first time mum rabbit

Question
my doe was pregnant for the first time without me knowing , and found she had delivered her kits , 3 dead and two alive, they were cold so i warmed them with a hot water bottle , but they didint have nest made by mum so i placed a towel in the cage and put them there. The smallest of the two was scattered the following day so i placed him with the other kit , but when i came home he had one arm completely ripped off could the mother have done this? he was still alive so i dont think it was cannibalism. The other kit seemed to be fine because she was licking him and lying on him to keep him warm but he didnt survive that night either. The point is that this time Iam prepared and she has been with a buck for 24 hrs and now she is by herself so where do i start? Is it ok for brother and sister to breed? thank you for everything and i hope to hear from you soon

Answer
Hi, Lucy. This was an old question in the question pool, so I am sorry if this information comes too late.

It's not desirable that brothers and sisters are bred as it can result in genetic problems. Also, any unaltered (i.e. not spayed or neutered) rabbits should have their own cages and not be housed together. Rabbits are territorial by nature and should not be housed together. If they are, they at least need to be spayed and neutered respectively.

If your rabbits do not already have their own cages, go ahead and make sure they do.

I might need some more clarification on what you are asking. I am gathering that you believe your doe is pregnant again. The gestation period for a rabbit is 28-32 days. I would recommend putting in a nestbox on the 26th day. This website has some information about nestboxes: http://islandgems.net/nestbox2.html

Your problem the first time sounds like it was due to a lack of a nestbox. Without a nestbox, the kits (baby rabbits) are going to move all over the cage. As a result, the doe is very likely to injure or even kill them accidentally. A doe will not lay on their young to warm them. They build a nest with fur to keep them warm. It sounds like your doe was simply unprepared and did not know what to do without a nestbox. Lack of a nestbox also does tend to increase the chance of cannibalism.