Baby Bunnies, 2 litters

Question
I got two rabbits in March, I was told both were females. It turns out one was a male and 1 months ago the female delivered 6 babies. She pulled fur and made a nest and all 6 babies are alive and well, 4 weeks and 2 days old. This morning I woke up to find 5 more baby bunnies just she had just delivered. One baby is smaller than the other four, and one appears as though his left front paw, his right back foot, his tail, and both ears have been chewed or have some birth defect. It looks more like they have been chewed on as they are missing and there is an open sore. I was told the original two rabbits I got were half chinchilla. I'm not sure if that makes any difference. I placed the babies in a box with a soft cloth on the bottom and bedding over them. The bedding is called Care Fresh I believe? It looks like it is paper that is mushy and soft.

How is this going to affect the female who now has two litters to care for? Should I place her only with the newest litter born today (July 20, 2008) or should I place her with both litters splitting the time between the two? Is there any way I can help keep them warm since she did not pull fur for a nest this time? Also, should I use a damp cloth to clean the baby who appears to have the wounds, or should I leave that to the mother to take care of?

Answers or help with finding an answer would be greatly appreaciated. Thank you very much!

Answer
Dear Sheila,

A mother rabbit can be impregnated within minutes of giving birth, so it's very likely that she's already pregnant *again* if she's been with the male.  The first litter is still too young to be weaned, but the newer babies need their mother's milk even more.  Eleven babies, half of them already big, will need more milk than she can give.  

The first order of business will be to separate the male physically (but let him be close enough to see/smell his family).  Second, be sure the second litter is set up with a nest, even if you have to make it yourself.  Follow instructions here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/supriselitter.html

Let the second litter stay with their mother, so she'll feed them for at least a few days and get them started with antibody-rich colostrum.  You can let the older babies nurse on her once a day, and then, if they are not putting on weight, supplement with formula, as per the instructions here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/orphan.html

If they are eating solid food, you can very gradually wean them away from mom, as long as none of them show signs of runny stool.  Mother's milk protects the babies as they start to eat solid food, and if they don't get her antibodies, they are susceptible to GI tract infections and other disorders.  So try to parse out mama's resources for at least a couple of weeks, so the first litter doesn't suffer while the second litter gets a chance to grow (since milk will be their *only* food for about 2.5 weeks).

Next, and this is the MOST important, find a good rabbit vet here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

and set up a time to have mama spayed within the next week.  She'll be sore for a day or two, but she will continue to produce milk as long as her babies are nursing, since the hormone that stimulates milk production (prolactin) is produced by the pituitary (in her brain), not her reproductive organs.  She will continue to nurse her babies if you give her the right, stress-free environment, but will not have to suffer through a *third* litter, which could actually put her life in danger.

The papa should be neutered at the same time.  Once mama is spayed and given a few days to heal, she and her neutered husband can be carefully reintroduced with the instructions in the articles here:

ttp://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-a=00062824-sp00000000&sp-q=bonding&user=enter+email+address

if they show any sign of hostility after being separated.

The injured baby was probably mutilated by the mama as she overgroomed them while licking off the placenta and afterbirth.  She didn't realize what she was doing, but the stress of having a second litter so soon has taken its toll on her, and this could be why she (1) overgroomed the baby to the point of mutilation and (2) didn't build a nest or show maternal behaviors towards the second litter.

I hope this helps you get the situation under control, and that the whole family will be fine.

Good luck,
Dana