Mama bunny pregnant again?

Question
QUESTION: I have a bunny who had 3 babys almost 4 weeks ago! We didn't know she was pregnant, so the male was still with her when she gave birth. Now everyone is telling us she is most likely pregnant again. He was with her 8-12 hours afterwards. I was told I have to wean them early so the first batch of babys isnt in the cage when she has the second or she will kill one or the other. So I plan on taking them out as soon as I see her make a hair nest. Do you think that will be ok? I've been taking them out during the day and putting them in their own cage, but putting them back with mom at night. I'm afraid they aren't ready to be on their own. They are drinking water, and some pellets, but they keep getting into moms salad. They love the veggies, but they aren't supposed to eat veggies, right?  Then my next question is, We want to keep the females. I believe there are two. After they are weaned and new babys are gone, can I put the two baby females back with mom?  We have four cages all inside of a fenced in area. We were hoping to keep their cages open during the day so they can just run around together if they want. Can the all live happily together?  Thanks for your advice, Cynthia

ANSWER: Dear Cynthia,

This is a tough problem, but it can be solved.  I hope, first of all, that papa bun is now separated (at least physically--he should still be able to be close to his family and see/smell them so they remain friendly), and that his neuter operation is scheduled with a rabbit-savvy vet, whom you can find here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

I would not separate the mama from her babies, as you're right:  they are not ready to be weaned yet.  I would, however, provide a bigger space for them so that the mother can get away from her babies if she wants to, and also provide a nest box in case she does deliver another litter.  It's possible that because she's already nursing a litter that she might have partitioned her energies and may have a very small litter this time (if she has one).  If so, you may be able to separate the new babies and have her feed them separately from the older litter.  You can do this by holding her over the new babies so they can feed, and then returning her to the older litter so they, too, can nurse.  They won't need quite as much milk as the new babies, since they are now starting to eat solid food.

If it becomes necessary to feed one or the other litter because mama isn't producing enough milk, then here are some instructions:

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

but for now, let's hope she doesn't have another litter.  Does she look round?  Can you see movement in her belly?  If she's not pregnant, you've definitely dodged a bullet.  You'll know in the next few days.  But provide a safe nesting area for her, just in case:

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

One of the main reasons I would not separate the babies from mama at all is the fact that you plan to keep some of them.  If you separate them, you run the very real risk of "unbonding," and the rabbits will fight upon reintroduction.  This can happen in a relatively short time, so it's very risky to separate bonded bunnies, even for a day or so.

It's very important that the whole family of bunnies be spayed/neutered so they can all live in happy harmony:

www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

You might even consider keeping *all* the babies, since this will make it safe to keep everyone together without the risk of more litters.  Just be sure to take everyone to the vet together, since even a short trip apart can cause unbonding, especially if someone comes home smelling of strange, hospital smells.

I hope this helps.

Dana


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much for your advice!  few more questions! If I cannot separate the babys from mom, how do I wean them?  (If she doesn't have any new babys)  I was told I have to wean them, and then put the ones I want to keep back with mom after 2 weeks so her milk will dry up. Is this not true?  and the dad bunny has been in his own cage for 4 weeks now. He is only about 2 feet from the moms cage, but cannot see them, will I be able to put him back with the group after he is neutered?  and I was also told if I had any baby boys, I would have to get rid of them, because the dad wont get along with another male. true or not true?

Answer
Dear Cynthia,

If the mama doesn't have another litter (I hope she doesn't!), then she'll wean the babies herself.  She'll need a large space to do this, so she can get away when they want to nurse, but she's fed up with it.  Weaning is a natural process, and it's not common for a mama to continue feeding her babies beyond eight weeks.

Re-introducing the dad could be easy, or a challenge, depending on the personalities of the bunnies involved.  And it's not necessarily true that males don't get along.  It's true that opposite-sex friendships are easier, but we have several bonded bunnies who are same sex, and in my experience, it seems that male/male bonds tend to be a little stronger than female/female bonds--as long as all parties are neutered.

The male babies can be neutered as soon as their testicles descend, which can be as early as 12 weeks.  Contact a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

so you'll be ready to have this done as soon as possible, and avoid as much aggression as possible from the start.

For tips on reintroducing and bonding the bunnies, please refer to the articles here:

http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-a=00062824-sp00000000&sp-q=bonding&user=enter

Hope that helps!

Dana