What to expect when Rabbits give birth?

Question

My rabbit (Molly) gave birth to her second litter early this morning. The first litter several months ago was not discovered for 2 weeks so I did not get to see the effects of the birthing process. This morning I went out and Molly was acting very odd so I checked the back of the hutch and discovered 6 new-borns and 1 dead.... in addition to this there were little chunks of meat about the size of a quarter scatttered around that looked to me like little hearts, brains, livers and stomachs.... I theorized that it might be part of the placenta... I cleaned up the area and put the 6 little ones inside of a box with some dry hay and some of the fur Molly had ripped out.. Molly spent the majority of the day outside in the cage literally sitting in her pan of water. This may all be normal but it has me somewhat disturbed... she isn't showing any sign of what I would call "motherly instinct" like she did with the first litter...

What do you make of these events, and is this all normal?

I ran out of space. I'm looking for advice on what to do for my new additions and is Molly in trouble physically? How big should the BOX filled with hay be? Should it be big enough for Molly to get in and give milk or will she take the babies out to feed them? Thank you for your time and responses.

Extra Details added after response from DEBORAH L:

1) So are you all saying the chunks of meat are from a baby that Molly started to EAT? of pieces from inside Molly? I threw away the dead one that I found upon first discovery.

2) After I cleaned up the hutch we went away for 6 hours and when I came back Molly was still sitting in the pan (dried up by now) and the babies were still in the box huddling looking very cute; they were dry and I was pleased by their appearance. For all I know Molly may have been tending to her babies when we were gone, but I pushed her out of the water and she went to the back. Tomorrow I am going to inspect underneath Molly.

3) Funny thing is the pregnancy lasted a whole 35 DAYS and we were under the impression the breeding was unsuccessful so I was a bit surprised. That's why there was no box inside at time of birth -- needless to say we are not yet experts at this! I'm as nervous as a proud papa :P

Answer 1

Everything sounds normal except sitting in the water dish. I've never seen a rabbit do that. i have had rabbits for almost 30 years and i have never seen one giving birth. It is better to leave the doe alone as birth time gets close so she doesn't get too nervous. It is not uncommon for 1 or 2 babies to be born dead or die soon after birth. in the future put a nest box in about 7 days before the due date, which is 30 days after a sucessful breeding. also provide some hay for the doe to make a nest from. she will do so and add the fur she pulls out. It is best to leave babies alone for a day or two, only removing any dead ones. try not to touch the live babies until they have their hair. Some does will not care for babies that have been touched by humans. the mother will not spend a lot of time in the box with the babies, just to feed them and sometimes to check on them if you are looking at them. quite often there are remains from the birthing process, it is not something to worry about. The box needs to be big enough for Mom and babies, she will feed them there.

Answer 2

ok first off the box does need to be big enough for Molly and her babies. She will not take them out to feed. Second if some of the babies were born dead she would have eaten them, she will also eat the afterbirth.
As far as showing the motherly instinct, she won't be hovering over the babies all the time, she will only feed them two or three times a day and ignore them the rest of the time.
the sitting in the water pan has me confused, Rabbits hate water and getting wet.
Check her hind end for any swelling or perhaps a stuck bunny, she might be trying to relieve some pain from birthing.

Answer 3

A normal rabbit pregnancy lasts around 32 days... The rabbit will start to carry around hay and build a nest a few days before she gives birth... she will pull out fur from her nipples and put it in the nest... This makes it easier for the babies to nurse... if you saw her and the litter right after she gave birth then the pieces of meat were part of the afterbirth... A rabbit only nurses a couple of times a day... so do not be alarmed if you never see your doe in the box... As long as they are fat and warm you should not worry about them... All of this is normal... just leave the babies with her... and throw away the dead ones... check on them each day to see that they are fat... if they cry out alot, or if their bellies look sunken, then you should take them away from the mother and bottle feed them until they are two weeks old and their eyes open... by which time they can be safely put on pellet food...

Answer 4

now this is a question that i know answers to. mostly anyway. wel dont be worried about the dead bunny usually their are quite a few who dont make it. next. she doesnt hover over the babies. the box needs to be big enough for her and the babies. i personally always have had bunnies beeing born. and we never have a vet. i dont think that u need one. i am usually worried every litttler but it always works out. make sure u keep an eye on them though

Answer 5

I have heard also that if you leave them alone they might eat/kill the babies.

Answer 6

They eat their own babies sometimes

Answer 7

I'd take her to the vet and ask the vet.

Answer 8

These articles will give you a lot of very helpful info -
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/surpriselitter.html
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/orphan.html
Very, very best of luck!