I hope this helps.

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/surpriselitter.html

http://www.rabbit.org/care/babies.html

http://www.rabbit.org/care/newborn.html

No don’t touch them unless you really have too, wash your hands first rub them in the hay and on mum and then move them.

Sorry if they are out of the nest, yes move them back in.

I added a couple of more links for you in my last posting.

Do you know anything about this rabbits past i.e where she came from, has she been bred before?
She obviously has some maternal instincts as she pulled out fur to make her nest. It’s a difficult situation given that she has had them ‘out’ in the house. Did she have them in the nest, were they covered up?? If they are lying around it’s likely that she is a first time mum and isn’t quite sure what to do. If the babies are lying around and not in the nest I would pick up mum, give her a good rub with your hands so you smell of her and place the babies in the nest. The chance of her rejecting them because you have moved them is mostly likely as great as the chance of her rejecting them because she isn’t sure what to do. The babies should be warm to the touch and have round bellies. If they are cold and wrinkly they are most likely dehydrated. You probably won’t see mum feed her babies as they only tend to do so once or maybe twice a day. If you think mum isn’t feeding at all then you can try and hand rear them using some kitten milk, but there is only a 10% chance of survival. Try getting in touch with a local rabbit rescue who should be able to offer more advice. guess this explains her bad begaviour the other day.

Yes put them back in the nest but like Charlie82 and I have said rub mum first to get her scent on you.

They will wriggle around, they also bounce a bit so when you pic them up cup your hand one over the top of the other so they don’t bounce out of your hand.

No they need to be in the nest to keep warm. They will not be able to find their own way back so will need some help. Obvioulsy if the nest is not i na  cage they will be able to move around everywhere. Chances are that she either doesn’t know what she’s doing and just had them on the floor or because the nest isn’t a proper nest (if she has had no straw etc to make it with)  the are able to move out of it. If she hasn’t made a ‘proper’ nest I see no other option than to place a clean towel in a box and put the makeshift nest with the fur in and put the babies in there. I’m skeptical that she is going to rear them but it’s a difficult call to make.. Have you any rabbit rescues near you?

Sorry I didn’t realise the babies were on the floor.
Keep us updated.

Make sure the towel doesn’t have any loose threads.

If it is a two story I would put a box in the bottom of the hutch.

Charlie82 asked if you have you any rabbit rescues near you?

If so I would ring them for help.

I am not and expert but I did have a surprise litter 12 weeks ago and this forum helped me.

Yes, if she has a cage that she uses you would be better to put the babies in there. Keep a close eye on them to see how she reacts around them….is she protective of the nest etc. How does she react when you go near them?

It is getting late in Aussie land, I will leave you in the good hands of Charlie82.
Keep us posted on how it is all going.

Goodnight Lisa! x

Sounds like you have done as much as you can for now! Hopefully instincts will kick in and she will tend to them. It’s always a difficult scenario because they instictively keep away from the nest as in the wild they do so so as not to attract any predators….obviously this makes it difficult for us to know what’s happening. I would keep a close eye on her and feed her as much food as she would like…i.e lots of pellets, hay and fresh veg as she will need the calories. If she is nursing she will eat an enormous amount!

Edit…I would also go to your local pet supply store or veterinary clinic and get hold of some kitten replacement milk and syringes. You may need to hand feed if mum doesn’t.

I’d say it is more than likley that your bunny was quite a bit older than 13 weeks when you got her. It’s rare for a female to get pregnant at that age (not impossible but rare) and manage to get through it safely. It’s good that she is showing some interest in the babies. If the babies do survive please don’t give them to the pet shop….it happens so often and the cycle is started all over again!

Did the vet examine her abdomen? Usually it is fairly evident at that stage that the doe is pregnant and you can feel the kits.

Yes…doesn’t sound like they are very good and certainly didn’t offer enough advice! Unfortunately not all vets are that good with rabbits. I’m lucky that I have a vet friend who is interested in rabbits, and although I can’t take my rabbits to her she is always on hand for advice. My vets are OK with rabbits, not the best but the best I can find around here, and I can always bounce things off my friend if need be.

I am like Lisa43, not an expert by any means, but I did recently raise a litter of newborns.  You will most likely not see mom nursing the babies.  She will nurse once or twice a day, usually late at night or early in the morning.  Two things you will have to check for are:  Are the babies warm?  Do the babies have full bellies in the morning?  They get most of their warmth by keeping close together and sharing body heat, so rebuilding their nest was the right thing to do.  I was told not to use towels because the babies could get tangled in the fibers, so I used hay as their nest material.  Keeping it in a box is a good idea, to prevent them from wiggling out of it for the first few weeks.  I am concerned that outside in your house the babies may get loose and get lost.  They cannot find their way back home for the first two weeks until their eyes open.

Mom will need extra calories to help with milk production.  Give her free choice pellets and try to get her some alfalfa (lucerne) hay.  She can have greens, but I was told to stay away from parsley and cilantro (coriander) because these herbs somehow adversely effects milk production.

Good luck!  Feel free to ask any and all questions here, we will try to help or point you to a source of information elsewhere.

oh surprise babies oh boy. yes happened to my bun too a rescue. ok from what I knwo and what I learned. when I was young we raised and showed with 4H so I know some is only reason I mention this raising them and long ago and  from the resesarch I recently did

alright the babies wiggle a lot. the mother feeds twice at nite  say around 11 pm and 3 am some such type thing and we usually dont’ see that  the way to tell is when you get up early around 6am or 7am if their tums are rounded they have been nursed.  never force her to nurse them they can over feed and can kill them. for my indoor bun’s surprise litter I put a  cardboard box with 1 opening and the hole part had a 3 inch high side so they couldn’t get out. sometimes they hang on to Mom buns when nursing and when she hops out one may come out with her I have never been careful about getting my scent on them since the mom bun knows my scent. however it is good advice to be careful sounds like you did real good on that issue all buns are different. yes she will need more food and alfalfa to help her body with lactation,.

eventually about 2 weeks they get some hair and I believe eyes open at 4-6 week they start getting around outside the litter box. the mom bun should do good once instincts kick in. they usually do. buns can normally get pregnant at 4 mos. and yes that vet should have told you so you could prepare.

the rest is up to Mom bun I wouldn’t worry too much you provided the nest box the mom does the rest. you just feed a lot and add some alfalfa for mom bun their wiggling keeps them warm and the hair and towel maybe add some shredded paper if you are comfortable with that and may help keep them warm too. when I was young we put hay in a haybox  and the kits  usually all survived and they were outside in the fall so buns are good moms . and I had lots of bun then and the kits are pretty tough too it may look like mom bun is stepping on them but it does not hurt them unless she does it on purpose like on their stomach again I wouldn’t worry about that tho it does look scary when she hops in there but they are tough the kits and she normally doesn’t hurt them. they mom buns know better than we about that stuff I have only once seen a bun hurt her young and was the same bun she wasn’t a good mom bun that was many years ago and I had lots of buns then but I am sure yours will do excellent. so let her do all the rest it should go great

I didnt’ know with my indoor bun that she was pregnant and  I dont have outdoor buns now that I am an adult. just to let you know I dont’ like any of my pets outdoors

you lucked out yelpot that there were two people onboard familiar with surprise litters!  they gave you the best advice!  great job Lisa and Charlie!!!

i would definitely contact your vet and let him know that the rabbit had a litter.  there’s no way for him to learn from mistakes if not confronted with them.  don’t be rude, just let him know.  that may be something he needs to be more familiar with if he’s claiming to be a rabbit vet.

Did he palpate her abdomen area at all? I’m sorry you are having to go through an unexpected litter. I imagine this is extremely stressful for you.

so glad there were experienced ‘surprise litter’ bunny parents around for you!  i’m sure that would have been a shock to find.  wow.  i have nothing to add except for… stick around & let us know how you’re making out!  and… good luck!

http://houserabbit.usersource.com/vetlist.html#Penn

This is amazing, and I am so glad you got some great answers to your sos. Congratulations!

Above is the link for the House Rabbit Society’s listing of rabbit saavy vets. You’re from PA, right? I thought it might help you find a new vet. I agree with the advice to call the vet to tell him, but get a new one.

You also could go onto petfinder.com to do a search in your area. Not to get a bun, but to find the shelters listed who have bunnies available for adoption. Find the nearest one and give them a call for more advice. They may be a resource for you to get assistance, or for a place to bring the babies later if you decide you need to part with them. There may be more than one in your area, too. and they might be able to recommend a local vet.

Yelp, you’ve gotten some great help from our fellow members here.  I have nothing more to add as most everything has been covered.  Really this is just another reason not to buy a rabbit from a pet store, they can’t sex or tell ages of rabbtis properly and send owners off with animals that are either a different sex, have serious health issues or are pregnant.  It really is best to adopt from a rescue where they ensure that the animals are fixed.

I would change vets ASAP.  This is not much unlike Lisa whom took her rabbit Ebony to the vet and a little while later, she had a litter of kits.  Every vet that I have been to palpitates Daffodil even though she has been spayed. So maybe you should make that one of the questions you ask a potential new vet.

About the cage, be sure the bars are close enough where the babies cannot get stuck in them.  What kind of food are you feeding your rabbit?  Be sure it is not the kind with all the colored bits, nuts & seeds, it is not good for a rabbit and definately provide lots of hay.  Are the pellets timothy or alfalfa based?

Give them quiet space, keep them warm and out of drafts, keep an eye on them to make sure mum is feeding them – like you’ve been told they will have big full bellies.  Keep us updated.

No problem. I really hope this works out for you. When I had my surprise litter four weeks ago I wasn’t sure what to do! or in fact if I did anything. I’ve read lots of information on litters in the past but had never had to actually ‘deal’ with one up until then. Luckily I had my vet friend and the lovely people on here to hand and it has gone really well. The most stressful thing I was worrying about was having to rehome them because a) I’m very paricular who I let adopt my rabbits and b) I know how difficult it is to rehome rabbits!
I wouldn’t give them to a petshop or advertise in any papers and i’ve been really lucky in that I have three people I can keep in touch with who want to take two each, one being my twin sister and her friend who lives ten mins away from. I just get to enjoy them for a little while longer 🙂

I unfortunately don’t have much advice to offer as I havne’t worked with baby bunnies before – but I’m very grateful to all those experienced with bunny babies that they were able to offer such great advice

And also – good job yelpot for being so caring for your new baby bun surprise! A new litter is a difficult thing, especialyl for a bunny that is such a young mom, thats probably why she didn’t exactly know what to do. Now that I think about it, it may also be the reason that she scratched your son, she probably wasn’t feeling right being so pregnant. I hope that you are able to get in touch with a rescue and that they are able to help you through this time!

ooo surprise litters are always pretty overwhelming! I am so glad you got some good advice from so many members this morning. I know one of our members, Lisa, can relate – since she got a pregnant bunny from a vet who had no idea the bunny was even pregnant! It is possible to not be able to tell a bunny is pregnant, but I would be wary of that vet’s office unless it was specifically recommended to you by a local rabbit rescue group.

It is best to put the litter in a box someplace quiet where they won’t be disturbed. A spare bathroom corner works well. It’s important for them to have some kind of spot – like a covered litterbox to feel safe. It needs to be high enough that the babies can’t crawl out, but Mama can hop out if she wishes too. I like the faux sheepskin for the floor since it helps keep them warm and it helps wick away the pee. Hay also is good as bedding choice. Bunnies general feed their babies one to two times a day – this is normal. She’s likely to be VERY hungry during nursing – so should have unlimited pellets, hay and lots of veggies.

I would invest in a snugglesafe. It is a heating disc you can put in the microwave and then in with the babies to help them stay warm without any cords for them to get hurt on or Mama to chew. As Osprey mentioned keeping them warm is very important. PetSmart sells the sbugglesafes. It’s a good thing to have in the house with bunnies anyhow, since heat is always a good idea when they’re not feeling well.

Hang in there, we’re sending lots of good thoughts to you.

I am a bit late for this, working now I can’t get on as much 🙁

I’m glad we were there to help a bit, It is such a shock when you are not expecting any babies and all of a sudden they are there.

I remember my panic when Ebony’s babies arrived, I raced in the house and did a google search with the heading rabbit forums, and then the great help I received in bringing them to where they are now.

Thank you yelpot 10 in the great effort you put in to help the little ones, thanks everyone for your kind words.

Your a good bunny mummy sleeping on the couch.

I didn’t see Ebony feed her babies until they were about 6 weeks and that was only because they were older and kept trying to feed off her during the day, she allowed it for a few seconds and jumped off with babies still attached to the nipple, it looked so funny.

I used to see her head to the nest around dusk and just hang around, I guess when I left she then decided to feed them.

Mum decided to kick one of my babies out of the nest, I was going to start syringe feed it but read that is really difficult to do, I decided to keep putting it back in the nest every time she threw it out, I did this 4 times and after that she kept feeding him and didn’t kick him out.

Today they are all going well, it’s a good feeling knowing you helped them grow.

It sounds like she is doing a great job! Seven? wow!!! You are going to have your hands full. I have six here and I have to keep trying to count them all to see that they are still all there. I saw Sophie feeding her babies for the first time last week (they are four weeks old now) and it was such a funny sight, she was spread out like an eagle and all I could see were thee little legs sticking up in the air as they feed on their backs.

I’m glad to hear mom and babies are doing well! Sending lots of good wishes

Was thinking because your bunny was getting close to having her kits, maybe that was the reason she attacked your son.

I’m so glad to hear that they bunnies are doing well. 7 is quite a lot!! She must have some very healthy bunny genes for all 7 to be doing so well. Its so nice of you to sleep on the couch, I’m sure she appreciated it

the nite b4 my bun had her litter she was scratching at the pet carrier and just going nuts she knew the time was real soon. she was short tempered and looking very anxious i had no idea why yes maybe that was why she attacked your son she was trying to find a nest place or something like that. he may have been too close making her nervous trying to find a place to make a nest and have them. well enjoy it gets hectic when they get about 6 weeks old lots more cleaning to do. and with 7 oh my. mine had 4 and phew I was loaded with cleaning. they are fun at that age too. so cute and cuddly. they will remember you too I saw pumpkin I one of the buns my doe had. i took him back and found him a good home. he was gona be eaten I said no way. he remembered me. gave me tooth purrs his first nite back with me. he was about 10- mos. he was sucha  lover kisser bun and we shared food too. b4 I knew apples too high in sugar.

Can’t wait to see pictures. Of course it’s okay for you to keep one of the babies :~) I think you should just pick the one that you want.

Oh definately you can keep whatever one you want. With a boy they can impregnate mum at 3 1/2 months old (10 weeks) so keep them separate until after they are fixed. You’ll want to separate all of the babies from mum (great time to have her fixed) after they wean and split them between boys & girls so you don’t have anymore accidental litters (this happens at about 8 weeks of age).

aww – I think it would be so sweet to keep one Definitely remember those dates that Scarlet Rose mentioned above for the dates to separate males from females etc. You will probably need a vet and/or rescue bunny expert to help you sex the buns at that young of an age, but its important to get right to make sure you don’t have any MORE surprise litters!

Say hello to the babies for me, and say “good job!” to the mom – I’m so proud of her

Wow that’s a big litter!  Congrats on the surprise and I’m so glad Charlie & Lisa could help out.  I went running for Binky Bunny when I got a surprise litter too.  Unfortunately or Fortunately none survived.  I recommend investing in a food scale.  It will come in handy to measure their growth progress & keep your mind at ease that everything is going well. 

Unfortunately, I’m in the philly area so I don’t have any recommendations for bunny vets out near Pittsburgh.  Keep us posted.  All my best bunny wishes/ binkies go out to you.

So sorry to hear about the little one passing away, I would just observe mum for a while to see how she is, I don’t think she will ignore the others.

Bunny’s flop I think because they are going to lay down and get comfortable. Your bunny must feel very content.

oh, i’m so sorry you lost one of the babies.  i’m sure that 7 was a high number for mom to try to keep fed.  you sure are doing a good job supporting mom & its so sweet that she trusts you so much near her babies. 

I am sorry to hear you lost a baby. The mom should be ok and continue to care for the other babies. When a mom is so young, it can be tough.

Did you add a heating snuggle safe to their house? it can really help, especially since the temps get so cold at night.

I’m sorry to hear that yelpot *VIBES*

I’m so sorry that the little one didn’t make it.  It could be that there were genetic problems (half the size of a lighter?), or that 7 is a LOT for a young bunnymom.  We have to accept thst this can happen, and be happy for all the other ones growing up fat and healthy.

*nose-bonk*

sneezing can be from environmental stuff (dust from litter or hay) or it can be from an infection.  is there discharge around her nose or on her paws?

Give mum her space, glad you took her to the vet. You might even want to cover the cage slightly since you’re putting her through some stress. I am a little concerned it will affect her milk production though. Did the vet mention anything about that? The babies sound adorable!

i want to see pictures.  i don’t *think* the babies would be too upset…

(i actually don’t know this… i’m just hoping because… I WANT TO SEE PICTURES!!!)

ME TOO!!! Pictures please!!

You need to go to a photo hosting site, like Photobucket.com, and then upload your pics there, then when you post a reply here, there is this little ‘mountain/trees’ icon in the reply area, you click it and add the direct link, then your pic shows up

If you can copy and paste them into a reply, I can pick the links up and put them on here for you.

I’m so glad that mom and babies are doing so well!  I love chubby warm babies and am very anxious for the pics.  When Jessi had her babies I was amazed by their tiny bunny ears and buck teeth.  I was thinking….w/ teeth like that how can she nurse!  I think its a really good sign  that she is so comfy w/ you that she will nurse in front of you.  That must be awesome to watch. I loved watching Phoebe nurse her kittens.

oh my gosh they are so cute!!!!
– Annette

They are so adorable! thanks for sharing yelpot10.

I would recommend waiting until 8 weeks to wean – 4 weeks is definitely too young. As soon as they’re weaned Oreo should be spayed. They won’t be old enough to impregnate her, but it’s the same time to separate out the boys from the girls.

I was told the babies should be weaned at 8 weeks and not before, mum is to have about a 4 week break before being spayed, so her hormones have a chance get back to normal.

At about 8 weeks old I had them sexed female/male, I separated them into two condo’s and allowed them to eat their veggies and pellets in the same area, when they were 11 weeks old I then made sure there was no contact at all.

I had mum spayed a month after the babies were weaned, the 5 males were neutered at 13 weeks and then the female will be done at 4 months which is on the 15th of this month.

They are so sweet, I made play pens out of NIC grids, you just have to remember that baby heads can get stuck in the grid, we had to cut one of our babies out because he got stuck, it was very frightening. You could put fly wire then the grid and you wouldn’t have that problem.

I am sure you will get plenty of great ideas from other members as well.

Bunnies should NOT have salt licks!  My Leo is a licker and I made the mistake of giving him a salt lick.  This site taught me better now.  Now Leo has a little stuffed animal that he licks.  He seems very happy w/ that.  He also gives us bunny kisses–it’s soooo cute!

I love the pictures.  Baby animals are awesome.  We kept a kitten from our cat’s litter.  She picked out the baby she wanted to keep.  It was the one that she gave extra tubbies to.  She let you know what the pick of her litter is.

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  SOOOOOO cute!  I love the little grooming pic!

They are so adorable. You are doing a good job,

That is sooo cute…The second last pic, with the wittle pink baby on his side-breathtakingly cute!!! OMG keep up the piccies!!

Those pictures are so cute! I think that as the babies get older you will start to be able to tell which ones get along best with mom. It is good to be somewhat cautious of who adopts your bunnies, and its a very good idea to have them fill out applications and contracts. Even if these are people that you already know, sometimes problems can arise where they don’t take care of the bunnies properly, or they end up giving the bunnies to someone else, so having an application and contract process is a very good idea. If you are hesitant about someone DON”T adopt to them until you are absolutely sure that you are at ease with them adopting the bunny! Generally your first instincts are right, and it definitely is not a bad thing to be concerned about how good of bunny parents they will be.

They are so adorable, they grow up so quick.

they are precious!  thanks for the pics

OMG thanks for the pics!! They are SOOOOOOO cute!!

bbm-> they are down right *squishy* !!!

They are squishably cute! I cannot believe how fast they grow!

oooooooh, I think I am in love…..with Zip Zip

and Tippy………and Bubba……then there’s…….sigh. So cute.

how precious!  i’m so glad they are doing well!

SOOO CUTE. they’re squishy cuteness is off the charts! makes me want to take in another bun. lol

oh wow sooo cute. I like I am going to my cage hehee little cuties there is 1 that looks like my departed laith oh cute

LOL sooo cute

awwww, the one of the 6 of them all lined up is TOTALLY a calendar pic if I ever saw one!
– Annette

WAY TOO CUTE. Congratulations mama!

The babies that I have cared for have all had instances of soft stools, particularly when they first start eating solid foods.  Are they making ALL soft poops or just SOME soft poops?  All soft poops is a symptom of Coccidia, and needs to be treated ASAP.  If they are just leaving occasional cecals around, that is pretty normal based on my experience.  Large amounts of runny poop is a sign that something else may be going on, and should be checked by a vet.  I forget, where did mom come from?  Is there any chance she has Coccidia?  Has she ever been tested?

FYI – I added this discussion to the FAQ section under Babies -What to do about a surprise litter.