Help!!!We just had babies!!!!

[mapaloda]

My son just discovered the kits in the cage…there are three wiggly little guys (one did not make it…and its obviously dead).  What do I do????  I got a fresh box of paper litter and put them in it and loosly covered them.  They seem to be warm and happy but mom keeps stepping on them and licking/biting at them (I can’t tell which).  These are her first live kits so I don’t know if she knows what to do!!! And what do I do about Dad?  Aside from promptly getting him fixed!  They are a bonded pair.  Can he stay in the  cage?  I’m afraid he’ll hurt the babies.  Please, anyone, give me a little direction if you can.  Thanks!!!!

[wendyzski]

eeps!~

OK – you will need to remove Dad from the picture ASAP.  Momma bun can get pregnant again right away.  You can worry about re-bonding them later.

Here are some links that BinkyBunny posted elsewhere on the site.

• http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/surpriselitter.html
• http://www.rabbit.org/care/babies.html
• http://www.rabbit.org/care/newborn.html

I hope they help.

[osprey]

OK, I don’t have much experience with babies, but I do know some basic steps you need to take.

Remove the male ASAP!  Not only could he hurt the kits, he can get mom pregnant again as soon as she gives birth (she may be pregnant already).

Nursing moms needs LOTS of calories.  She’ll appreciate alfalfa hay, extra pellets and extra greens.

[bigsis7]

Remove the male immideatly! Make sure there is soft bedding that is not dusty, such as kleenexes, toilet paper, fleece, ect. When did she have them? If they were just recently born she is probably licking them. Are the babies getting any food/milk? Keep us updated!

[Lion_Lop_Lover]

How can you have 2 unaltered rabbits of different sexes in the same cage and NOT expect babies? Goodness…

Yes, get the male out ASAP, neuter him, read up on taking care of the babies, then spay her when she’s done nursing them and you might be able to rebond them.

[bigsis7]

Oh and have you taken the dead one out yet? If not do it quick!

[Sarita]

Good luck to you – I would have the male neutered during the time he and the mom are separated.

[MooBunnay]

Oh dear – I’m assuming that whomever you got the bunnies from said it was two of the same sex? That happens quite often unfortunately, so we generally recommend not housing any rabbits together until they are both fixed.

To prevent any more kits, yes, remove the male immediately. If the bunny is very young, it is quite normal for some of the litter to not survive, I’m am sorry to hear that you have already lost one, it is not the mother’s fault, it is just that she got pregnant too young. Keep a lot of carefresh bedding, and other soft blankets and towels in the cage so that the mother can keep her babies warm.

If your rabbit is housed outside, please bring her inside. You need to keep her and the babies safe from outdoor predators and bugs, as well as warm.

If your rabbit is not on the recommended house rabbit diet — you may not be aware of the normal diet, in a nursing mother scenario you need to give the mother lots of alfalfa hay in addition to the normal timothy hay (or oat hay, or orchard grass) which should be 90% of her diet. She should be getting extra plain Timothy pellets in addition to the quarter cup which is recommended per day for a normal adult rabbit.

Good luck, and please keep us updated!

[mapaloda]

Well, Dad is out of the cage and mom seems to be tending to the bunnies (haven’t seen her feed them though).  I’m busy building a cube cage with separate sides so we can keep Kazi out.  And yes, I removed the dead kit ASAP.  Thanks for the tips about the alfalfa; I wouldn’t have even thought to supplement that.  I’ll keep you updated about the kits as well as Kazi’s ensuing date with the bunny snipper!  Thanks so much!

[Sarita]

I would just check the babies in the morning to see how they look and to look that they are fed. The babies must be kept warm too so they can digest their mother’s milk. Mom will usually make sure this happens but you can help too by making sure she has enough hay and stuff to cover them with .

If you have a small kitchen scale you can weigh the babies too.

[Lisa_43]

My rabbit had 6 babies 6 weeks ago and you may not see her feed them.

Feeding is usually done late at night when it is quiet and no one around; they feed only once or twice a day.

I had a runt that mum kept throwing out and I kept putting it back in the nest, after the 4^th time mum didn’t do it any more and now the runt is king of the condo. Lol

Try not to touch them but sometimes you may need to, pat mum first and then handle them so mums sent is on the little ones.

I weighed mine every second day as the weight didn’t change much until then.

Be very careful as they do start to bounce and are easy to drop, If they were in my hand I always made sure my other hand was over top ( make sure plenty of air flow) so they wouldn’t bounce out of my hand.

[Ash]

Mom rabbits by nature only nurse the babies about 2 a day and usually at dawn and dusk, This is instict due to in the wild moms will leave the babies in their hole and watch close by this is done so the momma rabbit doesn’t draw attention to predators in the wild so as long as the babies tummies are full, hard they are fine.

[Gravehearted]

welcome! I’m very glad to hear that you have taken the dad out of the pen and will be getting his neutered soon.

With regards to the babies – I’ll echo much of the advice you receieved. It’s important for them to stay warm.  Faux sheepskins (pet stores sell them) are good to keep them warm and can be easily tossed in the washer. you can also buy nesting material at the petstore, if you prefer.  I also like the snugglesafe heating pads that can be popped into the microwave for heat without any cords in the house.  also – someone recently had a scare with a young baby’s head getting caught in an NIC cube grate, so hopefully the babies are in some other kind of housing. Someplace quiet is a good idea, and covering it with a towel can help keep the heat in.

If you don’t have a kitchen scale, a postal scale works too.

The mama is likely to be very hungry, so increase her food and add the alfalfa hay.  Also, don’t give her any parsley since it can decrease  or stop their milk production.

please let us know how they’re doing – this article might be helpful  too

http://www.mybunny.org/info/newborn.htm

 

 

 

 

 

[Lisa_43]

Don’t forget to keep us updated on the babies.

How are they doing?

[Author]

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