are baby bunnies safe in a group of girls other than their mother

Just wondering how female bunnies in a bonded group behave towards babies that are not their own

I had an accidental little a few years ago, and only realised the babies had arrived (or were even due), when I saw a pile of hay moving

By that time the babies had been born over 12 hours and the mother and their aunt had been in together without mishap. In fact the aunt loved the babies probably even more than the mother. Whilst the babies were growing up, I frequently saw the aunt licking the babies and protecting them


I assume in the wild this is quite common, with relatives being in the same burrow without any danger to the kits and maybe even defending the babies

But I thought I read a thread where the male was attacking his own offspring

Anyone have any experience in this area ?

Bump??

I took on two free ad buns years ago & overnight one gave birth. Both were female but they had clearly met a male at some point. I didn't know enough to identify which had given birth - although I got a vet nurse out (to recheck sexes) it was too long after birth for us to be 100% sure. I left both buns in with the nest & they raised 6 out of 7 babies successfully.

If someone knows which bun gave birth, I would usually advise removing the other, but in my case - not doing worked out ok

anyone had a bad experience ?

It's not recommended but it can work, like many other things in the bunny world.

However, this is NOT how it's done in the wild. In the wild mum takes herself off and digs her own specific burrow just for her kits. It would be exceptionally rare for this to happen in the wild.

Sky-O said:

However, this is NOT how it's done in the wild. In the wild mum takes herself off and digs her own specific burrow just for her kits. It would be exceptionally rare for this to happen in the wild.

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How does this reconcile with the to-be mommy only building a nest a few hours before the babies are due ?

Do they normally have their own burrows already and then build the nest in this ? Or do they dig only a shallow burrow in the hours before the birth ?

Just very curious about an aspect of bunny behaviour which I think few people would encounter even if they have had bunnies for years

piningforarabbit said:

How does this reconcile with the to-be mommy only building a nest a few hours before the babies are due ?

Do they normally have their own burrows already and then build the nest in this ? Or do they dig only a shallow burrow in the hours before the birth ?

Just very curious about an aspect of bunny behaviour which I think few people would encounter even if they have had bunnies for years

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Generally a mum will build her real nest a week or so before birth, and at this point will (presumably) dig her burrow. It's generally only the final touches, including fur, that are added to the nest at last minute.

Sky-O said:

Generally a mum will build her real nest a week or so before birth, and at this point will (presumably) dig her burrow. It's generally only the final touches, including fur, that are added to the nest at last minute.

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will she guard her nest against other rabbit intruders ? I guess not as mothers don't seem to spend much time with the babies

presumably other rabbits will know there is a nest there from the smell, will they approach to investigate (being nosey little creatures) ? Or will they respect some form of hierarchy and stay away because it is the alpha female's nest ? I guess not, as rabbits seem to breed like...rabbits...irrespective of whether they are dominant in the warren

do wildies exhibit infanticide ?