• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

  • Please Note - Medical Advice

    Please keep in mind that posts on this forum are from members of the public sharing personal opinions. It is not a replacement for qualified medical advice from a veterinarian. Many illnesses share similar symptoms but require different treatments. A medical exam is necessary for an accurate diagnosis, without which appropriate treatment cannot be given.

    You should always consult your vet before following any suggestions for medication or treatment you have read about. The wrong treatment could make your rabbit worse or mean your vet is unable to give the correct treatment because of drug interactions. Even non prescription drugs can do harm if given inappropriately.

    We are very grateful to members who take time to answer other members questions, but please do be clear in your replies that you are sharing personal experience and not giving instructions on what must be done.

    Urgent Medical Advice: If you need, or think you might need, urgent medical advice you should contact a vet. If it is out of working hours phone your vet's normal number and there should be an answer phone message with instructions on what to do.

1 week left of pregnancy.. some questions..

M

maryflynn

Warren Scout
Hey guys,

I last wrote in to say my little girl had been knocked up :roll: and now there's only 1 week left and as im not hugely experienced.. albeit not at all :( i have a few questions for u guys, please dont hesitate to post away cos im really worried bout her welfare..
Iv asked my vet a few basic things but its the niggly worries that i forgot..

ok, mitz has an indoor hutch with seperate sleeping compartnent n she has moved all her hay into that so none is left in the other bit, this is nesting yes? and is hay ok for babies to lie on,, is it a bit hard? can i give her cotton wool cos she hasnt really any fur in there yet?

scent: if i follow advice n rub my hands on mitz n her soiled hay to get scent is it ok to touch babies, and at what point/age would u recommend me even thinking about touching n getting involved? i panic bout her eating them

when is cut off period for her eating them?

is it solely mums milk they need to eat? and for how long till i introduce hay n food.. and whats good?

what age can i sex them?

does mitz need/ or would like, any special treatment. is fussing her stressful just after birth for her or comforting, should i leave well alone ?

so sorry :oops: :oops: to bombard u but i neeed to clear my doubts for her sake

thanks in advance
 
ok then,
hay or straw in fine for the kits
mom wont usually pull out fur untill a few days or even hours of giving birth
it is usually wise to get her sent on ur hands b4 handleing and i would after a few hours of giving birth just part nest away to see if there r any dead babies and remove them and for a first time mom i would leave
and the babies for a week untill she is used to the idea but just keep cheaking if they r ok.
beginner moms r known for scattering there litters as some can be a bit unsure of what to do 1st time round.
at about 3 weeks the babies will start to apper from nest and maybe try the odd bit of food but usually start to eat solids at 4 weeks.
i still handel my mothers as usual but i would leave her for a few days to settle if it is her 1st time.
hope this helps
becky
 
Hiya, I hope I can help with some of your questions...

The hay nest will be fine, good news is that mum has built a nest...some dont even do this! Don't give her cotton woll, chances are that mum will pull her fur while she is in labour, not the week before so she has lots of time yet.

Be sure not to disturb her while she is in labour, it will put unnecessary stress on her and chances are there is likely to be little complications.

If it was me and this is going from other breeders advice, yes you are very correct to rub your hands in her dirty sawdust to get her scent...chances are she will have them at night, so when you come in in the morning, get her scent on your hands and take her out the hutch. Then check babies...they will be about 4 inches long and pink, they will be blind and deaf. Have a feel around, if they are alive and kicking then they will probably jump up out of the nest when you disturb it, trying to latch onto a nipple. Have a poke around by parting the nest and check for any cold ones. If you find any cold ones then take them out, see if they are moving, if they are try warming them in your hands or putting them on a hot water bottle covered in a towel.
When you put mum back in give her a treat to distract her from what you've been doing.

For the first 2-3 weeks all they will need is mums milk, then they will start venturing out of the nest, and nibbling on mums food. From when they are born you shoyld feed the doe ad lib food/hay.
You could also supplement the doe with a bottle of goats milk on the cage every few days, it will help her produce more milk for the babies and also make hers more beneficial to the kits (babies).

I would say if she hasn't eaten them in the first day or so then chances are she isn't going to. If you find them all scattered around the hutch and not born in the nest you need to rub your hands in her bedding and place them in the nest.

Also every day you should check if they have nice big pink bellies, this will indicate if they have been fed or not.

Try and sex the kits at about 7-10 weeks.

Any more questions I will try and answer them...just give me a shout.

Best wishes for you and the mum-to-be.

Rachel xxx
 
oh thanx rachel so much! thats a big help.

i have visions of her eating them n it being my fault for doin something wrong!! my fella isnt happy bout us having these babies lol, he cant wait till its all over but im really excited now!!

mitsy is only about 6-7months herself so bless her i worry that she is as useless at this as i am, im 20 and hav no baby experience myself lol so this should be good practice.

i secretly want to keep them but dont think my fella would let me, when would u suggest giving them away, and wheres a good home? RSPCA? Or a rabbit sanc?
 
oh thanx rachel so much! thats a big help.

i have visions of her eating them n it being my fault for doin something wrong!! my fella isnt happy bout us having these babies lol, he cant wait till its all over but im really excited now!!

mitsy is only about 6-7months herself so bless her i worry that she is as useless at this as i am, im 20 and hav no baby experience myself lol so this should be good practice.

i secretly want to keep them but dont think my fella would let me, when would u suggest giving them away, and wheres a good home? RSPCA? Or a rabbit sanc?
 
hi there i wish you good luck with your bunny and her kits and do keep us informed with what happens.

i am very envous as i have just been through it with my bunny who had 6 babies and they are all doin fine and are 8 weeks old now and will have to separate them shortly. but lucky for me i am keeping them all!!!!

mine never had hers at night, she had hers at lunch time and the reason i am telling you is in case it happens to you, as i was very scared as when i went to check on her there was blood spots on the shed floor, but this is perfectly normal she had cleaned them to perfection and is a first time mom. its encouraging news that she is making a nest, these bunnies do better.....

on handling do check on them with her sent but dont fuss over them too much for the first couple of weeks as she may get stressed as she is a prey animal after all.

she will only feed them once or twice a day and only for a couple of minutes so dont worry that she is not feeding because like other animals they do not "lay" with ther young.

i will post some pics of mines nest and good luck and if you need any info dont hesitate to contact...it was one of the most rewarding experinces i have ever had she even let me watch her feed them last week which i am lead to believe is very rare...
 
Also only check them once or twice a day just to see that they are getting fed...if she knows you and isn't nervous at all then there should be no problem with her rejecting them.

It is her first litter so don't be surprised at all if they do not live, or are born dead...there are s many possibilities which mean that most first-timers don't raise their litter...I have just had my first litter a day ago, they were born in the nest, but as they were outside in the shed they had got chilled very easily as my doe decided it was a better idea to eat the straw from the nest rather than keep her babies warm with it :roll: She didn't start building a nest until the last minute so I had no idea that she was pregnant from that mating!

When the time comes don't split the babies from mum till they are 8 weeks, then move mum from her hutch away from the kits rather than the kits away from mum...it will cause them much less stress. Don't rehome them till they are 10 weeks, and separate them all at 12 weeks.

You can feed them greens from when they are walking out the nest...it is totally your choice. I know many do, but many pet owners feel they should not eat greens until 12 maybe 16 weeks. Ij ust think, what would they be eating in the wild while weaning, hay and pellets? dont think so.

Hope everything goes just fine :) keep us updated I am interestred to know how she does.
 
Maryflynn I have enjoyed reading this post and delighted you have been given so much excellent advice.

Bunnylove....scrummy photos ':love:'
 
I have found this post really interesting. I am learning a lot from you all and such gorgeous pictures of the babies.
 
maryflynn said:
i secretly want to keep them but dont think my fella would let me, when would u suggest giving them away, and wheres a good home? RSPCA? Or a rabbit sanc?
Click to expand...

I think it would be best if you try to find them good homes yourself. Please don't rely on the RSPCA or a rabbit sanctuary to take them, they are already full at this time of year, many have waiting lists of rabbits waiting to come in, and most rescues are under a considerable amount of financial strain.
 
i had some baby bunny pics on my web site but it dont work no more :cry:
Oh wait my avatar pic is a baby at about 3 to 4 weeks old
becky
 
Just a point youve been given lots of good advise, the only thing i wanted to add was that the time they are born usualy is about the time the doe was mated. I as you know do breed a few rabbits for showing and i find that if i mate up in the morning they will give birth during the day and if at night they give birth at night, i normaly do matings in the morning now so that im on hand when they give birth. val
 
taylor v 109 said:
Just a point youve been given lots of good advise, the only thing i wanted to add was that the time they are born usualy is about the time the doe was mated. I as you know do breed a few rabbits for showing and i find that if i mate up in the morning they will give birth during the day and if at night they give birth at night, i normaly do matings in the morning now so that im on hand when they give birth. val
Click to expand...


not always the case mine was breed about 8.30 at night because i was waiting for my husband to get in from work to help because i was actually bonding them and wanted him around incase they started to fight, and she gave birth at 11.30 noon
31 days later. so i am not sure there is an hard and fast rule....
 
I've never heard of that as being a rule of thumb, the time of mating thing...a doe gives birth when she's ready, really...as do humans (how many REALLY give birth on the 9 month mark?), and every other animal...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

L
Normal poop?
Replies
5
Views
151
lolabunny887
L
L
Diahrrea?
Replies
1
Views
72
Shimmer
S
L
New bunny owner with questions
Replies
5
Views
218
Shimmer
S
Back
Top