My rabbit gave birth and there are 4 babies.Well today i saw that the mother rabbit liking them. Is she really liking them or is she about to eat them? I saw her do that around 8:00 a.m. Will mother rabbits eat them or will the mother rabbit lick them. My rabbit looks like she's eating them.
2006-12-02 01:06:53 · 10 answers · asked by noimus13 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
http://www.rabbit.org/care/babies.html
Read that. It should answer all your questions. But yes, the mother, if she's a good one will groom/clean them by licking.
2006-12-02 03:05:42 · answer #1 · answered by loloshorty9 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't listen to the people who say that ANY handling of the young will cause your doe to stress out and eat them. The dangers of not sorting through the nestbox---afterbirths and dead babies rotting next to the live kittens---are far more than the chance your doe will turn cannibal. Take out her nest box, clean the blood out, and put it back, then leave her alone for the rest of the day.
You might have seen her eating the placentas. Rabbits have to do this so the rotting meat won't attract ants or predators. However, if you look into the nest and find severed heads and limbs, your doe is a cannibal and you need to supervise her time with the babies.
In the wild, does only nurse twice daily. This should be plenty for such a small litter. Keep the nest on top of her cage most of the time, then put it back in for a few minutes so she can nurse the babies while you watch. If you see her trying to eat them, you might need to take the nest out, set it on a table, then put the doe in and hold her still by the ears and the scruff of the neck. Make sure she isn't standing on any babies. When the babies stop nursing or their bellies get round and full, put her back; it won't take long.
Once the kittens can move around on their own, you should be able to leave them with the mother unsupervised.
2006-12-02 16:48:58 · answer #2 · answered by Rachel R 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
More than likely the mother is licking her young. However, it is important to make sure that the mother rabbit has a salt lick to ensure the proper ingestion of mineral nutrients. These are available at most pet stores. Another bit of advice, do not handle the young for at least several weeks. They are extremely vulnerable and the mother usually does not do well with her young when they have human scent on them.
2006-12-02 09:10:52 · answer #3 · answered by Randy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the mother gets stressed out, she may eat her babies.
It is best that you stay away as much as possible and DO NOT touch the babies.
If the mother feels threatened or nervous, she may kill them.
2006-12-02 09:09:02 · answer #4 · answered by lunar_flame 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
no she is cleaning them...just like anyother mother...althou do not touch the young babies as the scent of humans may cause the mother to kill or eat her youngens
2006-12-02 09:09:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Make sure she has lots of water, food and privacy. then she wont be so stressed out.
2006-12-02 09:44:42 · answer #6 · answered by kimmyannbell 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think she is cleaning them, my rats do that all the time.
2006-12-02 09:10:11 · answer #7 · answered by UTGirl34 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
shell lick them unless ther dead your probley awlright
2006-12-02 09:08:58 · answer #8 · answered by dragonrider 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
shes cleaning them off it takes a couple days.
2006-12-02 09:32:19 · answer #9 · answered by lizard boy 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Then move the babies to a different cage.
2006-12-02 09:45:36 · answer #10 · answered by 456512 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋