advice needed

[newbunnie]

hi, firstly sorry if this is posted in the wrong area but  im new to the forum and  wasnt sure where to go.  

i have 2 male rabbits who are approx 6mths old now. i only went with my friend to pick up hers and the place was so horrible and the living condtions were so disgusting (we actually reported him!!)  that i couldnt leave them behind.  they are very nervous and dont really like to be picked up but ive been trying to win them over .

this is where it gets complicated………..

I went out tonight to feed them and thought i would check they had enough straw in the bedroom as its quite cold tonight. They have a plastic dog bed in the bedroom area and i noticed behind it there was a BIG pile of fur……….then i saw it move…………then i nearly died…………we have BABIES

now that  i have  picked my chin off from the floor  what do i do!!!!!!

ive never had rabbit babies, i wasnt expecting rabbits babies and i dont know what to do next. i was too scared to look at them so dont know how many or if they are ok (feed etc) but what i did see is that they have fuzz so does that mean they are at least 2-3 days old?? can i check them just to count, check for fats tums, dead ones etc or should i leave well alone?  when do i start handleing them? should i move them indoors?  i dont know what to do 

 

thanks for any help/advice in advance

 

louise 

[Sarita]

Hi Louise, welcome. First separate the pair so you don’t get another unexpected litter.

I would definitely move mom and babies into the house – do you know which one is the mom?

[GrumpyBun]

Hi,

I don’t know anything about accidental litters but here is a guide from Dana Krempels:

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

I hope it will help you out until someone more experienced finds your thread.

 

EDIT: Such as Sarita, posted at the same time 

[Sarita]

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

Here’s the link grumpybun refered too – tons of good advice.

[newbunnie]

Hi, one of my buns is completly black and the other is white with the odd black spot. the nest is made out of all white fur so i guess i know who is mummy. the vet has told me to leave well alone and let nature do its thing but i dont know if im happy with that. will she not eat them if i move them?? he also told me that if dad was going to eat them he would have by now as they are apprx 2-3days old. the main reason to separate them is because she can get preggers straight away but he said that she already will be so theres not much point stressing them out be removing him. is this true????

[Otti]

Well I would remove him and cross your fingers that they haven’t started on a new litter yet… I mean… if there’s any chance you can avoid it I’d try everything I could to.

Also, either way they’re going to have to be separated until one of them or both are neutered/spayed, so there’s no point to keep them together now just because she might already be pregnant again, right?

[newbunnie]

he’s booked in to be neutered tomorrow

[Otti]

I’m sure the vet will tell you this as well, but I think that male bunnies need to be kept separate from females for 4 to 6 weeks after their neuter, as they could still get the female pregnant.

You need to keep him separate from her starting now to 6 weeks from now, or more if you want to be extra safe, in order to make sure that there are no additional litters.

[jerseygirl]

Posted By newbunnie on 10/06/2010 11:33 AM

 will she not eat them if i move them?? he also told me that if dad was going to eat them he would have by now as they are apprx 2-3days old.
 

You don’t need to worry about this.  You can move them and just provide her access to them but a spot where she can be away from them also.  Rabbits only visit the kits to feed and that would be once a day (sometimes 2).  You can check you have the mother by seeing if she has teats and check she’s producing milk.  Make sure the Mum has plenty to eat. ie unlimited good quality pellets.  I hope you have time to read the article provided. It’s really useful. 

Separating out the Dad is a good idea. Yes, the Doe could already be pregnant again…but if she isn’t, why risk her getting pregnant. Also, the male could inadvertantly injure the kits trying when trying to get to the female. 

Do keep us updated and post any questions or concerns you have. Good luck!

[Monkeybun]

And do bring them inside… bunnies indoors are so much more social and happy than bunnies outside where you don’t see them as much And they are tons of fun!

[bunnyjames]

WOW! pics would be great!! oh and newbunnie the same thing happend to me when i got my female bunny, i adopted her from a shelter and it just so happend she was preggo!!! I didnt know till the day she had her kits and was carrying hay and dry grass in her mouth to a tunnel she had dug out!!! Long story,  anyways at about two weeks i was able to dig them out and bring them into the house and the mommy didnt get mad at all she just seemed confused but later figured out that the babes were no longer in the tunnel but in the bedroom where she sleeps in her cage. I would personally separate the male and female ASAP its possible that if she has another litter so soon it could be REALLY stressful for her and will possibly neglect the first litter she just had in order to care for the newborns. If you do bring them inside you should provide a nesting box with some hay or dry grass in order to keep them warm. I made a provisional one for some babes im fostering right now out of a carboard box, worked great. There’s a pic below of the box i had to make in a hurry but worked great!!

This a pic of them a couple days old already i used some timothy hay.

you can see the box better here.

Hope this gives you some ideas! And definately keep us posted!!

[newbunnie]

hi, sorry for not replying ive been so busy lately.  the babies are doing great  we have 7, two white with black spots, 4 black with the odd white spot and one browny gray. they are growing well and mum is doing a fab job. she doesnt mind me picking them up to check them. they are around 10 days old now i think.

Dad was castrated and is doing really well, he has had no complecations so far. the only problem is they both seem depressed at being kept apart  ive put the runs together so they can see and smell each other,  they just cuddle up together through the mesh all day.

how do i add pictures?

 

thanks…..louise

 

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