Help!!!!!! JUST found a baby!

Just found a baby! Ive gone to change the hutch and there was movement in the hay! Any ideas on age? looks grey not pink so assuming its fur. We have 2 girls! so we were told! A brown one and a white one. There is a large mound of white fur in one corner of the hutch. Reading online, Snuffles (white one) must be the mum as she has made her nest for her babies. Oh, no 2 more now! Pink ones! OMG. Ive read to leave them alone and take the male one away which i am attempting to do as we can block of the top and bottom sections in the hutch!! Help!! Any advice would be more appreciated! Im stressing Only had them since Christmas!

There is a sticky thread somewhere on hear about accidentally babes and what to do.

1st REMOVE MALE (ensure you remove correct bunny otherwise babies will starve if you remove the female).

2nd try not to disturb nest or female too much - but tomorow morning (not now in case she is still giving birth to more) check that all babies have little round bellies (mum feeds usually at night and just once or at most twice every 24 hours).

Let mum have space away from the babies (as in the wild she would leave them for most of day and tuck them up warm in nest - if she is forced to stay by them she may well fret as this will be against instinct as 'gives them away' to predators . . . ) . . try and find a way they are safe and warm in nest she has made but she still has space . . (obviously nowhere near the male!!!!)

You sound like you will need a seperate hutch/dog crate or cage for a while to allow all this to happen.

I see from earlier posts these were Xmas bunnies so the girl is really VERY young to have babies - but the boy could have been castrated by now easily - did the vet not check when they were vaccinated??

PS just seen you think it is a few days old?????? In which case search for other ones that might have died and remove those, and also check this one has been fed (has round tummy and does not look thin and wrinkly).

still remove male - but it may be too late - how often do you check hutch?????? PS are they outdoors?????

This thread has lots of useful advice...
http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?327923-Accidental-Litters-and-Taking-on-Babies

THANK YOU - I have separated mum and dad for tonight, can get hold of another hutch tomorrow night so will put dad in there and then mum will have enough room over two floors. Weve found 3 now - 2 pink skin coloured ones in the far corner of the hutch in the nest. The grey one my other half picked up and put upstairs in the nest as it was downstairs away from the others - he only found the pink ones when doing this!

I got the rabbits for the kids christmas presents!!! From a friend of a friend who thought they were girls. They were approx. 10 weeks old then, so they are about 6 months old . I had them vaccinated about 2 months ago. I WAS meant to ask about having them neutered as the vet also said they were both girls at the time. Clearly not, I hear that its VERY difficult to sex rabbits but would have thought a vet could!

I am in work all day tomorrow and no1 at home for once (typical) so do you think that the kits will be ok with mum for the day?? Am just concerned now with you saying she needs "time out"

Mr other

parsnipbun said:

There is a sticky thread somewhere on hear about accidentally babes and what to do.

1st REMOVE MALE (ensure you remove correct bunny otherwise babies will starve if you remove the female).

2nd try not to disturb nest or female too much - but tomorow morning (not now in case she is still giving birth to more) check that all babies have little round bellies (mum feeds usually at night and just once or at most twice every 24 hours).

Let mum have space away from the babies (as in the wild she would leave them for most of day and tuck them up warm in nest - if she is forced to stay by them she may well fret as this will be against instinct as 'gives them away' to predators . . . ) . . try and find a way they are safe and warm in nest she has made but she still has space . . (obviously nowhere near the male!!!!)

You sound like you will need a seperate hutch/dog crate or cage for a while to allow all this to happen.

I see from earlier posts these were Xmas bunnies so the girl is really VERY young to have babies - but the boy could have been castrated by now easily - did the vet not check when they were vaccinated??

PS just seen you think it is a few days old?????? In which case search for other ones that might have died and remove those, and also check this one has been fed (has round tummy and does not look thin and wrinkly).

still remove male - but it may be too late - how often do you check hutch?????? PS are they outdoors?????

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1st Time Bunny Mummy said:

THANK YOU - I have separated mum and dad for tonight, can get hold of another hutch tomorrow night so will put dad in there and then mum will have enough room over two floors. Weve found 3 now - 2 pink skin coloured ones in the far corner of the hutch in the nest. The grey one my other half picked up and put upstairs in the nest as it was downstairs away from the others - he only found the pink ones when doing this!

I got the rabbits for the kids christmas presents!!! From a friend of a friend who thought they were girls. They were approx. 10 weeks old then, so they are about 6 months old . I had them vaccinated about 2 months ago. I WAS meant to ask about having them neutered as the vet also said they were both girls at the time. Clearly not, I hear that its VERY difficult to sex rabbits but would have thought a vet could!

I am in work all day tomorrow and no1 at home for once (typical) so do you think that the kits will be ok with mum for the day?? Am just concerned now with you saying she needs "time out"

Mr other

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she will be fine - most people do keep them together - its just that its not how they would do it ii the wild and it is always better to give her some room. Bit concerned that one was away from the others - is it still warm and full looking? They should look like they are chubby - not all wrinkly - They cannot crawl and she cannot carry them (unlike cats) so it was most likely still hanging on trying to feed when she moved away from the nest. This can happen espeially with inexperienced mothers so do watch out for it - the small kits need the warmth of the nest and the other kits and once out will cool quickly and also miss the next feed and die.

It is not actually that difficult to sex rabbits at all (I did our 6 babies when they were about 2 weeks old ) at a couple of months it is really quite easy. After this particular panic is over you may think about finding a better vet. Neutering of the males is usually done as soon as the testicles drop at c10 weeks so I am afraid your vet had no excuses at 4 months old.

PS just in case you haven't thought of it (I am sure you have) the mum needs as much food and hay as she wants to eat (a good alfalfa hay is good at this point) and obviously do not let the children near the nest and hutch in case they upset her and put her off feeding. Rabbits are not easy to hand rear (though if needs be it can be done - but with more success rate after about the first 10 days-2 weeks).

If it looks like the mother is not feeding for any reason (she should feed them once or twice a day) then you will have to act very very quickly and get then to someone who may be able to hand rear. My concern is she is so young herself.

Another thing to be aware of, is that females can fall pregnant again IMMEDIATELY after giving birth. As they were in the the hutch together then she gave birth you may find yourself with another litter of kits in a few weeks time...
Rabbits aren't easy to sex, but I wouldn't call them that difficult. Your vet should DEFINANTLY have been able to sex - I would make a complaint about it.

THANK YOU AGAIN My other half has only touched the one which was on its own downstairs when he put her upstairs . He said she was chubby, not skinny at all. The first time I looked in she was wringling and seemed to tipple over ?????? Like i said, my other half thought she had fur as she was soft but the other two that were upstairs are just pink skin and they were moving about but we havent touched them. Weve locked mum upstairs with fresh food and water with the babies and left dad downstairs.

Oh, they live indoors! I got them at christmas adamant they would be out for the springtime BUT they do need changing a lot more than I thought and Ive been putting off putting them outside because of the amount of time they DO need changing and I know, in this horrible weather that I wont want to keep changing them outside and will put it off day after day and they will be worse!

Oh I am stressing. How do I know when shes stopped giving birth? Is there a time period of how long they take? I didnt want 3 let alone any more.



she will be fine - most people do keep them together - its just that its not how they would do it ii the wild and it is always better to give her some room. Bit concerned that one was away from the others - is it still warm and full looking? They should look like they are chubby - not all wrinkly - They cannot crawl and she cannot carry them (unlike cats) so it was most likely still hanging on trying to feed when she moved away from the nest. This can happen espeially with inexperienced mothers so do watch out for it - the small kits need the warmth of the nest and the other kits and once out will cool quickly and also miss the next feed and die.

It is not actually that difficult to sex rabbits at all (I did our 6 babies when they were about 2 weeks old ) at a couple of months it is really quite easy. After this particular panic is over you may think about finding a better vet. Neutering of the males is usually done as soon as the testicles drop at c10 weeks so I am afraid your vet had no excuses at 4 months old.[/QUOTE]

THANK YOU - god I am stressing! hahahha

Another thing to be aware of, is that females can fall pregnant again IMMEDIATELY after giving birth. As they were in the the hutch together then she gave birth you may find yourself with another litter of kits in a few weeks time...
Rabbits aren't easy to sex, but I wouldn't call them that difficult. Your vet should DEFINANTLY have been able to sex - I would make a complaint about it.[/QUOTE]

It is possible the babies are different ages because bunnies have two chambers in their wombs. If the nest is upstairs just make sure there is something to stop the babies falling down the hole (such as putting a piece of wood across the hutch that's a few inches high so mummy can just hop over but the babies can't). If the are in the nest upstairs and mummy can have access to downstairs then that should be enough space. I would get dad neutered asap.

You sound like you are doing well. Mum will do everything for the babies and if she is used to eating veg then she will really appreciate some of that, not carrots but spring greens maybe washed first and herbs. Also grass from a reliable source. Boy rabbits can look very much like girls up until their testiicles drop, so it is not your fault. Vets even get it wrong.

tonibun said:

You sound like you are doing well. Mum will do everything for the babies and if she is used to eating veg then she will really appreciate some of that, not carrots but spring greens maybe washed first and herbs. Also grass from a reliable source. Boy rabbits can look very much like girls up until their testiicles drop, so it is not your fault. Vets even get it wrong.

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gras etc is a good idea if mum is used to it - as you say - i would avoid greens right now in case the gassy producing chemical in greens gets into the babies.

However I have to disagree about it being that difficult to sex rabbits - there are clear differences in almost all (you do get a few borderlines but not really that many). There are stickies on here I think with piccies of the various 'bits' before testicles drop.