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sorry, not sure where to put this ...

happypreso

Alpha Buck
my two rabbits had a litter of 3 kits about 7 wks ago. The babies are doing well.

I thought the mum might be pregnant again (as the dad was present at the birth) however as time past I was getting to assume that she wasn't *however* today I have opened up the shed where they all live and the mum is nest building again (and making some strange noises when I go near her - might be gruting - she has never had any noises at me before!)

so assuming that she drops some more kits today ... what do I do with the 7 wk old babies? are they okay to stay with mum or do they have to move out? and if so, are they okay to do so now? (I know it is meant to be 8 wks) .... and I assume they can't go with the dad?

any advice would be great?
 
Just posted something and then realised how old the first litter is lol.

If she does drop another litter, then yes you'll need to remove the first. Hoiw long was dad with her when she first gave birth?
 
:wave: When did you take the dad out and can you be sure they haven't got together since? If it was prety much as soon as you saw the birth, then 7 weeks is way too late for her to be giving birth again, so it sounds as if it might just be a phantom. If they have been together (even for just a couple of seconds) at any point in the past few weeks, then yes it's possible she is about to give birth again.

Keep an eye on her and if she does give birth then you will need to remove all the kits - although ideally they should be with mum until 8 weeks or so, they will be feeding themselves by 7 weeks so it won't cause a huge problem if you have to remove them.

Has dad been neutered now? If not, I would suggest getting him done ASAP then he can be safely reunited with mum at a later date :)
 
Just posted something and then realised how old the first litter is lol.

If she does drop another litter, then yes you'll need to remove the first. Hoiw long was dad with her when she first gave birth?

Hi, the dad was present when the mum gave birth and I removed him as soon as I saw what had happened. They have been seperate ever since but the dad did escape about 4 wks ago into the mum's side of the garden ....
 
:wave: When did you take the dad out and can you be sure they haven't got together since? If it was prety much as soon as you saw the birth, then 7 weeks is way too late for her to be giving birth again, so it sounds as if it might just be a phantom. If they have been together (even for just a couple of seconds) at any point in the past few weeks, then yes it's possible she is about to give birth again.

Keep an eye on her and if she does give birth then you will need to remove all the kits - although ideally they should be with mum until 8 weeks or so, they will be feeding themselves by 7 weeks so it won't cause a huge problem if you have to remove them.

Has dad been neutered now? If not, I would suggest getting him done ASAP then he can be safely reunited with mum at a later date :)

Hi, the dad was there at the birth and I removed him as soon as I saw the little ones. They have been seperate every since however the dad did escape about 4 wks ago into the mums side of the garden. It was brief but he did have a go (i picked him up to seperate them and he took her with him!)

The dad has been neutered now so if she is about to drop this will be last time.

Thanks for the advice :)
 
Oh dear, what a worry for you! :(

It's possible, as the dad has been with her again recently. Well done for getting him castrated, but remember that he can still impregnate her for up to 6 weeks after his op.

Keep us updated please! :)
 
i would wait and see if the kits do drop... then i would remove the older ones now as it could just be too much for mum otherwise. keeep dad away till upto 6weeks after entuere and you can reintroduce them a t a later stage. x
 
Thank you everone and update ....

Thanks for the advice and last night she did indeed drop some more kits. I dont want to poke around too much but there seems to be another 3 or 4 all wiggling which is a good sign :)

The first lot of babies were there last night (when it happened) and everyone seems okay, babies and mum ... is it still best to remove the first lot? or just keep an eye and see how they all get along?

Thank you so much for all your help everyone and I hope you all had a good day yesterday :)
 
hi

Remember before you put dad back with mum it is best to get mum spayed as well! Not just for health reasons (uterus/cervical cancer) but also she could bug dad to the point of attacking or killing him. Its best to have both neutered when kept together.
 
Remember before you put dad back with mum it is best to get mum spayed as well! Not just for health reasons (uterus/cervical cancer) but also she could bug dad to the point of attacking or killing him. Its best to have both neutered when kept together.

sorry, bug him for a bit of the other do you mean? I do plan to get the mum done in the new year but was hoping that I could get the mum & dad back together (they miss each other at the mo) and get the mum done in 6 months or so (finance reasons). The dad has already been done so there wouldn't be any more babies ...
 
Remove older kits..make sure they are kept somewhere warm and away from Dad too.
Dad must not be reunited with mum until this next litter have left her..8 weeks.

The kits must be split into sexes at 9 weeks old or you will have all your youngsters expecting

So make sure the fencing where Dad got through or over is more secure..
You have a short time to arrange seperate accomodation for the oldest kits..but a bit longer for this new litter

What will you do with all the babies?
 
What will you do with all the babies?

Thats a really good question jill! Are you planning to rehome them all yourself?? Defo's do homechecks. Will you be keeping any??

I dont know if its a good idea to try and get the older litter all rehomed with in the next 8 weeks if you can, so you are not having to deal with finding suitable home for ALL of the bunnies at the same time. It take longer than you think to find good homes. And that way you will have saved on your time, energy and space.

m
xx
 
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Baby rabbits normally wouldn't be nursing at 7 weeks (at least not as much as they did as babies) and many breeders even separate them at 6 weeks just letting the babies stay in their birth-cage till they are 8 weeks. Its not because of the milk, but to make sure their immune system is properly developed (as told by a vet:wave:) So I think the kits will be fine if you move them not too far and keep them for one extra week.
 
Thats a really good question jill! Are you planning to rehome them all yourself?? Defo's do homechecks. Will you be keeping any??

I dont know if its a good idea to try and get the older litter all rehomed with in the next 8 weeks if you can, so you are not having to deal with finding suitable home for ALL of the bunnies at the same time. It take longer than you think to find good homes. And that way you will have saved on your time, energy and space.

m
xx

Hi, I wish I could keep all the babies but I can't - I haven't got the space for them. The three original babies have already got new homes lined up (friends so I know they are going to a good home) so they will be leaving me when they are 8/9 wks old. The new babies I will, again, find new homes for but might keep one of them if he/she can live okay with the mum & dad (i guess that time will tell with that question?).
 
Baby rabbits normally wouldn't be nursing at 7 weeks (at least not as much as they did as babies) and many breeders even separate them at 6 weeks just letting the babies stay in their birth-cage till they are 8 weeks. Its not because of the milk, but to make sure their immune system is properly developed (as told by a vet:wave:) So I think the kits will be fine if you move them not too far and keep them for one extra week.

Thank you - when do they stop feeding from the mum then?
 
Remove older kits..make sure they are kept somewhere warm and away from Dad too.
Dad must not be reunited with mum until this next litter have left her..8 weeks.

The kits must be split into sexes at 9 weeks old or you will have all your youngsters expecting

So make sure the fencing where Dad got through or over is more secure..
You have a short time to arrange seperate accomodation for the oldest kits..but a bit longer for this new litter

What will you do with all the babies?

Thank you. The dad is seperate from the mum and babies. The original babies all have new homes lined up so they are all okay.

Basically the mum & dad had free run of the garden (before the babies came along) and when they arrived, I made a temp fence across the garden so both rabbits could have the run of half the garden each. No matter what I did, Bugs (dad) would find a way to escape into Stars (mum) side so I gave up with that idea!! Now they take it in turns, so I let star and the original babies out and then Bugs.
 
Hi, I wish I could keep all the babies but I can't - I haven't got the space for them. The three original babies have already got new homes lined up (friends so I know they are going to a good home) so they will be leaving me when they are 8/9 wks old. The new babies I will, again, find new homes for but might keep one of them if he/she can live okay with the mum & dad (i guess that time will tell with that question?).

Hey, i would think twice about keeping one if finances are stretched a bit too far already about trying to get mum speyed.
 
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