2nd pregancy when baby rabbits only 3 weeks old

Question
Hi Alice,

Many thanks for all of your advice so far, it really has been invaluable. The babies are now 3 half weeks old and doing really well, they are eating hay and pellets and very active. I moved them downstairs as you suggested and they are fine (and still getting fed - thank you for putting my mind at rest!!)

I'm certain now that the mum is pregnant again and I calculate that she will give birth on Thursday. I was hoping I could ask a few more questions around this as I know you have experience of this happening. When the doe gives birth to the new babies, is there a risk that the older babies will harm the young ones? The older babies now run around the entire hutch and run like maniacs and I'm not sure how I could separate them off.

In your experience did both liters survive? Was the mother able to provide enough milk for all of them?  Thank you for your tip about weighing the babies to check that they are getting fed - I will do that. If you have any other tips I'd be really grateful.

Thank you so much.

Debra

Answer
Hi Debra

Glad to hear that all the bunnies are doing so well.

Mom will begin to wean them sometime soon. Mine are eating pellets now as well as nursing. She will likely wean the older ones when the new litter arrives. They will be about four weeks old and they technically can be removed from the mothers care once they are fully on solids. I would weigh them all and take weights daily to ensure that they are all getting enough and that the older babies are actually eating on their own.
Can the babies jump up to the top part where the nestbox used to be...

If so, then I would consider moving them and putting the Mother with them for a about five minutes a day. If she doesn't feed them herself, then I would then try holding Mum and letting the babies slide under her belly.

If they start losing weight then I would hold the mother rabbit and allow them to nurse once a day only to sustain themselves until they are fully on solids. They can be removed from the cage and should be, so that they aren't stressing the poor mother rabbit out chasing her and trying to nurse every second of the day.

Because this is the second subsequent pregnancy her milk will come in even heavier so she should have enough for all.

The babies wont hurt them, they might even cuddle in to try to get them warm, but I would avoid the babies jumping in the nest box because they are soon delicate at this age and could be injured inadvertently.

Good luck with your second litter. Hopefully it isn't too large. Ideally you would want another five kits. If there are more than that I would watch them closely and weigh them daily as well recording everyone`s weight so you don't lose track and can stay on top of them all. sometimes with babies by the time we notice they aren't eating properly, its often too late. Weighing them will prevent this.

Good luck Debra... Good to hear from you again.

Alice