Best way to foster a baby bunny to another doe

[Kati's Holland Lops]

What is the best way to foster a 3 day old baby bunny to another doe, the two does are somewhat friendly to each other because they have cages that are beside each other. One of the does just had her first litter and one of the babies is a black otter( über important to me) this black otter is not doing good so I want to foster it to the other doe whom delivered in the same day and is like 3 yrs old( hers are doing awesome)

 

[Bindi]

I've never done this in practice, but I have heard about a) distracting the new mother away from the nest and then rubbing the baby over with her fur and leaving it in the nest or even b) putting Vicks on the nose of the new mother so she can't tell the difference! lol I'm sure someone else can come along with some better advice though.

 

[majorv]

How many kits are in the other litter? You can take the nestbox out and put the other kit inside with the others then it should be okay. Many does are pretty accepting of fosters, but some aren't. Just watch her after you put the nestbox back in. You could rub the kit with some of the fur in the nestbox if you're nervous about just dropping it in.

 

[woahlookitsme]

I always jut plop the foster baby in the nestbox and everything goes fine. Ive never heard of a mother attacking a foster kit.

Vicks is not necessary

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

Like others have said, I just put the baby in the other nest. I usually bury the foster on the bottom just for extra insurance that it will fit in. But I've even had to foster kits that are up and running around on their own - the does didn't seem to care.

 

[ladysown]

most does won't care.. just plunk the baby in with the others. BUT stay and watch for a while as some does DO care and will dig the offender out of the nest. (way to prevent that in wee littles is to just pull the box for a while)

You need to query though your reasons for doing so.
Sometimes kits fail for good reasons. if all the others kits in the litter are doing well.. why is the one fading? Does it not have the will to survive? Letting nature take it's course is not a bad thing to do eh?

I understand the desire to save them all, but sometimes it is better not to do so.