What to feed to 3 weeks old babies?

[haven711]

All five of them were born on Jan 27th and they are doing great. Mommy has been feeding them twice a day 7AM and 7PM. Now, they want to come out and play, bite things and stuff. I just have some questions:

1. When they should be weened? Someone says 6 weeks and other person says 8 weeks.

2. Should I give them water, hay or pallets, so they can chew on stuff?

3. When father and mother can join and play together? Mom is still nervous if they are not in the nest.

Any other advice will be appreciated. Thanks!!


Of course, pictures!!

 

[elrohwen]

Very cute!

They should stay with mom until they are 8 weeks - she will wean them on her own time. Provide water, hay, and pellets for mom and the babies will start to eat them when they're ready.

Don't let dad around the babies or mom - he can get mom pregnant again immediately and he probably won't get along with the babies very well. Just keep them with mom.

eta: I'm moving this to the breeding forum - you'll get more responses there.

 

[haven711]

Thanks for your reply. I got you. That's what I needed. It looks like I should keep alfalfa pellets, hays and water near babies, so mom can eat them and babies can eat them when they are ready as well. Dad was neutered on Jan 11th, but they mated some time in late Dec before he got neutered. When babies were born, we showed dad his babies and he licked them. We showed babies to him recently and he kinda ignored. Babies thought it was mom, so they crawled under his belly for food, he freaked out and jumped out of the nest.

 

[elrohwen]

I would avoid putting them with dad until they are taken away from mom - then you can see if he gets along with one of them. Right now it will probably just make mom very nervous and territorial to have her babies around another rabbit.

 

[haven711]

elrohwen wrote:

Right now it will probably just make mom very nervous and territorial to have her babies around another rabbit.

Yes, that's what we figured. Although mom and dad are getting along very well, mom was acting nervous when dad was around babies, so after that we don't let the dad around the babies.

 

[haven711]

I still didn't get the answer I need. Can I give them water, alfalfa hay or pellets? They become more active and looks like need more food besides mom's milk. They pee, but I don't see any droppings. Is that normal?

 

[TinysMom]

They can eat whatever mom eats and the dad can get mom pregnant for something like 6 weeks or so after his surgery? Something like that...

I just leave out extra food and hay and they start eating it on their own as they watch mama.

 

[haven711]

I put water, alfalfa hay and pellets and they are eating them. Still I don't see any droppings. I'm suspecting they are eating it. There's no way 5 bunnies have no droppings. I hope they stop it since I put some food there.

 

[Flash Gordon]

gorgeous little babies!!
mommas prob cleaning up after them thats prob why ur not seeing any droppings yet....