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Sexing & separating babies

Julia123

Warren Veteran
Hi

My foster babies are getting so big :shock: (pics later) and i have started to think about when they will be separated from mum, this has raised a few questions that i hope people can help with....

They are 5 weeks 4 days today. Looking at 10 wks to separate.

When can they be accurately sexed? A friend has had a look and thinks 3 girls and one boy.

If this is the case when they are separated I don't want the boy on his own, I have a foster boy in who i was thinking of bonding with my three over Christmas but would it be better for them if i let the baby boy in with the foster? I have had issues with hormonal boys attacking their partner... (foster boy is neutered, very docile and lives nest door to mum & babies in my conservatory so 'knows' them through crates & runs)

Will mum miss the babies when they go?

When does mum stop feeding babies, she looked like she was offering last night but they weren't interested?

When will she stop producing milk?

When can mum be spayed & vaccinated? Assume after feeding and milk stopped?

Thanks in advance for help :D

Jx
 
Accurate sexing depends on the experience of the person. I can sex at 8 weeks with a good degree of certainty and am absolutely sure by 10 weeks.

Allow mum time to recover before subjecting her to any vaccinations or to a spey as she will be exhausted from rearing the babies.
 
Sooz is right, it all depends on each person:wave:
I've tried sexing rabbits from the moment they start crawling out of the nest, and found some of the 2-3 week old kits didn't seem to have any sex at all:roll:
I've only tried sexing a couple of times, last time I tried I successfully sexed them at 6 weeks, I also know some breeders can even sex infant rabbits:shock: though not many can do it this early...Zakura was sexed at 3 weeks, by a man working at a pet store, who claimed he could sex them as early as 1 day old, but I haven't seen him try:lol:
Even some experienced breeders check their babies several times during the first 8 weeks of their lives though, to make sure they have gotten it right. This could also be good practice for you:D The more you've tried looking at young rabbits, the easier it will be to sex them early.

The mother rabbit stops producing milk when the kits stop suckling. Don't think there's a set date for this, as I've heard from a friend who kept a daughter with mom that she kept nursing for months afterwards:lol:

I haven't really tried spaying a new mother but I assume it is safe to spay her when the kits are fully weaned (they should be fine without mom from 6-8 weeks old, some breeders actually separate at 6 weeks but keep the babies in the same cage for 2 weeks afterwards, as the 8-week rule isn't only so the rabbit should have the milk they need, but also because their immune system needs to be properly developed before they go into an entirely new home with new bacterias and things)
 
Indeed the age of sexing rabbits depends on your experience
For the last 2 years i sex when they are 3 weeks old and recheck at 8 weeks old and never has a youngster changed sex.
Mother will nurse them to the time when she thinks its right.
This can mean that one mum will reject them nursing at 5 weeks and another can indeed do this for months.
Depending on wether they stay or go i leave them whit there mum or seperate them.
males are seperated at 12 weeks maximum from there mother if they stay here.
Females stay whit there mother as long as they tollerate each other, but most of the time i seperate them at 4 months or sooner.
When they go of to other homes i seperate them at 8 weeks old.
Then i place them together males and females in one hutch untill there 3 months old and seperate them bij sex
I wouldn't risk setting a jungster with a castrated male, but if you do, watch them carefully for it can go wrong as you now
 
I have to admit I check every few days between 8 weeks and 10 weeks just to be 100% certain.

I would never live down a mistake :oops: :oops:
 
with jellys babies i chcked everyday from 7 plus weeks!1 i was jus so worried i was wrong, even thoug hi knew i wasnt!
 
Thanks for all the help guys :D I was planning on taking them to the vet to be sexed so guess I will wait for 8 wks as I have no idea myself! Think it will be good to give them a health check anyway.

The single boy scenario is bothering me, but think i will err on side of caution and not put him in with speedy even if he is the only one hmmm that means I need Speedy's crate in 2 and a half weeks........ funny thats just around Christmas isn't it....when I have time off work to attempt a bond.....so would seem sensible planning would be to adopt Speedy and move him in with my lot put boy/s in one crate and mum & girls in other - good plan? :D

edit - this is Speedy :love:

CIMG0911.jpg
 
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please please dont rely on the vets getting it right! we homed what we were told were 2 females to a lovely couple who rang several weeks later to report a litter a babies!!
 
please please dont rely on the vets getting it right! we homed what we were told were 2 females to a lovely couple who rang several weeks later to report a litter a babies!!

Oh :shock: !!! Thanks for the tip....will do some asking around and get a few opinions :D
 
If your rabbit savvy vet cannot sex 8 weeks old babies (mine can do it at 6 weeks) then they are not as rabbit savvy as they claim to be ;)
 
I have a single male (well pretty much all my rabbits are single for various reasons:roll: ) and he seems to be happier when he gets to live side-by-side with the girls:wave: Even if he can't get in with them. Currently he lives inside feeling sorry for himself all alone though, since I don't have a hutch to move him out in, or more indoor cages to put the girls inside (or room for 3 large cages:lol:)
 
I sex my litters between 3 and 4 weeks. I wouldn't trust a vet either, the BRC have District Advisors who are able to advise people, perhaps you could contact your local DA and they could come round and sex the babies for you?

http://www.thebrc.org/area3b.htm

I seperate babies from Mum at 7 or 8 weeks old depending how advanced the litter is and how tolerant she is being! At 9 or 10 weeks I'll split bucks from does. Your little man will be absolutely fine on his own don't worry!

Mum will be feeding them until she decides she doesn't want to anymore - I knew one doe that fed her daughter until she was 5 months old!

Mum will possibly pine the first day, but its more likely to be a look of relief and 'peace at last!' :lol:

If you have any questions feel free to PM me, us breeders are useful for somethings LOL
 
funny thats just around Christmas isn't it....when I have time off work to attempt a bond.....so would seem sensible planning would be to adopt Speedy and move him in with my lot put boy/s in one crate and mum & girls in other - good plan? :D


Yes Julia! Very good plan!!! :rolleyes: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
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