Why Is My Rabbit Not Taking Care of Her Babies

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So yous found out or doubtable that your female rabbit (or doe) is pregnant. At present what? You lot should know a few things in order to prepare the doe and her muzzle for the pregnancy, too as how to help ensure the health of the newborn babe rabbits (or kits).

1. 1

   Feed the mother a quality diet. Your rabbit's nutrition will not vary much while she is pregnant or weaning, but it is as important as always to provide loftier-quality nutrition. Cheque your feed label and provide a feed that is:

   • sixteen to 18 per centum poly peptide
   • 18 to 22 percent fiber
   • iii percent or less in fat
   • She should also have constant access to make clean water, which you should alter two to three times per twenty-four hour period.
   • You can supplement her diet while she is gestating and weaning the kits (babies) by giving her some alfalfa hay or cubes to provide more protein.^[1]

2. two

   Split her from the male rabbit. It is uncommon for the male rabbit to harm the kits. Nevertheless, he can impregnate the female once more as soon as she gives birth, resulting in another pregnancy before she finishes weaning the first litter. To avert this, you should split up the 2 rabbits as birthing draws closer.^[2]

   • Ideally, you should proceed the male close plenty to make contact with the female person through their carve up enclosures. Rabbits bond very closely and still existence close to the male volition cut downwardly on unnecessary stress for the female during the pregnancy and birth.^[3]

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3. 3

   Prepare a nest box. Kits are born without fur and will demand constant warmth initially. Providing a nest box with bedding materials will help keep the kits warm and collected in i place. This pocket-sized box (cardboard is fine) should exist slightly larger than the mother with about a one-inch lip to stop the kits from getting abroad from the box.^[iv]

   • Put a generous handful of grass (brand sure no fertilizer or pesticides are present), harbinger, or hay in the box equally well for bedding.^[5] Put the bedding on acme of a make clean towel without whatsoever loose threads that might catch on the kits.^[6]
   • The female person might rearrange the bedding in the box or fifty-fifty pull out some of her fur to add to the bedding, which is usually a sign that the birth is close.^[7]
   • Make sure yous place the nesting box on the opposite side of the cage from the mother'due south litter box to help avoid whatever complications for the kits.
   • You should too place the cage in a quiet, darkened space. Too much activity around the mother and her new kits will cause her undue stress.^[eight]

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1. 1

   Cheque the kits. The pregnancy for your doe will last roughly thirty-one to 30-iii days.^[9] She doesn't demand any assist with the birthing procedure, which unremarkably happens at nighttime or in the very early hours of the morning. This means you'll likely wake up i morning to the new litter of kits. Immediately check to come across if any of the kits did not survive the birth. You may accept to draw the mother away with a treat to get access to the nest box to remove any of the dead kits.

   • You should also remove any placenta or afterbirth from the box.
   • Don't be afraid of handling the babies as the mother volition already be accustomed to your odour.

2. 2

   Warm the kits if necessary. If the mother gave birth to any of the kits outside of the nesting box, then you'll have to identify them in the box. These kits will frequently be too cold and demand warming. To do so safely, fill a hot water bottle with warm (not hot) water and place the bottle under the towel and bedding in the nesting box. The kits should not accept directly contact with the canteen since this will likely be too warm.

3. 3

   Provide the mother abiding access to nutrient and water. The doe will demand constant access to food and water to swallow at will while she's nursing the kits.^[x] This is to ensure she produces enough milk to adequately feed the litter. Put out plenty of fresh food daily and check her water often, every bit she'll drink more more than normal besides.

   • Ensuring that she receives proper diet will as well help reduce the possibility of the mother cannibalizing the kits.

4. 4

   Look for signs of nursing. The doe's natural instinct is to stay abroad from the nest most of the time, and then don't be alarmed if you don't really see her nursing, which volition only happen once or twice a solar day.^[xi] Instead, expect for signs that she's nursed. The babies volition be warm and take circular tummies from feeding.^[12] They'll also be quiet instead of making mewling noises like a kitten if they're well fed.^[thirteen]

5. 5

   Contact your vet immediately if the female parent isn't nursing. If the babies are weak (barely respond to being handled), have sunken tummies, and have wrinkly skin (caused by dehydration), and so the mother isn't properly nursing them, and y'all should meet your vet immediately.

   • If the female parent ready the nesting box—especially if she pulled some of her fur—then she's paying attention to her mothering instincts. The trouble may be equally unproblematic as your vet providing a small dose of oxytocin to assist with milk production.^[14]
   • You should also contact your vet if the litter is more than viii kits, equally this may be besides large a number for the mother to back up all of them. If the mother has more than eight kits or she abandons the litter and will not nurse them, then your vet will likely provide instructions for canteen feeding the babies. Even so, results are often unsuccessful considering at that place is no formula 100 percent adapted to newborn rabbits.

6. 6

   Keep the nesting box clean. The babies will toilet in the box until they are strong enough to somewhen climb out of information technology on there own, and then you'll need to clean the box daily, providing a new, dry lesser towel and clean bedding.

7. seven

   Adapt the diet of the kits. The babies may brainstorm nibbling at pellets as soon every bit 2 weeks after birth.^[15] However, they should not stop nursing for a full eight weeks after they're born.^[16] During this period, the babies will slowly subtract nursing and increase their consumption of pellets, but information technology's of import that they go on to nurse as well as the mother'south milk provides antibodies against pathogens.^[17] If they are weaned as well soon, their immune systems might not all the same be strong plenty without these antibodies.

   • Y'all should additionally avoid feeding the rabbits greens for several months due to the potential for digestive complications. You tin can attempt tiny bits of 1 particular at a fourth dimension starting around two months, only remove information technology from the rabbit'southward diet immediately if it causes intestinal issues such as diarrhea.^[xviii] Good items to outset with include carrots, romaine lettuce, and kale.^[19]

8. eight

   Handle the babies offset at eight weeks. Until they're weaned, the babies will be highly susceptible to illness and bacteria, particularly E. coli, which tin kill a kit in a matter of hours.^[twenty] You should thoroughly wash your hands anytime that you need to handle the babies until they're weaned. After that, try to handle them often considering it will lead to tamer adult rabbits down the line.

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• Question

  Should we let mamma rabbit out of the muzzle for a intermission abroad from the babies?

  

  Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over thirty years of experience in veterinarian surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the Academy of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the aforementioned animal dispensary in her hometown for over 20 years.

  

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  Yes. Female parent rabbits often go out their young for hours at a time, so she will appreciate the opportunity to take a break. But brand sure that she can access the cage and return to her babies whenever she wants to. Attempt leaving the cage door open and provide a ramp for the mother rabbit then that she can return when she is prepare.

• Question

  Should I manus-rear baby rabbits if the female parent ignores them?

  

  Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over thirty years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animate being practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a caste in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the aforementioned creature clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

  

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  Where possible permit the mother rabbit accept care of the babies, as hand-rearing a rabbit is fraught with problems. Be aware that the female parent only feeds her babies twice a day and she may well leave them unattended for long periods in betwixt. Thus, although the babies may appear abased, if the mother can yet get dorsum to them the chances are they are not in difficulties. If you know the female parent is expressionless, and so feed twice a solar day (equally she would) to tide them over until they are two to three weeks of age, when they start eating solid foods.

• Question

  When is the best time to outset training your infant rabbits to use the litter box?

  

  Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of feel in veterinary surgery and companion animal exercise. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the aforementioned animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

  

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  It is easier to litter-train an older rabbit than a youngster, because the latter's attention span is express. That said, even immature rabbits tend to apply one corner of the hutch to toilet in, and then you can put a tray there as soon as the kits first to exist more independent and move away from their mother - but don't look too much as well presently.

• Question

  How do you revive a dead infant?

  

  Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinary with over 30 years of experience in veterinarian surgery and companion fauna do. She graduated from the Academy of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the aforementioned fauna clinic in her hometown for over xx years.

  

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• Question

  Is it possible to feed your rabbit too much?

  

  Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion creature exercise. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinarian medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

  

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• Do not be concerned that the female parent isn't spending time with the babies. Rabbits do not sit with their litters equally cats and dogs do, every bit in the wild it would concenter attention to the nest. Rabbits only go into the nest to feed the babies in one case or twice a day.

• Always try to revive a baby rabbit if it is 'expressionless' or chilled.

• Baby rabbits are born without fur and with closed optics.

• The size of the litter will typically depend on what type of rabbit you have. (1-12 for larger breeds, and ane-10 for smaller.)

• The babies won't open their optics for effectually ten to twelve days.

• Mother rabbits never motion their immature, so if i leaves the box you lot'll accept to put it back. Don't worry, the mother will keep taking care of the babe even if you touch information technology.

• Rabbits commonly lose their outset litter, so if you want babies don't surrender hope! It takes some does (female person rabbits) four-5 litters earlier they get the hang of it.

• If you are positive that a mother rabbit is non nursing its kits for more than five minutes a day y'all may need to forcefulness the mother rabbit to nurse. That is when you put the mother with its babies for up to v minutes.

• If your doe is earthworks and closing up a hole at the same spot at different times of the day (and also putting in pieces of cloth, grass, roots, dry leaves) she might have delivered/littered in that same hole and is feeding her kits and and so closing it back upward to secure her kits.

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Article Summary X

To care for newborn rabbits, make certain they're nursing from their mother for the first 8 weeks after they're built-in. If they're not nursing, contact a vet immediately so they can aid. Also, get-go to introduce pellet food two weeks afterward the rabbits are born so they start to wean off of milk. Try to handle the newborn rabbits equally little as possible during the first 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, you tin handle them as much equally y'all'd similar and so they become used to y'all. For more tips, like how to take care of a mother rabbit after its kits are built-in, go along reading!

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