Hi all advise needed

rachel0606 · Mar 5, 2011

Hi all am in need of some advise and help, my 2 year old rex had 8 babbies but only one survived about four weeks ago, but when i came to check on the mother this morning there was a nother four babbies, all are healthy my qustion is do i have to remove the four week old babbie from the hutch while the new born are in there with the mother or am i ok to leave the four week old with the mother ond her new born..
any advise please sorry if i have posted in wrong thread as am new to this forum thanks
Rachel

loulabell · Mar 5, 2011

:wave: welcome to the forum,
im not sure what advice i can give you other than there is a similar post in rabbit welfare titled "advice on hand rearing babies". from someone in the same boat as you.
sorry i cant be much more help than that. did'nt want to read and run.
Good luck. XX

nessar · Mar 5, 2011

Right, first you need to remove the male, it is not good for a doe's health to have litters without a break in between, especially as it seems she couldnt cope with the first litter. If you have not already she could now be pregnant again, they can get pregnant again shortly after birth.

I would leave the older baby in with her. If you take him away now it will be stressful and they are not meant to leave their mother till minimum 8 weeks. I doubt he will harm the others. He should be starting to eat solids as well as her milk, and 1 extra mouth to feed shouldnt be a huge burden. Make sure he has access to pellets and of course unlimited hay, but it is not advised to give the babies vegetables that young.

Sky-O · Mar 5, 2011

nessar said:
Right, first you need to remove the male, it is not good for a doe's health to have litters without a break in between, especially as it seems she couldnt cope with the first litter. If you have not already she could now be pregnant again, they can get pregnant again shortly after birth.

I would leave the older baby in with her. If you take him away now it will be stressful and they are not meant to leave their mother till minimum 8 weeks. I doubt he will harm the others. He should be starting to eat solids as well as her milk, and 1 extra mouth to feed shouldnt be a huge burden. Make sure he has access to pellets and of course unlimited hay, but it is not advised to give the babies vegetables that young.

I agree with this. Only remove the old kit if mum is starting to show any signs at all of aggression towards it. By instinct she may want to drive it away, in which case you will then need to have ti separate. It will just need the same food, water, unlimited hay, a snugglesafe and minimal stress and hopefully will be fine.

rachel0606 · Mar 5, 2011

Thanks for your help and advise I feel some what at ease now, fingers crossed all is fine in the coming weeks.

nessar · Mar 5, 2011

Good luck, I hope mum can cope better with this litter. Remember you'll need to get the kits sexed when they are a bit older, take them to a vet who will be able to do it reliably. Males can get their siblings and mothers pregnant as young as 11/12 weeks of age (may be even younger, not sure), so its important to get them neutered early or separate the sexes before then.

It would also be a good idea to get mum spayed after she has raised this litter. Not only will it stop unwanted pregnancies but it will also protect her from uterine cancer (80% of unneutered females get it by the age of 4).

Hi all advise needed

rachel0606

New Kit

loulabell

Warren Scout

nessar

Warren Veteran

Sky-O

Wise Old Thumper

rachel0606

New Kit

nessar

Warren Veteran

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