OH NO!!!

Question
My rabbit just recently had babies. I put my doe and my buck outside in a pen with a piece of wood to seperate them. Usually this works to keep them seperated however when I came out to check on them the doe had somehow pushed its way on to the side with the buck. Im pretty sure they mated because I checked her vent and there was semen. She just had babies and if shes pregnant it would definitely NOT be good because shed have two litters for at least a month!!!!!!! What can I do to keep her from taking and what do I do if she is pregnant!!! HELP!!!!

Answer
Hi Darlene

There isn't really anything you can do now.  The best thing you can do is give her a nest box at 28 days again.  This time you will have to take the nest box out of the cage and keep it in the house where it is safe.  When the babies are real tiny they can't jump out.  You will have to take it to her twice a day and let her feed the babies and then take them away again.  After the first set of babies are 7 weeks old you can take them away.  I honestly prefer to wait until 8 weeks if you can.  Depending on their age now.  They absolutely can't be taken away at less than 7 weeks.  Their little tummies don't develop the normal bacteria until they are between 6 and 7 weeks old.  They will be eating food and hay on their own but they still depend on their mom's milk for the normal gut flora.

I have to tell you truthfully that often times the 2nd litter doesn't survive.  The stress on the doe (especially during the hot summer) can cause her to not produce enough milk for 2 litters.  I just want you to be prepared.  If she does not seem to be feeding the new babies or their little tummies aren't nice and round then you may want to hand feed them.  I personally don't like to hand raise babies.  I love animals and believe they should all be given a chance but I also believe that nature has a course and if the babies aren't meant to survive then they just don't.  

If you are a breeder and you intend to use the babies for a purpose you could breed another doe and foster her other babies to that doe.  By the sounds of things it seems like both pregnancies were an accident so I really doubt you want to do that.  

After your doe has weaned her litter or litters, you might want to consider having both of them spayed/neutered.  If you got the buck neutered now then you wouldn't have to worry about accidents in the future.  Honestly if they are just pets that is what I would do.  Then you could bond them and they could play together and never have to worry about accidental babies.

For now just keep your fingers crossed... and please try to keep her in her cage or in her play time alone.  Hopefully she didn't take but they are usually most fertile for 48 hours after they give birth.  It is really impossible to tell if she took but it sure sounds like he got to her  :(

Most vets will do an emergency spay surgery for a few days after the rabbit has been accidently bred.  The only problem is that she would be incapacitated and not be able to care for her current litter.  It sure is a predicament for you.

When the time comes for the new babies if you need more help on hand feeding them etc.  Please let me know.

Good luck

Pam