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Uh oh BABIES!!

pearcejo

New Kit
I am wondering if anyone can help me out.
Our it turns out our Rabit had a litter with out us knowing that she was pregnant. It has been about 3 days since she had them. This is a complete suprise and we are unsure what to do. The female isnt going near the nest at all. Is this normal? If it is, when do they feed? (dumb question??)
Can we touch the nest? or newborns?

Thx!!
 
no one has replied. is it that they don't think you are for real?
they usually say 'if she's still with the buck she'll be pregnant again by now. you can touch the babies after a bit, rub your hands in some of her hay first, separate the parents, and its normal that she doesn't bother much with the nest, just be sure she has access' and lots more. i personally know nothing about it! if you are genuine, i'd post some more. people here know a lot and are very helpful.
 
Have you removed the Buck ?
If not the Doe will be pregnant again and another litter will arrive in about 4 weeks time :cry:

Does usually only feed the kits once in a 24 hour period, usually during the night.

You do need to check the nest daily to make sure there are no dead kits. If their bellies are rounded then that is indicative of the Doe feeding them well.
To touch the nest you first need to rub your hands in the Does soiled bedding. It is preferable for the Doe to be removed from the hutch before you disturb the nest.

The Doe will need optimum nutrition, lots of good quality hay, her normal hard feed and dark leafy greens (as long as she is used to them). She will drink more whilst lactating so a constant supply of fresh water is essential. A probiotic added to her drinking water would be a good idea.

The Kits eyes should open by about 10 days and any time from then on they will wander from the nest. So make sure there are no ramps etc that they could fall down.

Once the Kits wander from the nest they will start to nibble hay and any foodstuff given to the Doe. They can be weaned at 8 weeks but should not be rehomed immediately and certainly not before 10 weeks.

They can have their Myxomatosis vaccination at 6 weeks and the VHD at 10 weeks.
 
Thanks a bunch to both of you. I am a bit out of my element with this. The two rabbits were only together for maybe 5 minutes... OOPS!! LOL. They were put in seperate cages following that. Low and behold I come home from a night shift and here is a nest and babies. She didnt even look pregnant but she is small to begin with. She has had two other litters prior to this, but there were only 3 babies (or so) each time and all were still borns. I think there are about 7 of them this time. There is one in there that is a pink colour. I read somewhere that these pink one can be called "peanuts" and typically will die. Do either of you know if this is true? They all seem to be alive, but I am worried about taking them out of the nest. I supose this will be something I venture tomorrow....

Again, thanks so much!!
 
Thanks a bunch to both of you. I am a bit out of my element with this. The two rabbits were only together for maybe 5 minutes... OOPS!! LOL. They were put in seperate cages following that. Low and behold I come home from a night shift and here is a nest and babies. She didnt even look pregnant but she is small to begin with. She has had two other litters prior to this, but there were only 3 babies (or so) each time and all were still borns. I think there are about 7 of them this time. There is one in there that is a pink colour. I read somewhere that these pink one can be called "peanuts" and typically will die. Do either of you know if this is true? They all seem to be alive, but I am worried about taking them out of the nest. I supose this will be something I venture tomorrow....

Again, thanks so much!!

Wow, where the hell did you read that?? :shock: That usually means theyre going to have white fur or light coloured fur.

DO NOT TOUCH THE BABIES, but you can remove any dead ones.......

IF YOU DO HAVE TO HANDLE THE BABIES, rub your hands over the mummy first, buns can become stressed and kill babies while they are little......

Just leave mummy to do her job, check for any dead babies and feed her lots :)
 
Peanuts can be any colour. You wont get them unless both mum and dad are very small and have the dwarf gene. They're usually a lot smaller than the other babies and often have large heads and strange back legs.
 
I have just been through this so know how you feel. I felt very out of my depth and unprepared. My thread was here

Its all still fresh in my mind as my babies are now 2 weeks old so feel free to PM me but the advice here on the forum is brilliant.

Good luck with them
 
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