i need help!!!

Question
hello,
i had a beautiful rabbit and it died. So i wanted to get 1 more. can i mix baby rabbits age 3-4 weeks old. i know they will not breed but will they fight? and should i buy 2 females so they keep each other,farm,entertamed? and if 1 of the females is haveing babys and get's sick will the other female help raise the babys?
thankyou heaps,
hayley james

Answer
Hi Hayley

I would love to help you but I am a bit confused.  Where did the babies that are 3-4 weeks old come from?  Are they from the deceased mother?  A baby at 3-4 weeks without a mother has a very limited chance of survival.  Occasionally they will survive but they often need to be hand fed, given probiotics and should be monitored daily for diarrhea (enteritis) which is very common in young baby rabbits that don't have a mom to get the necessary gut bacteria from.

If the babies that are this young still have a mom please keep them with her until they are 8 weeks old.  Rabbits should not be weaned until they are 8 weeks old unless the doe dies or has some horrible illness.  In this case a vet would need to be contacted so that stool samples can be examined.

As for fighting, all rabbits need to be properly bonded.  Young rabbits under 10 weeks old can generally be housed together for short periods of times.  After 11 weeks they should all be separated for a few reasons.  When they start to develop their sex hormones they often fight and they fights can cause serious damage and death.  Rabbits are also difficult to sex and when they are young unless you are very experienced you may not be able to tell if they are bucks or does, in this case you could end up with accidental litters.  Breeding a rabbit under 6 months old is dangerous to the doe.

It is not a good idea to bond any rabbit that you plan to use to breed.  Although some very experienced breeders have had success with housing 2 does that were litter mates and using them for breeding, these people either have great experience in bonding or are farmers who really don't care if the babies get trampled.  Each rabbit that is going to be used for breeding should be housed separately.

Rabbits are social creatures and they love to have a bond.  The problem is that the need to be spayed and neutered.  The best possible combination is a neutered buck to a spayed doe.  Occasionally litter mates that are does can keep their bond but you won't know for sure until they reach sexual maturity.  

You can certainly get 2 does and have them spayed and properly bonded.  However there are better ways to get pet rabbits.  The HRS has thousands of rabbits available and some are already bonded.  They are already spayed and have been examined by a veterinarian.  There are also rabbit shelters in most areas.  Because rabbits can have serious genetic defects and carry illnesses it is just not wise to buy them from anyone but a reputable breeder.  It is heart breaking to buy a rabbit and bring it home to find out that it has snuffles or pasturella and to spend thousands of dollars on vet bills only to have it die anyway.  A reputable breeder would be one that would guarantee the health of their rabbits.  They are usually members of the American Rabbit Breeders Association or they are willing to provide vet references.

If any of your does get sick and they have babies the absolute only way that the other doe will take care of babies is if she has them at the same time and they are fostered to her while they are less than a week old.  If a doe has not had her own litter she wouldn't have milk to provide to the litter.  I never breed just one doe.  I always have does due at the exact same time so that I can reduce large litters by fostering and if I have a bad or sick mother I can save the babies by fostering them to another mother.  Rabbits that are good mothers will usually care for all babies no matter whose they are provided they are given to her when they are less than a week old and that her own kits are the same age.

Raising rabbits has its difficulties.  If you want to raise rabbits you should join the ARBA.  They will send you a book about raising better rabbits and it is free along with your membership.  As fun as it is to have babies there are many things you have to consider.  The absolute only rabbits that should be bred are purebred rabbits with pedigrees that have no genetic defects.  Unless you are willing to eat your babies or send them to a farmer or market who would.  There is no market for non purebred rabbits and the sad fact is that most of the babies are used for meat.  Personally I have no issue with what you decide to do but I wanted to give you all the facts.  

This site has not been updated in a while but it still has some useful information about bonding.  Please check it out and it may help you make your decision:

http://www.hgrabbitry.com/howtobondmybunnies.htm


I am very sorry for the loss of your pet bunny.  It is very sad when we lose one of our family friends.  If you have any further questions please let me know.

Sincerely,

Pam