how long can the babies stay without mother

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ohsnapitscharity wrote:
they wouldnt be missing any feeding times. and they were bornjuly 9th.
Best to keep all babies with the momma till they are 5-6 weeks, Don't remove them from her that is a stupid idea, And she mightn't except them back, If you do.
 
no i meant to get them used to humans. like can i bring them inside for 30 minutes or something. plus i was only thinking about taking half the litter at a time. no need to call the idea stupid.
 
Paul if you're going to have that attitude shut up, you out of all people shouldn't be telling people that something is a stupid idea considering your history.

Charity, at that age I wouldn't take them away from the mother, by all means once their eyes are open and they're running around pick them up and hold them, play around with them a bit but don't take them too far away from mommy. When they get closer to the weaning age (5-6 weeks) then you can start bringing them inside, but honestly the stress is too great on the mother and the babes this early on.

Daily visits and playing with the babies (lots of petting and skritches behind the ears are in order), will acclimatise the rabbits to you and human beings. Try no to stress the mother out too much.
 
Although this is true, you don't want to stress the mother or the babies out too much, when they're getting much closer to the 5-6 weeks for weaning then you can take them away for 10-15 minutes.
 
When my babies were that age I would take them out and put them on my lap while I was sitting beside their cage, I would only hold them for five minutes at most at a time because they don't really like to be away from their nest too much at that age, don't want to stress them out. When they are about four weeks you can start taking them out more but I always stay where Mammy can see me, she may be upset that her babies are gone :)
 
We started taking our away when they were two weeks, but just for really short bursts which we gradually increased with age.

I would say maybe go with five minutes for half the litter once a day and see how mum does. if mum is ok then you can carry on with that, but if she is clearly stressed by it then wait and try again in a week or so and keep going like that until she is happy with them going.

Paul- I know the question was phrased badly but try not to judge people or be down right rude because that won't help anyone, just make you look bad.
 
I handle my babies daily from the day they're born. Even from birth, I'll take them out for 5-10 minutes to hold them and play with them. Most does don't mind at all, I hold each one in front of her nose before I put them back in so she knows they're back. :)
 
OakRidgeRabbits wrote:
I handle my babies daily from the day they're born. Even from birth, I'll take them out for 5-10 minutes to hold them and play with them. Most does don't mind at all, I hold each one in front of her nose before I put them back in so she knows they're back. :)
I do the same thing :)

 
My daughter and I would take the large nest box the babies were kept in, and take it into our front room and watch them while watching some TV...the mom never had a problem with it (most of the time Rosie only nursed 1x a day and rarely came back to the nest box during the day).



.....pssst! when we gonna see pics of those young'uns?
 
With all litters that I have raised, I always take the babies out once a day everyday from the day they are born. I take the nestbox out and take it to the couch with me. I use a fleece blanket to keep the babies warm and I take them out of the nest one by one.

It is important to check all the babies everyday to make sure they are all fed and that none are injured.

Mom has always accepted them back. She might stick her nose in the nest to make sure the babies are all right. A mother's instincts to care for her young are much stronger than any funny smell from a human hand. And if she knows you, then there is even less of a risk.

I normally have the nest box out for anywhere from 5 minutes to a half an hour.

--Dawn
 
When my does have babies my sister and I will usually start taking them out to get used to us when they are about four days old for only 10 minutes. And then once they open their eyes we take them out for a few minutes longer. We don't go far from the hutch tho, just onto the floor.

ETA: We bring the nestbox with us as well, that way when they are done walking around they can take a little nap and when they wake up they are back in their cage with Momma.
 
Im usually there the day they are born and take them out, hold them, talk to them as long as momma is ok. Usually they dont have an issue because they already trust me. I take babies out every day for a few minutes to get them accustomed to being handled. When their eyes open I take them out for longer periods and expose them to more things.
 

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