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help!! rabbit babies!! UPDATED WITH PHOTO

Squizz

Alpha Buck
Just woke up to feed the rabbits and found 3 babies. The mum was a rescue rabbit (had been released into the wild) so has either been got by a wild bun or released pregnant.

One baby is sadly dead, and we have two more that have been delivered on the hutch floor - with no nest around them. As far as I can tell the mum isn't going near them - does this mean she is ignoring them and won't care for them?

I have no idea what to do!
 
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Mum and bunny babies dosen't spend a lot of time together. This is a natural defence so that predators won't find the babies in the wild. She only feed the "cubs" one or two times per day. So it's only natural that she dosen't seem to care about her babies.

Good luck!
 
ok thanks! I'm guessing the best thing to do is just leave them to it?

I read on line about milk you can buy them - should I get that?
 
It doent sound good that the kits are on the floor with no nest.I have hand reared kits with Lactol before but a lot of people use goats milk.Can you put the kits in some hey in the nest box and put a warm heat pad in with them I expect they are freezing and wont survive for long without some warmth.
 
It doent sound good that the kits are on the floor with no nest.I have hand reared kits with Lactol before but a lot of people use goats milk.Can you put the kits in some hey in the nest box and put a warm heat pad in with them I expect they are freezing and wont survive for long without some warmth.

thanks for your reply

I'm reluctant to pick them up or move them as I have seen Bo (the mum) check on them now - and Rocky (their stepdad) has also been checking on them - and they don't seem to be making any moves to hurt them.

I have put lots of hay in the bedroom part of the hutch and covered them in a flannel. Will put a heat pad in now.

what do you put the milk in to feed them?
 
I would rub your hands in mums bedding,so you have her smell on you and move the kits to the hey area.I would take the male bunny out as he could kill them.Make sure the heat pad is warm and put it near the kits not underneath them and take the flanel off them.You can get feeding bottles from the vets or large pet shops.
 
Don't let Rocky be with the mum or you'll have more babies!!! She could already be prgenant if she has been.

Hope they survive, bless.
 
Don't let Rocky be with the mum or you'll have more babies!!! She could already be prgenant if she has been.

Hope they survive, bless.

Rocky is neutered, so no worries there! she came to us pregnant (she was found in someones front garden, so chances are a wild bun took advantage of her!)

he seems to be fine with them, my husband is working from home today :)wave: Paul as I'm sure you're reading this thread!) so he will remove him if he thinks he is going to hurt them
 
arnt you still suppose to separate dad from mom even if hes neutered, in case he turns agressive or mom turn on the babies?
 
oh gosh! what a shock!

I would loved to have seen my face!! I was half asleep and trying to figure it out.

The baby that died was in the water bowl - I've been reading up on rabbit babies and wonder now if it was a fetal giant (rabbits that are oversized and born stillborn) as it was a lot larger than the other two - I initially thought was a dead mouse. Which freaked me out enough! when I realised what it was :shock::shock:

I have never had babies before - rabbit or human :lol: so I am very inexperienced!! I really hope the two little ones make it.
 
some rabbits get along fine in pairs when raising babies and both chip in... even if its a neutered and unneutered pair ... does are more sensible that we humans give them credit for and they wont bite off more than they can chew... leave her to it... as shes had such a bad time recently raising the babies may be too much for her... or they may not have 'developed' properly inside her, nature can be cruel, but remember mum knows things you dont and she'll do the best for her and the babies, just keep a check on them and take out any that may have died... dont interfeer too much as if shes just new she wont completely trust you and you may spook her
 
some rabbits get along fine in pairs when raising babies and both chip in... even if its a neutered and unneutered pair ... does are more sensible that we humans give them credit for and they wont bite off more than they can chew... leave her to it... as shes had such a bad time recently raising the babies may be too much for her... or they may not have 'developed' properly inside her, nature can be cruel, but remember mum knows things you dont and she'll do the best for her and the babies, just keep a check on them and take out any that may have died... dont interfeer too much as if shes just new she wont completely trust you and you may spook her

Thanks. I think that is really good advice, as hard as it may be, I need to just let nature take its course. We have put a lot of hay in the hutch and a heat pad. we're also making sure mum has plenty of food and drink.
 
I've just got round to loading the photo I took when I first found them - it's blurry, I was in too much shock to hold the camera straight! Since this was taken we added lots of hay to the bedroom, and the mum has now made them a nest :)

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Ooh gosh, I don't think I've ever seen pics of bunnies when they are so young - quite gross really! Sure they will grow up to be gorgeous though!
 
Ooh gosh, I don't think I've ever seen pics of bunnies when they are so young - quite gross really! Sure they will grow up to be gorgeous though!

I've always thought that too - but there's something about them when you see them in the flesh that makes them adorable! I'm telling myself not to get attached, but I found them so cute. i think because you can see all their little ears and features.

Anyone know when the fur starts coming through?
 
be wary before their eyes are opened... try to keep the nest area dark, dont let in too much light, and if you take pics... turn off the flash... they are sensitive at this age, and you dont want em having sight problems

fur should start growing around day 3, but very lightly... they usually have a nice covering at 1 week... eyes will open at around 10-14 days and they'll come out the nest around then too (theyre very bouncy with poor 'co-ordination' so be wary of toys/steps/ramps etc you may have in the hutch... unfortunatly they learn the hard way about things that are dangerous... i had one get stuck in a toilet roll once... fortunatly we found him in time... but what a shock...
 
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