Has my rabbit given birth?

[y3cats]

i was given 2 rabbits and told they were both males. i had noticed them mating but didnt think anything of it. i noticed a couple of days ago that one was collecting straw and building a nest so moved him/ her to another cage as have heard the male sometimes kill the babies. She started pulling hair out yesterday and building another nest. She has now stopped doin this so am wondering if she has maybe had the babies, i was told by a friend to just leave her to it and to not look in as she will reject them. is this true if not what do i do now. i am a complete novice so dont know what to do for the best.

Any advice would be great

Stacey

 

[binkies]

That isn't true about the mother rejecting them. If she will allow you to put your hand into the nest, it would be a really good idea. All of the breeders on here handle the babies daily. It gets them used to human contact and they can also keep a good check on the health of everyone.

I'm glad that the real male was removed, because he can impregnate her immediately after she gives birth. So make sure to double check the sexes of both of your rabbits if you don't have babies. Just to make sure you don't have a male/female pair.

By the way, if it is a she and she is pregnant they can build nests anytime from two weeks or right before birth.

 

[aurora369]

Some good advice above!

Just to re-iterate, go ahead a touch the babies!! Put your hand in the nest and feel around. It is very important to remove any dead babies or left over placentas otherwise they will go rotten and make the other babies sick.

Did she pull fur and put that in her nest? Some does will build nests for up to two weeks before giving birth, but most only pull fur right before giving birth.

Good job seperating the buns. It's not really a matter of the male killing the babies, it's the fact that he can (and will) make the girl pregnant again immediatly after she gave birth. Which is hard on her and her babies as she will lose her milk as the second litter comes close to being born. Not to mention you will then need to find homes for two litters!

So, go look in the nest, take pictures if you can, and tell us if there is fur and babies in it.

If there are babies, they should have round looking bellies(like they swallowed a ping pong ball). That means mom has fed them. Mom will only feed 1-2 times a day and she will jump on the nest, move the fur aside and stand over them while they nurse from beneath. You probably won't see her feed them, so just check them for round bellies to make sure they are being fed.

It would be a good idea to look into getting the boy neutered now, as by the time mom is done weaning the babies you can get her spayed then re-bond her with her boyfriend.

I would also recommend finding a vet to sex your buns just to make sure you do have a boy and a girl.

Good luck, and please ask as many questions as you need. We are here to help!

--Dawn

 

[y3cats]

Just had a look in. We have 2 babies that i can see and they were well covered with her fur. Looks as though they have round bellies and felt warm. Bit nervous about handling them as they look so delicate but mum didnt seem to mind.

Is there any special care i should be taking of the mum i.e. dietry supplements, vitamins, etc.

 

[TinysMom]

You will want to gradually increase her food since she is nursing them - but other than that - she should be fine and the babies should be fine.

You might want to check the nest just a bit more to make sure there are no other babies in there that have passed away. Far better to check and have nothing be wrong in there - than to not feel around and make sure and have a dead baby. (Maybe you did feel around real good - just saying if you are unsure ~ you might want to check again).

Peg

 

[aurora369]

Make sure mom has lots of hay and pellets.

What kind of pellets is she on? If it's a lower protien feed you may want to transition her onto a higher protien feed (16% protien)by gradually introducing into her feed over the next two weeks.

Have a good feel in the nest and make sure there are no left over placentas or any dead babies. It's okay to handle the babies, pick them up and look at them. Just be careful because they can jump and be squirmy, so I would just hold them over the nest and have a look.

I take babies out and handle them right from day one. If the nest box is removable, you can take them out for a little bit and snuggle with them while watching TV. Just make sure they don't get cold.

If you haven't already, check out this information:http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12047&forum_id=17

--Dawn

 

[y3cats]

Had a better look in the nest there is definately no dead babies or placenta in there. They seem a bit small but i wouldnt know how big they should be, i will try and get some photos tomorrow

I'm just feeding her bog standard rabbit mix from a pet shop at the moent are there any specific type of pellet you suggest?

Gunna have to think of a new name for her now dont think Dave is very appropriate for a female.

 

[aurora369]

Davette?? LOL!

I somehow lost all of my pictures of the last litter Wildfire had from birth to two weeks. Other wise I'd post some for you.

How big are the parents? The babies should be about as long as your palm (well, my palm but I have small hands) so about 3 inches.

Mom should do most of the work from now on. There's not much you should have to do except handle them lots to get them used to people and make sure they are clean (I don't clean the nest box out till about two weeks, but if it gets really gross you can do a mini clean and just take the really dirty bits out).

--Dawn

 

[y3cats]

Thanks for all the advice has been really helpful.

Think the parents are dwarfs of some kind not quite sur because got themfrom a friend and she didnt know.

I'll keep you posted on how the little ones are getting on, they seem to be doing great at the moment

 

[~Tracey~]

Or you could call her Davina

 

[TinysMom]

I would increase her food some every day for the next few days as she's going to be eating for more than just herself!

Peg