Pleas help! Can I move my buns nest with newborns?

[Azu]

I had no idea Violet was even pregnant! She is in a small carrier cage filled with hay with them ( I put her in a carrier cage at night) and she appears to have 3 newborns. She is a first time mom. She seems to have good instincts and pulled out plenty of her fur for the nest. But I’m afraid that the newborns will be exposed to bunny urine and get sick. Can I move them into the larger cage, even if they are newborn? Will my bunny abandon them if I move the newborns? The newborns are also burying themselves underneath the hay in the cage and I’m worried about that as well. I’m also worried about Violet stepping on them. Please help me!

[Mikey]

How big is the carrier? If its small enough that the babies are sitting in urine, you shouldnt ever put your bunny(s) in it over night as it would also be considered way to small for them. Bunnies need a space where they can sprawl and stand up straight while still having extra space for food, litter box, and water, also room to stretch and move around so they dont get cramped (minimal space for a rabbit is 18square feet, honestly, but if your bunnies are small and are ONLY in this area for the night, a 2ft by 2ft cage/pen should be fine). If the carrier isnt big enough for all of this, you need to stop using it overnight forever as it is animal abuse. Get her a big xpen and/or big cage to stay in over night

As for your situation, you can try to move the entire carrier and put it into a cage or pen. Leave the carrier door open so mom can come and go, but the babies obviously stay inside. Do not allow dad bun around the babies as there is a chance he will become territorial around them. Check on the babies once per day to make sure they are warm, moving, and look fed. In about 4 weeks, take everyone to the vet to be checked over, tested, ect. Its rather common for the first litter to die for various reasons, usually because mom bun doesnt yet know how to fully care for the litter

To note: you need to have her and your male fixed. They will continue to mate and have litters for as long as you keep them near one another, or together, until they are both fixed. Another good reason to spay: upwards of sixty percent of females will be diagnosed with uterine cancer by the time they are two. Surgery now will save much more money (and pain) than trying to save your bunny later

This forum doesnt breed bunnies as we all advocate to spaying and neutering our house bunnies. You might find more advice for breeding and litters at rabbit.org

[vanessa]

what is the surface lining of the carrier? Is it just hay or is there something absorbent under the hay? If it is hay on plastic, I`m afraid they are going to have a very unsanitary nest. What have you been using for a litter box at night in the carrier?

[Azu]

No litter in carrier I’ve been saving up to neuter my male and switch them out between the cages every night (they roam free during the day). I clean the cages every day to every other day and they have a thick layer of hay along with food and water in both cage. It is hay on plastic.

[Azu]

The breeding was NOT intentional. I agree and have been saving to get the male neutered and keep them in separate cages at night (they roam free during the day- switch them between the room and the big cage). I switch them between the big and small cage every night(one night violet, next night Kyrie). He must have humped her while my roommate was watching them or something. I honestly have no idea how she got pregnant)
I clean the carrier every day to every other day and they have a thick layer of hay along with food and water in the carrier. The carrier had extra room for my 30lb cat and the buns are less than a year and their father was a Netherland dwarf so they are small and have enough room to hop around/lay down/stand.l Thanks for the concern though. Also thanks for the info on spaying, I never knew. I’m a first time owner

I will try placing the carrier in the large cage with the door open and switch it out after a day or two while borrowing another friends carrier. After she’s used to the location I’ll try replacing it with a box. Really hoping she feeds them and helps them use the bathroom. I want them to live…

[Azu]

I moved the bunnies to a box inside the large cage with 2 inches of height to it and plenty of hay, timothy hay and moms fur to keep them warm. Mom already checked out the box, smelled her fur, and saw the babies. Now just hoping she feeds them. If not I will hold the mother comfortably and hand nurse them, and induce urination/dedication after. Wish me luck.

[jerseygirl]

Good luck! Don’t be surprised or worried if she doesn’t go to them much. They’ll only feed once a day and it’s pretty quick. Be sure to check their tummies. I’ll post these links to useful info though it sounds as if you may have already read them?
http://www.rabbit.org/care/babies.html
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/surpriselitter.html

If you can’t get her to feed them, ask around if anyone has a lactating or recently lactating rabbit to see if they can be fostered.

[Azu]

Thank you she hasn’t fed yet but ill wait until tomorow. I’ll check if she is lactating today.
My only concern is the babies are nestled in the corner of the box and I don’t think mom knows where they are. Wondering if i should move them to center again. I don’t want to disturb the nest box too much. But they need to be able to feed.

[Mikey]

You should put them in the middle. When in the corner, she may not be able to get at the right angle to feed them

[vanessa]

U might not witness her feeding them either. My bunnies had 5 or 6 litters before I fixed them, and I rarely witnessed the once-a-day feeding. They dont either hang out in the nest to keep them warm like birds do with their chicks. So checking their tummies, looking for fresh poops, and weighing and measuring them, is really the only way of knowing for sure that they are being fed. I suspect that since your bunny knows you and her environment, it probably won`t be enough stress to cause her to abandon the kits. A young bunny mother might do that for sure, but I wouldn`t go into panick mode just yet. It was more important that you get them to a cleaner environment.
Something else – since bunnies are more active at night, and sleep more during the day, why not swap your situation around and let them roam at night (in a bunny-proofed area)?
Back to the kits… My female bunnies were protective and came to see what I was doing when I would check on the kits. I regularly picked up and handled the kits. So weighing them and checking for weight gain – would honestly be an easy thing to do. If your female was less tame and didn`t trust or like you, the stress might be more than that.

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