HELP... My rabbits just had babies and i havent a clue what to do...?

Question

Until this morning, i thought i had 2 female rabbits until i went to let them out of hutch and feed them then i noticed something up the corner. When i looked closer i realised there were 4 baby rabbits. I've now got an idea which is the female from the hair surrounding the babies.

The babies dont seem to be moving but i dont want to disturb them just in case its the way they are when they're born.

I didnt plan on having these babies, although i will give them a good home.

I just need some advice on whether i should now seperate the male and female and should the babies be moving or how can i tell if they're still alive.

Sorry to sound so thick but this is totally new to me, unplanned and i guess i'm still in shock!

Any serious advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Answer 1

Take the male out of the cage NOW. Leave the mom and babies in there and leave them alone. Make sure she has lots of food and water, she will handle the rest. Keep an eye on them and listen for noises. If in a day or two you don't hear or see them moving or if she is not laying on them or if you notice for a fact that they are not alive, Remove them.

Answer 2

Guess what, long time ago the same thing happened to me. I was told I had 2 boy rabbits, but woke up to find 3 babies in the corner of the cage. Obviously, they weren't BOTH male.
First, separate the two adult rabbits. Move the male out. They can mate again immediately after the birth and you could be facing the same again in 6 weeks! No kidding, it happens.
Second, find out if the kits (baby rabbits) are alive. They should move if touched, and be slightly warmer than the air. If in doubt, put them somewhere warm, and test again in 20 minutes. If they are, put them in with their mum, in her hutch. But don't be too upset if they are not, sometimes the first time mum's don't know what to do, and the little ones die, or the male rabbit might have killed them.
Make sure the mum has enough food and water, as she's now feeding the little ones.
Leave her with the babies and don't disturb her too much. In about 2 - 3 weeks the little ones will be moving around, and at 6 - 8 weeks they will be ready to leave her.
Good luck, and keep those two separate or it will happen again, and again, and again!

Answer 3

First, separate your rabbits, the doe will have pulled the hair off of her belly to line the nest and make it easier for the kits (baby rabbits) to nurse. Leave her with the kits and find another cage for your male.

The baby rabbits should be in a nest that the mother rabbit has made from pulling her stomach fur and various other available materials. This nest is also necessary for keeping the kits warm.

You can carefully touch them and make sure that they are all living. They should be small, almost hairless (just a light coat) with their eyes closed. They should also be warm and squiggle around when moved to get comfortable again with their siblings.

Any deceased rabbits should immediately be removed from the nest.

The newborn rabbits will only nurse 1 to 2 times a day and unlike a mother dog or cat, the doe is unable to move the kits around. This is especially important to know because if a kit is attached to the mothers teat when she jumps out of the nest the mother is unable to return it to the nest. If you notice a kit outside of the nest, immediately pick it up and place it back in with its siblings.

If the hutch is outside, make sure that there are no openings that a preditor can fit into or that a kit could fall out of. You would be amazed at how small that opening could be.

In the future, now that you know, make sure to keep your rabbits separated. It would not be a bad idea to have both your rabbits fixed and would promote better health for each in the future. Once your rabbits are spayed/neutered, and if they are bonded there is no reason that they can not be housed together.

P.S. Make sure to get the kits separated at an early age, after 8 weeks old. You don't want any other unplanned pregnancies!

Answer 4

Yes, separate the male and female immediately.

Mother rabbits often seem not to be paying attention to their babies, but that's because in the wild they only visit the nest a few times a day to feed and then leave the babies hidden for the rest of the time so they're safe from predators. You do need to check the babies are alive though! You can do this by just sticking your hand in the nest to check they're alive, it will not stop the mother nursing them. If they are alive, probably the best thing to do is just leave the mother to it - she's the best person to raise them. Hand-rearing baby rabbits is next to impossible, unlike rearing puppies and kittens. The best chance the babies have is to stay with their mother, but get the male away.

You could also take the mother and babies to the vet for a check over, and they can give you good advice!

Chalice

Answer 5

Hi, I breed rabbits. The babies usually move very easily if you have the chance to touch them. They also should make a slight noise as well. Definetly remove the male rabbit as the female will become very protective and may attack him or worse the babies. If they aren't moving, making noise or warm I suggest they may be dead but it sounds like the mother has made them a good nest to protectthem so chances are they are just too comfy...so touch them and they should move!

Answer 6

Take the buck out, and dont put him back in - you'll have to get a new hutch for him.

leave babies alone. but if you are worried they maybe dead, them have a cuddle with mum first so her smell is on your hands and then have a quick look in the nest. move a few bits around the babies if they are ok they will move if not then check that they are warm. if not then they maybe dead.
if they are moving but cold put more bedding in, put a light layer on top of babies as well.

Check at least twice a day that the babies are ok. You will know this as they will look fat and will be warm.

If you need any more advice I am willing to help as much as I can.

Answer 7

you dont always have to take out the male but you will find it easy to notice which is the female as she will spend most of her time lieing outside of the box bit where she has given birth,
if you go on line and type in rabbits on yahoo it will come up with loads of info on how to care for baby kittens as they are named when young,
after the babys are 3 weeks old you need to seperate them from there mother but do not put the male back in with the female as she will automatically get pregnant again and is not good for her to be constantly pregnant.
at 3 weeks they will be eating and feeding for themselves.

Answer 8

All the advice so far given you should act upon immediately. Also be aware that it won't be long before the members of the new litter are old enough to mate themselves and, believe me, they will, at the earliest opportunity. The cliche of "breed like rabbits" is true and, if you're not careful, you'll be overrun with the things.

Answer 9

It is not unusual for first-time mother rabbits to lose their first family. That happened with my rabbits. They have to learn what to do and they usually do the second time round. Remove the male and keep the hutch in a warm place, away from draughts. You can peek at them and if you don't see movement at all, they're dead. They cope better than humans over their loss.

Answer 10

Well, baby rabbits are usually unable to move or see when they are born. If their mother is not acting unusual (not letting the babies be alone for one minute, stop eating) then they are probably ok.
You might want to separate the dad from the mom, because she will be in season again very soon. If you don't want more babies you might want the parents neutered.

Good luck!