My mini rex doe (Bryer)is due within 1-4 days and tore out some of her hair and put on top of her hay in her nesting box. IS this normal. I have never had a rabbit before and starting my kids in 4-H for rabbits. Is this normal for mini rex?? What else should I look for and can I remove any dead ones after?? Do they eat them often? This Bryer's first time.
2007-05-04 14:30:47 · 11 answers · asked by Kristen F 2 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Yes, it is normal! It's just exactly what she's supposed to do. Out in the wild rabbits dig the holes and then fill it with fur. I would suggest adding Cedar shavings (bedding) to the box if you haven't already. Sometimes they only pull small amounts of hair, this bedding will help the babies be more cushioned. She "should" have her babies in her box, but if she doesn't and she has them on the floor of her cage then you should put them in her box, wait until after she cleans them if possible. And YES you should remove any dead babies afterwards. Their mother will set up a sort of feeding schedule and every few hours she'll get into her box, and the babies will eat. But, sometimes when she gets out of the box a baby will accidently fall out, make sure that you put the baby back inside. They open their eyes at about 2 weeks. They start drinking normal water at around 3-4 weeks. They can be taken away from their mother at 4 weeks(a month). Hope everything works out!
2007-05-05 04:15:09 · answer #1 · answered by Bello Stella 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Removing her own fur to line the nest is normal.
Usually rabbits know how to care for their babies, and she is already showing maternal behavior.
If the rabbit is not used to people, you should stay away from her when the babies are new, as much as possible. Stress is a common cause for eating or not caring for babies. If she is used to you and friendly, you can get near her but don't do anything she doesn't like.
It would be okay to remove dead babies, as she will just eat them if you don't.
2007-05-05 00:10:21 · answer #2 · answered by The First Dragon 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
thats normal, and I think if one is dead, she will eat it. It sounds lik eher instincts are good, so she won't eat all of them, unless she is really young, then that might be a risk. If she starts to eat a dead one, let her be, however, if its a live one, let her get that one, but careful not to get bitten and remove all the other babys and call a vet, they will need to be fed a lot for a while, a special formula many times a day. Hopefully everything will go as planned. Try googling rabbit breeding, or pregnant rabbit or something like that to get specific information, but with the knowledge that we have given you, you should be fine unless you have a syco bunny.
2007-05-04 21:57:18 · answer #3 · answered by heylo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tearing out the fur is normal. Give your rabbit privacy when she has the babies and try not to disturb them for a few days. The mother, unless she really really trusts you, will not like them to be touched. Some rabbits aren't meant to be mothers. I had a female rabbit once that had two litters and despite my efforts to leave them alone, she ate both litters. Normally you should wait two days to check on them. If there are any dead ones then the mother will remove (or eat) them herself.
2007-05-04 21:40:38 · answer #4 · answered by Dellajoy 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My female always pulls her hair out hours before giving birth. She will have the babies by herself and she may take care of the dead babies if there are any. My rabbit had 1 litter and is pregnant again and her 1st liter she didn't have any dead ones. If you see any dead ones then sure remove them.
2007-05-04 22:25:31 · answer #5 · answered by ♥Mommyof3♥ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tearing out fur, especially under the chin, is what rabbits do to line their nest with. Doesn't make any difference if they're tame or wild. Make sure the buck is taken out of the cage before the young are born, because they will kill the babies.
2007-05-04 21:37:41 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes that is normal for them to pull their fur out they have extra fur just for this purpose .and i have had many rabbits that have had babys that were not alive and they never ate them so if any are not alive i would remove them from the nest
2007-05-04 21:39:03 · answer #7 · answered by jfraryj 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes they will tear out their fur and make sure to document the happening and to take pictures for the 4-h project (extra points) if one is dead remove it if she eats the dead one it may give her an idea to eat the other live ones
2007-05-04 22:51:56 · answer #8 · answered by jesse L 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yea tearing out their fur is totally natural ..mine does it to sometimes when it is making a nest, bed or what ever... and onle bother the rabbit and her babies if something its wrong.
2007-05-04 21:46:49 · answer #9 · answered by collegestudent11 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It normal for rabbits to do this.
2007-05-04 21:55:28 · answer #10 · answered by Kira 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋