made nest lined with fur. The second doe was lazy....she failed to build a good nest, never pulled fur, and eventually had her kits in her sister's nest, on top of the kits already there. A mess....she also had 10 kits....20 is too manyin one box, since you thenhave to worry that some won't get to nurse.

In the end, I had to separate the two does and their litters after the second litter was born...and moving a doe who has recently kindled is not all that spiffy an idea either. New surroundings and all that can really put her off, so she won't tend her litter as well.

You never know tho....rabbits are individuals, IME. Hope it works out for her!

 

[Becca]

They now have 2 litters of baby bunnies that arrived this morning!

 

[Becca]

Well between them the does have produced 11 babies. So now they have 14 rabbits :shock: