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mummy24

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hey there. i have 2 rabbits one that i got from the pet shop and one that i was given. the thing is that she has given birth to 3 babys and im nt sure on what to do, this is her 2nd littler in a month. she gave birth 2 3 nt even a month ago and they died and to find out she gave birth again yesterday. i have her and the dad in the same cage and they keep on fighting with each other. do i have 2 buy another cage for him and leave her with the babys...
how do i go about looking after them cause i have never hade baby rabbits before i knw how 2 look after puppys but not rabbits, what do i feed her 2 help her feed them.
plzzz sameone help me....
 
Best to separate them. Dad's can trample them.
All you have to do is make sure they have an area sheltered from the weather (Heat/cold/wind/rain)
Feed the mum as normal and she will do the rest. Don't worry if you don't see the mum with them as you do with rats. I hardly ever see my rabbits feeding their kittens.

You will know if you have a good mum because she will make a nest out of her own fur before she gives birth. If she doesn't, don't be surprised if the babies die.
I have had a few mums that don't make the nest. The babies always died that night from exposure. She made a nest once and they all survived.
If you are breeding rabbits for food, I wouldn't recommend keeping a rabbit like this. Their breeding records are rubbish and they are best in the freezer. Then get a new rabbit.

Good Luck with these ones.
 
seperate dad and dont touch the bubs either. sometimes they need a few tries to get it right, good luck
 
Yes, I think the dad was possibly the cause of the babies the first time. I have never bred rabbits, but have been told they can be aggressive when the babies come along. You may need to buy a nesting box to put mum and babies in, or buy another cage for the dad. I hope these babies make it!
 
hey thanks heaps. the mother made a nest this time around. when i went 2 clean the cage. Thats when i found out she hade them. she hade so much fur in there i went 2 move the hair and found them.
i have always keeped them inside after my kids other 2 rabbits die from the cold of a night and cats caming near the cage.. even if i go out they came inside.. no im nt breading them for food they r my kids pet and im just nt sure on what 2 do with them. im hoping for my son that they do surive cause nw he knws that there r babys in the cage if they die he will get upset cause he is the one feeding them and she has let my son pat her and them. im the only adult she lets touch them.
 
If they are pets for your kids then you probably shouldn't have a male and a female in together, they are rabbits after all! They will continuously breed (like rabbits) and the female will probably eventually get sick due to the stress of constantly breeding. It's a really REALLY good idea to get at least the boy desexed, they're much calmer after desexing and you will find he won't fight with her anymore. It's a great lesson for the kids too, to have them desexed teaches your kids about responsible pet ownership. Constant breeding doesn't really teach the kids much about responsible pet ownership and is not great for the animals either.

For now definitely keep the parents separate, the male is not good to have around the babies. Plus the doe (the girl) will have come into heat within 48 hours of giving birth - so she might be pregnant again already. You sound like you haven't bred her on purpose, and I would suggest not breeding her again. Trust me, it's very very hard to find loving homes for rabbits, many are neglected once the cuteness wears off (within 6 months) and either end up escaping or being dumped. Pet shops are no better, anyone can buy a bunny and it ends up forgotten in a hutch, succeptible to myxo infection or dies in the first weeks due to hypothermia overnight. Lots of rabbits end up in shelters (just like dogs or cats) but are hard to adopt out because they're not cute like the babies in the pet shop - there is no need for more. Sorry, I'll get off my high horse now, just wanted to point that out.

Make sure she has a good supply of food - a good quality mix or pellet (preferably not the supermarket stuff, it tends to be not much good) and lots of HAY. Hay is the most important thing in a rabbit's diet, as fibre is what they're designed to digest. If you can get a bale of LUCERNE hay that's the best thing to give her, as it's got plenty of calcium and energy to help fuel her during lactation. Fresh water every day is important too of course!

She'll only feed the babies once or twice a day for 10-15 minutes at a time, so don't worry if you don't see her feeding them. Does tend to be really sensitive about the smell of their babies, so if you can try to get the kids to "look but don't touch" for at least the next 3 weeks until the babies are more developed and are starting to wean themselves.

The babies should be just about weaned by the time they're 6 weeks old, at that age you will need to sex them and separate the boys from the girls, or else the boys will start impregnating the others - mum first then their sisters.

I know that I'm prattling on a lot but I've dealt lots with pet rabbits and breeding in the last few years. PM me if you like and I can give you some great links to rabbit websites with excellent information. Hope the babies go well for you!
 
hey thanks

hey
i only went to the pet shop and got my kids 1 rabbit then my nephew came down with a black rabbit and put it in the cage. im nt sure witch one is the male and female cause the black one that we think is the female has lost same fur and the fur is around the babys, then sametime the grey one witch was the one that i got from the shop goes in near them aswell...
thanks heaps for letting me knw i was only having 1 rabbit then another one came alone cause i couldnt see it have no home so we ttok it in and nw look what happens they have babys... my 5 yr old always goes and checks on them and we always tell him nt to touch them just llok at them...
if i dnt have a box to put them in how else can i keep them warm. i always turn the dryer on of a night to keep it warm for them cause it is getting cold here of a night, i bring them in at like 5 cause thats when it gets really cold and i take them out at about 9 when it is warm is that good with what im doing....
i put this bedding around them its what i got from the pet shop it stops the cage from smelling like rabbits poo. can i still give her the viatims in her water while she has the babys and feeding them....
can i feed her carrots and lettuce while she is feeding the babys it will nt hurt her will it im so lost on what 2 do. i think that i better stop asking so many questions nw. thanks heaps again it was so helpful....
would it cost much to get the male desexed....
how many times a month can she have babys this is her 2nd litter in less then a month. the last ones were the 8.6.2009. this on was born on 9.7.2009 at 10:00 in the morning...
any help would be good thanks...
 
Should actually get the female desexed as they can develop a cancer of sorts (i forget which cancer) if the dont breed. This cancer is also common in ferrets. Has something to do with the females reproductive organs. De-sexing isnt expencive either, about $80
 
The mum will be the one with no fur on her tummy (and some sucked on nipples?). With the male you should be able to see two lumps(testicles) on each side of his bottom area.
Could be a good idea to PM Beardieboy for the websites and info.

Thanks
Kim
 
Should actually get the female desexed as they can develop a cancer of sorts (i forget which cancer) if the dont breed. This cancer is also common in ferrets. Has something to do with the females reproductive organs. De-sexing isnt expencive either, about $80


ferrets get fatal anemia. is this what you mean?
i know that if you dont desex your female ferret before she hits heat, she stays in heat till she is bred with, and if she isnt, it leads to stress, and eventually fatal anemia.
 
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