Just found baby rabbits

[Emmaf08]

Hi all, we thought we had got 3 female rabbits...turns out one must be a male as when feeding them tonight have found a neat with 5 babies sadly one had died...do I need to move.mum and babies?
The 3 rabbits have been together since we got them and all get on...any help would be appreciated
Thanks

 

[zuppa]

Hi, yes you should separate your '3 females' immediately and check them all which one is a male. If you have 2 females and one male it is very possible that other female is also pregnant.
It would be best to leave mum and babies where they are now and move the other two but I don't know what is your situation do you have them outdoors in hutches or they are all indoor?

 

[Emmaf08]

They are indoor rabbits with one cage which is open all the time they hop in and out as they please and have free roam...they have been together since we got them and live happily together.
So do I need to out mum and babies in another room? Will she be ok on her own?

 

[zuppa]

She won't be on her own, she has 4 babies she will be busy taking care of them.

I would leave her where she is just maybe attach an x-pen to her cage so she still can have room to exercise but the other two you need to check their sex and separate them. What age they are?

 

[Emmaf08]

They are 7 months old, they have free roam.of the.room, so will have to find somewhere for the other 2 to go mum is lying down with her sister at the minute next to the nest...we have found the male and hes sat on my knee right now x

 

[zuppa]

So maybe you can leave sisters together well it's depending on their character I've heard that some sisters are fine when one of them are having babies but sometimes they are not great with babies so I never tried that. I would separate them but you know them best I suppose. The male must be removed immediately. He can hurt babies and can get pregnant both females again really quickly.
Rabbits can get pregnant same day they give birth so I don't know how old are babies were they born just today? It is possible that sister is also pregnant and your new mum can have another litter in 30 days

 

[zuppa]

Also check sister as well maybe you have two males there

 

[Emmaf08]

Babies were born either last night or today whilst we were at work...we have checked and they are both sisters and one male!!
Her nest isnt in the cage she has made it at the side of it and covered it with straw and hay so do I leave it there or put them in the cage? X

 

[zuppa]

Can you post a photo of the nest and where it is? It is best not to move it but also very important that babies stay in all the time until 2-3 weeks otherwise they will be crawling around and will be cold and can die, they have no fur and need to stay together and warm each other. Mother will only nurse once or twice a day. So you might need to get a sturdy box with high sides fill it with some absorbing stuff like wood pellets or shavings or straw and hay on top, make a hole in there and carefully place nest which she built into the box, but if you could take a pic would be easier to advise

 

[zuppa]

Here's short video how to prepare a nestbox you can use a sturdy cardboard box or something else just he explains what he puts into it might be useful to you.

If she has fur on top covering the babies you put it all as is with all the hay and fur, if there's no fur you can get some from her belly and chest

 

[Preitler]

I would leave the nest where it is, wouldn't move it if there isn't a good reason to do so. Putting it into a nestbox or a low barrier around it might be a good idea though, it reduces the risk that kits are dragged out at the teat or that they crawl out.

First thing to do is to remove the buck, second thing is to mark 4 weeks after giving birth in the calender - unfortunatly to rabbits there's no aphrodisiac like a doe giving birth, she might be pregnant again already.

Meanwhile, think about how to contain the kits once they become mobile - you don't want them free roam. They pee and poop everywhere, and worse, they get under and behind everything.

I never had any issue with other does around, they respected the nest, I think one even started to lactate and nurse. Only problem could be if they are pregnant too and pick the same spot for a nest. My breeding does live in pairs (or trios at times), but a few years back there was an accidential litter in a hutch with 4 doelings - didn't notze anything until there were 5 more rabbits hopping around in that hutch.