We Have Baby Bunnies!

[Sky-O]

Hi, I've replied to your facebook message to me, but have just found this. It's probably tidier, from everyone's point of view, to keep it all together, so I will copy/paste my reply here too.

'Hi, It's hard to say. Are they ok in their hutch together? It is possible to separate them now, but I would say to only do it if there is no other option. It might just be that being in the run is too much for her and them. She might be trying to keep them still, or control them. She might be stressed out and want some time away from them (this will depend on how big the run is). It's hard to know without seeing it, to be honest. I watched a doe carefully sit with her butt in the entrance so her baby had to stay in the nest and then, a few weeks later, do the same in reverse, so that he couldn't go back to his nest and had to be in the big wide world. But that would have been hard to interpret via speech/text. I would say to trust yourself and whether or not you think she is being aggressive, but a key point is how they are in their hutch together. What I would suggest is keeping mum and dad totally separate until she has been spayed and recovered. She won't recognise him if they just go back together as he will smell different due to the neutering so they will need a proper bonding process. When it comes to separating them from mum, you will probably need to move her to other accommodation (not with dad) rather than move the kits, so that's something to be aware of and have planned. Good luck.'

 

[Louise H]

Dad was neutered 4 weeks ago and when they are out the mum and babies are always in the run and dad is always the other side. The kits run up and down the run following dad! Sometimes he comes up and sniffs them and visa Versa. She's never been bothered before. When in the hutch she did used to lay in the doorway seemingly blocking them in the nest but they just climb over her. Now they just roam around the hutch together. The vet said that as long as they can see each other they wouldn't lose their bond, and that's what we've done.

 

[Sky-O]

My personal experience is that a bond between bars is so far apart from a bond without bars, as rabbits interact differently with each other. Their bond may be fine, but, if they were my bunnies, that would be far too big a risk to take, especially with a highly hormonal rabbit with another rabbit whose behaviour is likely to have completely changed. That's a choice only you can make though.

 

[willow and squiggles]

I agree with sky-o pixie did something similar with her babies. She also humped them to show she was boss. The 4 girls all get on good saying they have not been spayed yet, and i think thats down to the babies excepting that mum is boss. She still herds them back into the aviary from the garden when she wants "ME" time.

 

[Louise H]

Would she really hurt them though? I don't know if like in other animals, if it's a life teach thing or if she's actually hurting them. Thinking back, mum has been a bit odd for the last week. Not wanting to be taken out of the hutch and moving away from us. But I thought it was because of the heat. She seemed fine with the kits then. This is the first time I've seen this behaviour. As for dad. I was hoping for them to play out together at the end of the week but not move back in together, but now I'm not so sure. How do you rebond them and at what point could we get mum spayed??

 

[Louise H]

I've just put kits in the hutch with mum and she's frantically collecting hay from the hutch floor and taking it to the bedding area. I was watching her through the crack of the door and I saw her feed 2 of them and I saw her grooming 2 of them while they/ she was feeding. Although she did thump twice before hand as she was busy and they wanted to feed! Is she just stressed that they are getting too independent do you think? The run outside is quite sizeable, it's about 1.5m x 2.5m. I've been and helped her out by putting lots more gay in the bedding area for her!

 

[willow and squiggles]

It sounds like she is getting ready to have another litter of kits to me, Ive only seen hay collecting in pregnancy and phantom pregnancies. Was she with the male at any point after the birth of the kits. They can get pregnant again within the same hour of giving birth. If you say they are 37 days old though, she would have had to have been in contact with him a week after birth, for her to be pregnant again. Might be a phantom pregnancy, that would explain why shes shoving the kits aside, she thinks she has more on the way so is growing them up.

 

[Sky-O]

That occured to me too W&S, but what also occured to me is that she may just be continuing to be an attentive, good bunny mummy to her current litter, and just replenishing their nest.

In terms of rebonding, there are lots of threads about (especially in the behaviour and bonding forum), so maybe do a search and have a read. Spaying should be no sooner that one week after she has been split from her kits, but I would leave it at least a month, as it gives her body a chance to adjust to not producing milk, to have her hormones settle and for her to build herself back up and have a better immune system and recover from how much having kits will have taken out of her.

 

[willow and squiggles]

I hope that is the case sky-o, her being a good bun mum. It will be really hard on her if she has another litter. She does sound like a good mum though so its a very high possibility. xx

 

[MightyMax]

They seem to be doing really well. They're full of energy and eating and pooping well. They like their hay too which is a relief unlike their parents! It's just the issue we've just realised above that we need to learn about or rectify! I'll see if I can get some more recent pics up! They are gorgeous!

Hi Louise

I'm sorry I've only seen your PM to me today, and I've been a bit snowed under.

I really hope you've sorted the issue - you've had great advice online here

 

[Louise H]

It sounds like she is getting ready to have another litter of kits to me, Ive only seen hay collecting in pregnancy and phantom pregnancies. Was she with the male at any point after the birth of the kits. They can get pregnant again within the same hour of giving birth. If you say they are 37 days old though, she would have had to have been in contact with him a week after birth, for her to be pregnant again. Might be a phantom pregnancy, that would explain why shes shoving the kits aside, she thinks she has more on the way so is growing them up.

There is definitely no chance of her being pregnant again. They were unfortunately in the hutch all day yesterday due to the rain. But when I went out at 5 pm to refill their pellets they all had a bible then disappeared into the nest. I peaked in and she was feeding 1 with the other 2 queuing for their turn! From what I can see in the nest, she's not brought anymore hay in than what I added and she's not pulledand new fur.

 

[willow and squiggles]

Awww thats great news. She is being a great mum. xxx

 

[MightyMax]

There is definitely no chance of her being pregnant again. They were unfortunately in the hutch all day yesterday due to the rain. But when I went out at 5 pm to refill their pellets they all had a bible then disappeared into the nest. I peaked in and she was feeding 1 with the other 2 queuing for their turn! From what I can see in the nest, she's not brought anymore hay in than what I added and she's not pulledand new fur.

:thumb:

 

[Louise H]

Ok so now Onyx has been neutered we could reintroduce him with Willow soon without the risk of another litter. When I say reintroduce, I don't mean being housed back together just yet, as the kits are still with Willow and are almost 6 weeks old. I was hoping though to be able to let them play out together. Is this not a done thing in the rabbit kingdom? Is it all or nothing? I've searched for threads but they all seem to be for bonding Trio's. Should I start a new thread in bonding or can someone's send me an appropriate link for what I need please. They were both very happy until they came if age and I needed to separate them, but even then they played out together and got on great, grooming and running around and even laying together, up until the day before she kindled. What do we do? Willow obviously cannot leave the kits yet but we were wanting to reintroduce them so they can go out and run together. I don't know how many, if any, of the kits we are keeping, that will depend on their sex when we take them to the vets in 2 weeks or so. When can dad meet the babies if ever, and how? They all seem very interested in one another, following Dad around in the pen and he comes up to sniff them. Mum and Dad don't seem to be as interested through the wire as they used to be, although 3 weeks ago when Willow was in the run, Onyx went and payed up next to the run and she get laid next to him the other side of the wire. What do I need to watch out for and what's good news?? Thanks in advance.