# Baby bunny help



## pinkfairy18 (Mar 16, 2012)

Hi, I adopted two rabbits 2 days ago, a male and a female. To my shock today the female had kits. I am just a little worried because I have never bred rabbits before and I am just wondering if anyone can give any advise. The mother seems to have coped with the birth pretty well and has cleaned the kits but she has now covered them all over with her fur. Is this normal for her to completly cover them up?
Any advise would be muchly appriciated. Thanks


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## JordanRose (Mar 10, 2012)

Eek! 

I've never been in your position but from what advice I've seen for those in the same situation, I'd say just leave Mum to it for now. You'll be able to start handling the kits within a week or so I think but in these early stages it's important not to toch the babies or tamper with the nest, as Mum may reject them. 

As long as you can see some movement in the nest, and can see them with nice full bellies they should be fine


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## pinkfairy18 (Mar 16, 2012)

I saw them all moving this morning when I opened her hutch and saw her cleaning the last kit and I am afraid I may have disturbed her. I obviously was not expecting this as I only got them 2 days ago, but it was so lovely to see them moving about, but now sh has covered them with her fur (I'm assuming to keep them warm) and I can not see them now. I will have a snootch later on to see if they are moving but I have done a fair bit of research on breeding rabbits as I did want to do it, obviously I was not quite ready for her to have her kits and my education in the matter still lacks in places. I have not touched the kits or the nest and hav no intentions of touching it until I know she is ok with it. I am just petrified incase I did disturb her and made her reject them.  
From what I have read, they looked like they had been fed when they were born but i'm not entirly sure.
Thanks for your advise x


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## MrRustyRead (Mar 14, 2011)

im guessing from what you have said you have removed the male from the same hutch?


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## pinkfairy18 (Mar 16, 2012)

Yes the male and female are in separate hutches. The only time they have been together since we got them 2 days ago was in transport and when we have had them in the house. We made sure they had their separate hutches because they were different sexes.
I have been and checked again and the fur molly have covered her kits in is moving, so the kits must be ok underneath and molly is very laid back with them. We have petted her while we looked inside (without touching anything) and when we shut the door she hopped into the nesting area as if to check on the kits then returned to the front for some water. 
Things are looking positive, although not wanting to get my hopes up because I know things can easily go wrong, especially with us not knowing she was pregnant. 
Any advise would be appriciated, as I am extremly new to this x


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

I have replied on your other thread in the small animals section. Could well be that your boy isnt the dad so I'm not sure what bunnies these might turn out to be. best to leave her too it


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## HoneyFern (Aug 27, 2009)

Where did you adopt the buns from? If it was a rescue centre then it would be worth letting them know, they might be able to offer you help and advice. (Though if it was a rescue centre they really should have been neutered before adoption.)


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## pinkfairy18 (Mar 16, 2012)

I know the male is the dad because I adopted them of a guy that lives around our area and he had them to breed and didnt have any success (thats what he thinks) and apparently his little brother lost interest in them so he gave them away and I took them on. I have spoke to him and he says that the male is the only other rabbit that the female has been in contact with so he is the father, which I suppose is a good thing because they are both the same breed. (Not entirly sure of the breed though) He said they were fex, which I assumed he meaned Rex, so i had a look on wikipedia to find out more about the breed before I commited to them, although their fur does not seem to match the description of the Rex breed. So I am unsure, but they have both got the same colouring and are both a similar build, so hopefully they are a 'pure' breed and the babies will be ok. 
Is it normal for the mother to stay out in the front of the hutch all night, when she usually goes in her bed?
Thanks for all the advise you have already given x


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## Guest (Mar 16, 2012)

pinkfairy18 said:


> I know the male is the dad because I adopted them of a guy that lives around our area and he had them to breed and didnt have any success (thats what he thinks) and apparently his little brother lost interest in them so he gave them away and I took them on. I have spoke to him and he says that the male is the only other rabbit that the female has been in contact with so he is the father, which I suppose is a good thing because they are both the same breed. (Not entirly sure of the breed though) He said they were fex, which I assumed he meaned Rex, so i had a look on wikipedia to find out more about the breed before I commited to them, although their fur does not seem to match the description of the Rex breed. So I am unsure, but they have both got the same colouring and are both a similar build, so hopefully they are a 'pure' breed and the babies will be ok.
> Is it normal for the mother to stay out in the front of the hutch all night, when she usually goes in her bed?
> Thanks for all the advise you have already given x


After the kits have grown and are fully weaned I really would advise you to get these two neutered/spayed and bond them together.
You might not like hearing this but I would never forgive myself if I didn't say anything...
From your description these two are NOT breeding quality so should not have been bred from to start with (not your fault I know).

The best advise I can offer you is, if you really want to breed and you really want to do it properly what you need to do is find the breed that you want to concentrate on, then find yourself a good, responsible breeder within that breed.
That breeder will be able to put you in touch with the right people to get the rabbits that you need to start a good breeding program, that breeder will also be able to mentor you the whole way through your first few pregnancies giving you someone that you can rely on to help you along the way.

Before you find that breeder I would do as much research as physically possible about colour genetics and the common genetic defaults that arise in your chosen breed, also it won't hurt to pop along to a few local BRC (British Rabbit Council) shows so that you can see what a good quality rabbit looks like and learn what the faults are 

And yes it is normal for mum to leave the nest alone, rabbits aren't very "loving" mothers, they only tend to see the babies once or twice a day to feed and clean them.
Try not to bug her too much because she is new to you and the stress could result in her culling the babies, please also be aware that mum could decide to scatter the nest at any time


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## pinkfairy18 (Mar 16, 2012)

Her hutch was only made out on wednesday so it is still very clean, I cant get to the corner she goes the the toilet in because the nest is infront of it :s They had separate hutches from the start anyway because I wasn't planning on babies anytime soon, wanted to look more into breeding before letting them do it. Although I have now been thrown in at the deep end. They do say you learn more from practical experience than theory. lol. Mother and babies seem to be ok and all the babies are out of view because she has covered them in her fur, although you can clearly see the fur moving. I am planning on checking on them in the morning and see if she has moved them from under her fur, so i can visually check they have been fed and have all survived the night. My other half has covered the hutch with one of his high vis jackets because mum has not gone to her 'bed' yet and the temperature has dropped so we covered them to try and put her at ease and keep the draft off the cage.

They both will be vet checked to determine if he was correct in the diagnostic of the 'rex' breed. If all the kits survive and they have been checked by the vets to be able to breed I will make sure that the vet will support me through the whole breeding process to make sure mum and babies will be heatlhy. Luckily we have a good vet.

I have contacted our vet and they have advised me to keep an eye on her and make sure she has enough food and water, then once the kits are visable and I can do a quick head count of them, I can then contact them for them to come out and do a quick check on the mother and kits. I don't like taking risks with animals, especially because these are my 3 year old daughters bunnies. Trying to make her understand that she can nly have Milo out and not Molly is so hard. She has seen the babies and just wants to hold them so we have had to try and explain that in a few weeks she will be able to hold them and cuddle them. I have no intentions of getting rid of any of the bunnies if we are able to cope with them all (depending on how many there is) although the I feel the best way to 'sell' them is to ask for money and if people are willing to pay they will be good with them. (although I could not except any payment for them, i feel it would be a bit hypocritical because I didnt pay for molly or milo and did not plan this).

Thank you for all your advise and I will update you with any changes to the bunnies (hopefully they will be god changes)


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## swatton42 (Oct 29, 2011)

pinkfairy18 said:


> Her hutch was only made out on wednesday so it is still very clean, I cant get to the corner she goes the the toilet in because the nest is infront of it :s They had separate hutches from the start anyway because I wasn't planning on babies anytime soon, wanted to look more into breeding before letting them do it. Although I have now been thrown in at the deep end. They do say you learn more from practical experience than theory. lol. Mother and babies seem to be ok and all the babies are out of view because she has covered them in her fur, although you can clearly see the fur moving. I am planning on checking on them in the morning and see if she has moved them from under her fur, so i can visually check they have been fed and have all survived the night. My other half has covered the hutch with one of his high vis jackets because mum has not gone to her 'bed' yet and the temperature has dropped so we covered them to try and put her at ease and keep the draft off the cage.
> 
> *They both will be vet checked to determine if he was correct in the diagnostic of the 'rex' breed. If all the kits survive and they have been checked by the vets to be able to breed I will make sure that the vet will support me through the whole breeding process to make sure mum and babies will be heatlhy*. Luckily we have a good vet.
> 
> ...


I originally posted on your other thread saying that IMO you should not be breeding from these animals in future.

If the original owner does not even know for certain the breed of the rabbits then he is not a reputable breeder. Even if the vet can confirm that they are Rex's, how are you going to be sure that behavioural issues or health issues are not present in the animal's parental history?

Breeding will always be a risk. If these are pets for your young daughter then I would recommend against even considering breeding from them. A pet should be a pet. Breeding from rabbits can in some cases change their personality and temperament.

Working at the rescue, the smallest litter I have seen is 5. On average the rescue bunnies have had about 5 - 8, some have had even more. Are you sure you can house this many babies? I know you said that if you couldn't then you would sell them on but would find it difficult to ask for money for them. Please don't give them away free to collector or free to good home. By posting as free you are attracting anyone and everyone. You adopted yours as free but look what has happened. Who's to say that the someone comes to collect them and seems lovely but then breeds from them and can't cope or gets bored and the animals get neglected and then sold on again.

Like I said in my other post, I would strongly advise against breeding from these animals in the future. Use this litter as experience and a learning curve, if you are still interested in breeding, find yourself a mentor and attend some shows. The mentor can then advise you where to source quality breeding animals from, genetics, different breeds and breed standards, financial aspects, issues to look out for during pregnancy, hand-rearing, etc.

I really wish you the best of the luck with the litter you have now, and that the adult bunnies you've got make excellent pets.


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## Guest (Mar 17, 2012)

pinkfairy18 said:


> Her hutch was only made out on wednesday so it is still very clean, I cant get to the corner she goes the the toilet in because the nest is infront of it :s They had separate hutches from the start anyway because I wasn't planning on babies anytime soon, wanted to look more into breeding before letting them do it. Although I have now been thrown in at the deep end. They do say you learn more from practical experience than theory. lol. Mother and babies seem to be ok and all the babies are out of view because she has covered them in her fur, although you can clearly see the fur moving. I am planning on checking on them in the morning and see if she has moved them from under her fur, so i can visually check they have been fed and have all survived the night. My other half has covered the hutch with one of his high vis jackets because mum has not gone to her 'bed' yet and the temperature has dropped so we covered them to try and put her at ease and keep the draft off the cage.
> 
> They both will be vet checked to determine if he was correct in the diagnostic of the 'rex' breed. If all the kits survive and they have been checked by the vets to be able to breed I will make sure that the vet will support me through the whole breeding process to make sure mum and babies will be heatlhy. Luckily we have a good vet.
> 
> ...


Vets know next to nothing on breeds of rabbits, vets have no idea on genetics and finally vets are NOT there to mentor breeders.

As I have said in my previous post if you really want to breed I would find a good recommended breeder within the breed that you would like to breed, they will be able to mentor you and put you in touch with some breeding quality rabbits.

As your rabbits were given away free I can be pretty certain with my previous judgement, these rabbits will NOT be breeding quality. Please do not breed from them again, you have no idea on what genetic defects they could be carrying


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## emma20 (Feb 7, 2012)

my bunny had babies about 5 years ago she had 6 and abandoned 1, the vet sexed every single baby wrong, i fortunatly had the mum spayed after she had the babies before i knew the real sex of the babies if not they would of bread as there was 4 boys 1 girl and the female went to the bucks owner, my bunny was healty but it turned out the buck wasnt and 3 of the babies had kidney problems so i wouldnt advise breeding with these again as you cant be sure of there health.


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## emma20 (Feb 7, 2012)

also if you keep them all you will need a really big hutch, i kept all mine and had a homemade hutch it cost me about £200 for the materials.


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## emma20 (Feb 7, 2012)

it cost me a bomb on vet fees aswell


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

its very hard to sell or even rehome rabbits at the moment so many people cant afford to feed their families let alone pets. 

The rescue centre where I volunteer has approx. 50 rabbits, they might rehome 1 a week. they have a waiting list of 120 rabbits wanting to be rehomed


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## emma20 (Feb 7, 2012)

emzybabe said:


> its very hard to sell or even rehome rabbits at the moment so many people cant afford to feed their families let alone pets.
> 
> The rescue centre where I volunteer has approx. 50 rabbits, they might rehome 1 a week. they have a waiting list of 120 rabbits wanting to be rehomed


the list might grow after easter


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

it probably will, they also dont adopt out rabbits during the 2 weeks around easter and promote the "make mine chocolate" campaign


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## pinkfairy18 (Mar 16, 2012)

I would never advertise the bunnies free to a good home because I know that people will neglect them if they think they are getting something for nothing. If I do have to sell them then i will advertise them for a price but i highly doubt i will actually accept moeny for them! 
Also I dont know about all of your vets but my vet has had training in rabbits and happens to be a close friend of mine, hense she has said she will come around and give ALL the bunnies the once over, once they babies has 'left' the nest. 
Like I have also said, I had NO intentions of breeding these 2 rabbits, I only had them 2 days and I also did NOT get them from a breeder. I got them from a person who wanted to breed them and he bought them off a breeder! He said they were a Rex breed but I am not entirly sure they are, which is why my et is coming to determine whether he was right or not.
If they are both a Rex and are both healthy then I may consider breeding them again but I would never put any of my pets in danger and if my vet thinks it is unsafe to breed them again then I will leave it be with them just having the one litter. 
Like I said, my vet is trained in rabbits and I trust her opinion


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## Guest (Mar 19, 2012)

Unless you know the genetic history of BOTH rabbits going back at least 4 generations then you shouldn't breed from them again, regardless of how rabbit savvy your vet is she can't tell you what recessive genes the rabbits carry and vets know very, very little about rabbit genetics.

If you want to breed please do it properly with a good recommended breeder showing you the way.


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## Goldstar (Nov 12, 2011)

pinkfairy18 said:


> I would never advertise the bunnies free to a good home because I know that people will neglect them if they think they are getting something for nothing. If I do have to sell them then i will advertise them for a price but i highly doubt i will actually accept moeny for them!
> Also I dont know about all of your vets but my vet has had training in rabbits and happens to be a close friend of mine, hense she has said she will come around and give ALL the bunnies the once over, once they babies has 'left' the nest.
> Like I have also said, I had NO intentions of breeding these 2 rabbits, I only had them 2 days and I also did NOT get them from a breeder. I got them from a person who wanted to breed them and he bought them off a breeder! He said they were a Rex breed but I am not entirly sure they are, which is why my et is coming to determine whether he was right or not.
> If they are both a Rex and are both healthy then I may consider breeding them again but I would never put any of my pets in danger and if my vet thinks it is unsafe to breed them again then I will leave it be with them just having the one litter.
> Like I said, my vet is trained in rabbits and I trust her opinion


Sorry but why would you post on here asking questions regarding the care of baby rabbits then proceed to say "I may consider breeding them again" .... No offence meant, but breeding them again is a very bad idea considering your limited knowledge.

I know nothing about rabbits, that is why I don't plan on breeding any


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