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Ebay bunny has had babies!!!!! PHOTOS!!!! :)

Buuny_Friend

Buuny_Friend

Mama Doe
The bunny we rescued from ebay has just had babies!!! We got her about 4 weeks ago from someone who had had her for 2 weeks and got bored.

She is about 15 weeks old.

We were in the process of bonding her with a male bun from this froum to go to her new home...we had NO idea!!! They are definately not his babies as they have only been together 10 days and he is neutered!!!

I have taken him out. From what I can see, there are 3 babies. Quite lively and I have seen her groom them. They are in a small nest but not that wel covered. They are in an indoor cage in our bedroom near out indoor piggies. Will the piggies distress her even though she is used to them? To move them out of the room would mean I would have to move her cage!

What should I do?

Should I check for any dead babies?
Should I feed her extra...is there anything else I should be feeding her?

I need all the advice I can get!

Thank you...I am still in shock!

P.S. Thank you Helen for your advice...sorry I always call on you! :oops:
 
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I don't think she can be 15 weeks if she just gave birth :?
Yes, I think you need to give the babies a quick check. Rub your hands in her litter and try to distract her with some food. Remove any dead babies and make sure the remaining ones are in the nest. If they appear to have full bellies then she is feeding them.
Make sure the hutch is nice and warm and keep it quiet and undisturbed as much as possible. Make sure mum has plenty of food and water and obviously lots of hay. I would cover the cage over with something if it is a wire type cage. Mum will only feed babies twice a day (I think) so don't worry if she seems to be ignoring them much of the time. The best thing is just to leave them alone and let her get on with it as much as possible.
Hopefully someone with more experience will come along soon :)
 
I would suggest moving your piggies out, if that's possible. If not, then just leave the set up as it is, don't move her.

You do need to check the nest. It's a myth that they will reject their babies. If you stroke her, and then someone feeds her a treat while someone checks the nest (for placentas, blood, dead kits, etc) and look at the live kits too, that will give you a good idesa of what's going on. If you think she might be a bit funny then you can put a dab of vanilla just above mum's nose and she will smell that, not you.

You can move the nest and all the babies into a nest box (something open at the top, but with sides high enough so the babies can't wriggle out) to prevent them escaping, or getting pulled out by mum by accident, although given they are inside this is less key than for outside buns.

Give her as much hay as you can so she can add to the nest.

She is very young and may not look after them properly, so you may need to help her.

She will likely not feed them until 24 hours after birth (it takes a while for the milk to come down) and when they have been fed they look like they have swallowed ping pong balls. She will normally ignore them and only show attention when she feeds. She will feed standing up over the nest and it will only take a couple of minutes. She may feed once every day, or twice, sometimes more.

If she does not feed within 24 hours, do not be tempted to feed the kits yourself, that needs to be a last resort. You can try standing her over the nest and making a fuss of her to try and encourage them to feed, or you can hold her and turn her over and hold a baby to her nipple. That can be a bit dangerous, and should be tried after standing her over the nest, and normally needs two people, one to hold the mum and one to hold the kit. You will need to do this two or three times a day.

How is mum acting now? Is she back to normal? If she is then she is probably done, but if she is acting strange then she may have a stuck kit, or some other problem and may need emergency vet attention.

You will gradually need to increase her food otherwise her milk will dry up, and eventually, when the kits are up and about she will need to be free fed.
 
Sky-O said:
I would suggest moving your piggies out, if that's possible. If not, then just leave the set up as it is, don't move her.

You do need to check the nest. It's a myth that they will reject their babies. If you stroke her, and then someone feeds her a treat while someone checks the nest (for placentas, blood, dead kits, etc) and look at the live kits too, that will give you a good idesa of what's going on. If you think she might be a bit funny then you can put a dab of vanilla just above mum's nose and she will smell that, not you.

You can move the nest and all the babies into a nest box (something open at the top, but with sides high enough so the babies can't wriggle out) to prevent them escaping, or getting pulled out by mum by accident, although given they are inside this is less key than for outside buns.

Give her as much hay as you can so she can add to the nest.

She is very young and may not look after them properly, so you may need to help her.

She will likely not feed them until 24 hours after birth (it takes a while for the milk to come down) and when they have been fed they look like they have swallowed ping pong balls. She will normally ignore them and only show attention when she feeds. She will feed standing up over the nest and it will only take a couple of minutes. She may feed once every day, or twice, sometimes more.

If she does not feed within 24 hours, do not be tempted to feed the kits yourself, that needs to be a last resort. You can try standing her over the nest and making a fuss of her to try and encourage them to feed, or you can hold her and turn her over and hold a baby to her nipple. That can be a bit dangerous, and should be tried after standing her over the nest, and normally needs two people, one to hold the mum and one to hold the kit. You will need to do this two or three times a day.

How is mum acting now? Is she back to normal? If she is then she is probably done, but if she is acting strange then she may have a stuck kit, or some other problem and may need emergency vet attention.

You will gradually need to increase her food otherwise her milk will dry up, and eventually, when the kits are up and about she will need to be free fed.
Click to expand...

Thank you for all the advice!

She seems calm and back to normal now, tucking into her dinner. Did I do the right thing by removing him?

Is Alfalfa reommended for her?
 
You absolutely did the best thing by removing him. I do, however, have one concern (you'll not like this). Do you know when he was neutered? If it is within the last 6 weeks then she may already be pregnant again because they are most receptive in the first 72 hours after birth. Hopefully he was neutered way before that, but if not, in 31 days you might have another litter.

The fact she is eating and acting normally is great :)
 
Alfalfa pellets is fine, no mixes, and a high fibre content. I don't know much about alfalfa though, but I know some people say alfalfa pellets for the first 6 months. I've never used them, but that doesn't mena they are ok. I wouldn't go swapping her right now anyway because she needs to feel safe so her life needs to stay as it is (unless she is on an awful feed obviosuly).
 
Sky-O said:
Alfalfa pellets is fine, no mixes, and a high fibre content. I don't know much about alfalfa though, but I know some people say alfalfa pellets for the first 6 months. I've never used them, but that doesn't mena they are ok. I wouldn't go swapping her right now anyway because she needs to feel safe so her life needs to stay as it is (unless she is on an awful feed obviosuly).
Click to expand...

She is on a mix of Excel and A & P. She normally has a handful of readigrass a day with her pellets...is this still ok?
 
I had to look up what it was, so this is based solely on what I just read, but I don't see why she can't have it still, although I would probably stop it when the babies are able to get out of the nest incase it upsets their tummies, so maybe wean her down or else give it to her as a treat time when the babies are older and remove her from the cage to give it to her.
 
Sky-O said:
I had to look up what it was, so this is based solely on what I just read, but I don't see why she can't have it still, although I would probably stop it when the babies are able to get out of the nest incase it upsets their tummies, so maybe wean her down or else give it to her as a treat time when the babies are older and remove her from the cage to give it to her.
Click to expand...

Ok, thank you. The male was neutered late October btw.
 
Just wanted to add one thing I forgot to say earlier, but when you go near the babies make sure you hands don't have anything strong smelling on them, so no soap, or anything immediately before going to them. They need to smell of you, and mum.
 
Sky-O said:
Just wanted to add one thing I forgot to say earlier, but when you go near the babies make sure you hands don't have anything strong smelling on them, so no soap, or anything immediately before going to them. They need to smell of you, and mum.
Click to expand...

Thank you...you have been really helpful :)
 
:shock: Yikes Erin, what a shock! Glad to see there was great advice available for you in your hour of need.... how are Mum and the babbas now?
 
luvabun said:
:shock: Yikes Erin, what a shock! Glad to see there was great advice available for you in your hour of need.... how are Mum and the babbas now?
Click to expand...

Hi Jill...I know! :shock: They seem fine (touch wood!) Mum seems relaxed and babies are nice and warm with big round tummies :)
 
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