woke up to baby bunnies!!! now what?!?!?!?!

[andreabaylon]

We didn't know Ashley was pregnant until we woke up to 5 squiggly little ones tucked behind the litter box! Pics to follow, but what should I do now? We don't want to keep her in the bunny pen, we want to put her and the babies in a cage to keep her from the cat. Is it ok to move the babies? HELP!ray:

 

[mistyjr]

Yes, You can move the momma and babies...
I had to do it last week. When I found a baby bunny in the middle of the yard bleeding to death. Somehow the baby got out the cage and my dog chewed on it. So I had to move them into the right cage and nesting box.

 

[NorthernAutumn]

Check out the Thread at the top of the Rabbitry:
Breeding and Care of Young

I particularly liked this article: Surprise Litter of Babies! What to do now?

 

[aurora369]

Yes, move the babies. Check to make sure they are all alive and un-injured and that there are no placentas left in with them.

Make a nest if she has not already made one from hay. Stuff a box (shoe box, dish bin, clean litter box) with hay until it is fairly tightly compacted, and make a hole in the middle. You can put some shavings or bunny save litter on the bottom of the box before filling with hay. I would avoid putting a towel or blanket in the box unless it is fleece. I've heard of too many horror stories about finding baby bunnies tangle in strings that have come loose and loosing limbs or strangling to death.

Move any fur and nesting material that she has put together into the nest you have made for her. You can gently pluck some hair from her belly or under her chin as hormones should cause that fur to become very loose.

The babies should be nice and warm, wiggly and jump and squeak if you put your hand over them in the nest. Their bellies should look round and if mom is feeding them really well, you may be able to see the milk in their bellies.

-Dawn

 

[andreabaylon]

thanks for the tips everyone! I am going to check out that thread right now!

I moved them successfully and all are doing well, I think. I can't tell if she is feeding them. We have yet to see her do it. We've seen her inspecting them but not feeding...any thoughts???

 

[TinysMom]

Most mamas will feed when you're not around - often late at night or during the middle of the night or early morning. They stay away from the rabbits because their instincts tell them if they stay too close to them - it will draw predators to the babies.

If you see what we call "ping pong" bellies in the morning or evening...then she's feeding them.

If their bellies are sunken and they're wrinkly - then you need to get mama to feed them and we can help with that.

 

[AquaticRex]

get a box that is cut to the right size and shape (one side lower then the other so mom can get in and out, but leave a little lip so the babies cant crawl out) and put hay in, usually mom will pull fur from her tummy to line the nest soft. i don't know what else. some1 else will need to step in

 

[andreabaylon]

Thanks everyone, all seems to be going swell! Ashley and babies are in their own cage inside their large pen they share with daddy. They keep smooching through the wire!:inlove: We're going to check for the swollen bellies in the morning. They seem to be so healthy we can't tell which is the runt!:?

 

[aurora369]

It is possible to not have a runt or that the runt will be not much smaller than the siblings.

Was the father together with the mother at the time of the birth? If so, then mom is probably pregnant again and she will have another litter when these babies are 4 weeks old.

You can (and should) take the babies out of the nest once a day for a check over. Make sure they are all fed and that their are no injuries. When the babies are about 10-14 days, their eyes will open and if one of them does open their eyes, you may need to gently use a warm wash cloth to wipe the eyes to help them open.

-Dawn

 

[dixonsrabbitry1]

makse the box ix secured to the sid eof the cage. otherwise she will flip it over. you also want to add a little feed in behind the new nest when it comes feeding time for her. She may not recognize that her babies have been moved. This will encourage her to feed them.