weaning bunnies

[5cutekiddies]

I am new to all this, and I know it is very early yet, but wanting to be prepared. My rabbit had a litter of 9, as mentioned previously, all doing wonderfully, although 1 is clearly a little runt, but so cute and tiny.

1. When do they start getting weaned and does the mother do it naturally, or does she need help

2. What food do they go onto, I currently feed the mother a mix from the local pet shop which has pellets and some seeds and lucerne , looks like some other forms of dried grass , hay or straw in it, basically some bunny mix. Can they go straight onto this or do I have to buy separate stuff? The mother also eats straw as I provide that for bedding and munching. I am not sure where in Australia to buy alfalfa pellets, can I just give them alfalfa sprouts in addition?? Can they eat grass?

3. At what age do they need to be separated from the mother or are they ok to stay together until new homes are found?

4. They are almost 2 weeks old, I found 3 little ones out of the nest box this morning and was worried they may have been cold, they were just walking about, 2 with eyes open, 1 without, so I quickly put them back in. For how long do I leave the box in there? We are in summer now, although some nights have been wet and coolish, do they naturally come out or would they have been attached to the mother? It is probably a little hard for them to get over the edge of the box alone, so what do I do? How long should they stay in there? They all have fur now, and most have their eyes open, except for maybe the little runt. Will she make a nest for them outside in the cage? I have a lot of straw down for her bedding.

5. At the moment the bucks cage ajoins the mothers by wire, should I put some wall up, I am looking into a better hutch for them.

 

[5cutekiddies]

I have been reading about weaning enteritis, how can I best avoid this in the babies. How do you have separate food dishes? How do you know the babies won't eat from the mothers mix if they are just getting pellets?? Do you feed her the same pellets until they are separated?

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

This belongs in the rabbitry section, so hopefully a wonderful mod can move it for you.

In answer to your questions...:

1. Babies should begin being weaned at about 6 to 8 weeks of age, although some does will allow them to stay longer. If the doe starts being aggressive or pushy with the kits, then it's time to remove them. You are the one who does the weaning.

I wean over a 1 to 2 week period. I take the babies from momma's cage, and only put them in with her for AM feedings. I do this daily for 4 or 5 days, sometimes less, sometimes more, and then the feedings get spread out to every other day, and you just keep repeating the process until the feedings are about every 2 days, and then every 3 days, if you want. At about that time, they can stop seeing Mom. They pick up the idea fast, and I usually just decide when I don't want them to get milk anymore.

Other breeders will have different methods, I'm sure. So it all depends on what you feel most comfortable with doing.

2. You need to switch to pellets that are JUST pellets. You aren't feeding mom a healthy mix. They can go right onto eating what Mom is eating, as at 3 to 4 weeks they should begin nibbling her feed & hay. I would not give alfalfa sprouts as I've never heard of doing that. And no grass until they are 4 to 6 months of age! This can cause diarrhea (sp?) and is potentially dangerous! Unless the doe was eating a lot of greens while she was pregnant/nursing them, then you can't give them any. If she was on this while pregnant, etc. then you may slowly introduce it to the kits.

Remember that when switching to any feed, or introducing new feeedstuffs, you must do so slowly.

3. This depends on how old they are right now. If you keep them with mother until they find new homes, then they aren't going to get weaned, now will they? So no...I would definitely seperate them from mom. Not only to make sure they get weaned, but in order to prevent any fighting/accidents, etc.

4. They're only almost2 weeks old? Then they need to stay with mom for about4 to 6more weeks. Do NOT withhold food from Mom. She needs all she can eat, and the kits will start to nibble on her food.

Yes, the kits come out of the nestbox on there own. I usually take the nestbox out at around 3 weeks of age, depending on the weather, how often the kits actually use it, and whether or not the box is being soiled. As they grow up, they will be able to get over the edge of the box. Don't change the edge of the box; it's there for a VERY good purpose. You don't want the kits to get out of it until about2 weeks of age, that's a normal age for them to start venturing.

No, the doe will not make a nest for them outside of the nestbox.

5. A wall should definitely put up. It's probable that the doe is already pregnant again if the buck can get to her thru the wire.

6. In all my years of breeding, I've never had a problem with weaning enteritis. I've never seperated dishes from mom or babies. They should be eating out of the same dish, and be eating just pellets and a good quality grass hay. I'd switch from straw. That's only good as bedding.

Hopefully this answers your questions!

Emily

 

[5cutekiddies]

If switching over to pellets, which pellets should I use as I read the babies should alfalfa pellets but that is not suitable for the older rabbits?? Whyy is the mix not healthy, I get it made up from the pet shop or proudce store?? It has lucerne hay, sunflower seeds, pellets, bits of corn, dried hay or something, and some seeds. They really seem to enjoy nibbling on the straw, does it not have as much goodness as hay??
I have been reading that lucerne is the same as alfalfa hay, so is this ok to feed?? I am not sure the availability of products in AUstralia as you are in America.

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Hay is a lot more healthier and just more suitable for bunnies. I wouldn't want to nibble on yucky yellow straw. Green, leafy grass hay is much more appleasing.

The mix isn't healthy because it has corn and other little bits in it that just aren't good. As for a pelle to switch too, I'm not sure because you're in AU, and I'm in the US. You'll have to see what's available at your feed store.

Emily

 

[Jaded]

1. When do they start getting weaned and does the mother do it naturally, or does she need help
Start weaning them at 6 weeks, they NEED to stay with there mother until they are 8 weeks old, or 10 - 12 weeks old if they are a large breed.

2. What food do they go onto
Feed them the same food you feed the mother.

3. At what age do they need to be separated from the mother or are they ok to stay together until new homes are found?
They can stay in with there mother until they are 3 months old, it is best to wean them at the right age (8 - 12 weeks - depending on the breed)

4. They are almost 2 weeks old, I found 3 little ones out of the nest box this morning

4. do they naturally come out or would they have been attached to the mother? It is probably a little hard for them to get over the edge of the box alone, so what do I do? How long should they stay in there? They all have fur now, and most have their eyes open, except for maybe the little runt. Will she make a nest for them outside in the cage?
Sometimes the mother jumps out of the nest while the babies are attached to her nipples, they are a bit young to be out of the nest so put them back in or give them a higher nest box.
They start coming out of the nest at about 3 weeks old.
No she wouldnt make a nest for them outside in the cage.


5. At the moment the bucks cage ajoins the mothers by wire, should I put some wall up, I am looking into a better hutch for them.
You don't need to put a wall up, they will be fine, I have heard that rabbits can breed thru wire but I don't believe it.

Moved to The Rabbitry & Show Room.

 

[5cutekiddies]

So, I am getting a better hutch for the mother and soon the father, as my father caught me by surprise when he brought them home for my daughter, and I had an old duck cage I wired up and I am not happy with it for the long term.

And no grass until they are 4 to 6 months of age! This can cause diarrhea (sp?) and is potentially dangerous!

The new hutch I am getting has an open enclosure on the bottom where they will have access to grass, how do I stop them eating it?? Is it not natural for bunnies to eat grass, they do in the wild? I lady breeder told me to give the mother extra grass while she is nursing so I have been, is this wrong??? How do I know what is right for them??

 

[lelanatty]

There are many things that you will have to judge for yourself. Since your rabbits are used to eating grass, this should not be a problem for them. Since you do not give them hay, grass is good for them. Grass is just hay that hasn't been dried.

 

[Jaded]

Grass is not a problem, all my rabbits get a big handful of grass everyday.

If your rabbits are not use to grass, you can introduce small amounts to them and then increase the amount.

 

[5cutekiddies]

Thank you, I am just getting a bit confused as to what is right for them, especially regarding the rabbit mix, and the pet shop feeds it to all their bunnies and sell it and that is all my 2 ever have had, and straw and vegies, and a little fruit

 

[lelanatty]

5cutekiddies wrote:

Thank you, I am just getting a bit confused as to what is right for them, especially regarding the rabbit mix, and the pet shop feeds it to all their bunnies and sell it and that is all my 2 ever have had, and straw and vegies, and a little fruit

Rabbit mix is not the best food for rabbits because theseeds can be dangerous for them, and they may only pick out the pieces they like best, which does not give them a balanced diet.

As for what is right for them, that is for you to judge. You know them better than anyone else, and you are the one who makes the decision.

This thread is supposed to be aboutweaning babies, not about what kind of food you should or should not be feeding your rabbits.

The babies should start eating the same food that their mother eats when they are weaned. It isn't lik puppies where you have to give them soft food first, bunnies teeth are already able to chew everything by the time they are 6-8 weeks old.

 

[5cutekiddies]

I am sorry if I offended by mixing up my post and getting away from weaning, but I thought it was all related as I didn't know what to feed once weaned. I am only new here and obviously do not know the rules,

 

[maxysmummy]

5cutekiddies wrote:

Thank you, I am just getting a bit confused as to what is right for them, especially regarding the rabbit mix, and the pet shop feeds it to all their bunnies and sell it and that is all my 2 ever have had, and straw and vegies, and a little fruit

most pet shops sell absolute crap pellets.

make sure you get oxbow pellets and timothy hay or possibly oaten hay. (from a vet or google the NSW stockists)

no crap yellow straw!

congrats about your litter! xxx

 

[5cutekiddies]

maxysmummy wrote:

5cutekiddies wrote:

Thank you, I am just getting a bit confused as to what is right for them, especially regarding the rabbit mix, and the pet shop feeds it to all their bunnies and sell it and that is all my 2 ever have had, and straw and vegies, and a little fruit

most pet shops sell absolute crap pellets.

make sure you get oxbow pellets and timothy hay or possibly oaten hay. (from a vet or google the NSW stockists)

no crap yellow straw!

congrats about your litter! xxx

Thank you very much for your help.