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How old should baby rabbits be when they leave mum?

minirex

Mama Doe
Just wondering how old bunnies should be before leaving their mum? I saw an add on Gumtree, selling 6 week old babies. Is this too young?:?
 
How old should rabbits be when they leave mum.

It depends on the breed:roll:the smaller ones can leave mum at about 8 weeks but the bigger breeds such as French Lop should be at least 9 weeks preferably 12 weeks before they leave their mums:cry:
 
It should be a minimum of 8 weeks. I am not sure what the legalities are though, never received a clear answer.
 
Just sent person selling the babies an email. If they get back I will let you know what the reply was.
 
Some do separate rabbits from their mother at 6 weeks but they should not be sent into new homes before they are at least 8.
Its not only because of the milk, but the bunnies' immune system isn't properly developed, and if you well a rabbit younger than 8 weeks, it'll have much higher risks of falling ill as an adult.
Some people might say the bunny does fine because quite often it does. It can grow to adulthood with no problem, but after talking to a vet, she told me plenty of the rabbits she had gotten into the clinic, most adults, wouldn't have gotten ill in the first place if they had been living at the place they were born until they were 8 weeks old.
In Norway it appears to be "normal" to take rabbits from their mother as early as 4 weeks:evil: These rabbits are not only in danger of falling ill as adults, I once saw a 6-week old rabbit die, a week after moving in with his new owner, another breeder meant it might have been taken from its mother at around 4 weeks old:cry: People seem to think if a rabbit EATS it can be taken from mom, but you know...human babies don't go directly from milk to crackers either. It needs time to be weened.
Another excuse I've heard is that wild rabbits often have kits every 4 weeks, but these guys aren't kicked of their land and forced to move far away at this time. They still stay around the same area. :roll:
 
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