Emergency! Just had baby bunnies and I didn't know one was a boy!

[TanishaEileen]

So I only just joined this forum today ironically to come home to baby bunnies! seriously! I am in shock!
I honestly was told both my bunnies are girls, and i've maybe had them a month!
I don't know what to do! I have noticed she has the bunnies kinda bundled up, except one has sort of been pushed to the side and I don't want him/her to die!
What is the protocol here?? Can I touch him/her and maybe move him closer to the other bunnies? I could really use some advice right now!

 

[LindseyG]

Make sure you separate the father and yes you can touch them. As long as the mother is used to your scent. I will provide more info after work if nobody else responds. Gold luck!

 

[TanishaEileen]

Thank you so much! and I should for sure separate the male? I just look at a website that also talked about keeping them warm.
She does have a nice sort of nest for them, that has a lot of chippings and also her fur. Can I assume that is enough? I also touched one to move him in closer with the other bunnies as I read that is ok and he was off on his own and would have gotten cold very quickly!
Right now the male is licking and giving love to mama bunny! though I did read they can get pregnant very quickly so I will be separating. I just feel a bit guilty, but I seriously don't want baby bunnies. No more than I have now anyway!
Will they still love each other if they are separated for a couple of weeks?
I'm now going to get him neutered, for sure! but I don't know how soon I can make that happen

 

[LindseyG]

Unfortunately she can get pregnant 24 hours after giving birth so yes definitely separate them. Put the cages close together though so they can still see and smell each other.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

Definitely separate the male. This is a chance that he has already gotten her pregnant again, so there could be more babies in about a month. You will need to keep them apart for 4-6 weeks after he is neutered as he can still be fertile up to then. Rabbits do not go into heat and can get pregnant at just about any time, so there really is no safe time to have an intact male and female together unless you want to breed.

If she build a good nest, it should keep them warm especially if they are inside the house. You can put the nest into a box. This keeps the nest contained and keep the babies from falling out. A shoe box sized box will work.
You can touch an handle the kits, just not too much. You should check them daily to make sure they are getting fed and to make sure they are all alive. It is also important to check the nest now for any dead kits or bits of the after birth.

Rabbits will only feed once or twice a day and that is usually in the morning and later evening and you probably won't see it happen.

 

[TanishaEileen]

Hello!

Thank you for the advice! The boy bunny is now out of the cage and will likely stay there for a good while! Do you know when I let them out for play time, can I still let them mingle together? or should I do that seperately as well?

Can you recommend anything I should be feeding her? One of the babies had died this morning, but I am almost sure it was the one that had sorta been pushed to the side yesterday. I moved him in with the others but this morning I checked and found that he was not alive anymore.

She has only had 3 that I have been able to see, so i'm sure there aren't more cuz I sorta dug around in there. One of them is a little bigger than the other one, but they both seem to be alive and moving still and I'm pretty sure she fed them as they have a little bulg. I didn't really touch them though.

Anyway if there are any special food care reccomendations for the mom I would appreciate that! Right now they have regular access to timothy hay, pellets, and I feed them a serving of carrots/collard greens/broccoli/celery/lettuce mix. I usually give them a mix of two or 3 veggies everyday. Should that be good enough?

 

[Nancy McClelland]

No mingling til after neutering unless you want more progeny--also, after a neutering it's recommended that the male be kept separate for a month till the well is definitely run dry. We have gotten several from different shelters that weren't the sex we were told they were.

 

[naturestee]

If the pellets are made with alfalfa, the diet sounds great. Let her have as many pellets as she wants.

I'm so sorry that the one baby died. The mom probably knew there was something wrong with him from the start, and that's why he was pushed away from the others.

Unfortunately, the mom and dad will not be able to play together or have any contact aside from seeing each other through cage walls until a month after he is neutered. You have to wait until a month after the neuter surgery because there can still be sperm in his tubes and there have been cases of recently-neutered male rabbits impregnating females.

It's possible that the mom is pregnant again. Keep an eye on her condition. She may need extra food, such as alfalfa hay instead of some of the timothy and maybe Nutrical, a vitamin supplement.

Have fun with those cuties! They grow up so fast.

 

[TanishaEileen]

thank you The two buns still alive are doing really great so far and are just OMG adorable!! I don't touch them much, though I canjust sit and stareand my heart melts.

Hera, momma bunny, is such a good mom I have such a newfound appreciation and love for her! Honestly did not know they rip their fur out to make a nest, and I watch her check on them regularly and noticed that even a week later she is still ripping some fur out to add to the bedding, and I notice she kind of tucks them in.

I'm loving the experience however worrisome it has been

 

[ZRabbits]

If your Mommy is on timothy pellets, and alfalfa is what she needs to help keep her energy and milk up for the babies, why not get a bale of alfalfa hay. It comes in packages just like your timothy hay. Give her the alfalfa hay until you are ready the wean the babies. And the babies will get the benefit out of the alfalfa hay too.

Wishing you all the luck. It is an amazing thing to watch. New life and Mom taking control. Can't wait to experience it myself. Watching baby bunnies grow.

Would love to see pics of Mom and babies.

K