Baby Kits

Question
QUESTION: Hello,
we just realised yesterday thatone of our dwarf rabbits whos name was Flo is
actually a Fred. we also has two other female rabbits. one of them gave birth
to 7 little kits last night, and 6 of htem are pink and one is black. is there
something wrong with the black one? its not dead because it was moving
around..... Also, is there anything i need to do for the mother rabbit?... this
was very unexpected.

Cheers, Briony O'Connor

ANSWER: Hi Briony

Baby kits are pigmented to the color they are going to be.  So chances are that your black on will be black or another dark color.  The pink one's will probably be a paler color. It all depends what is in their background.  Example:  my blue mini rex doe was crossed with a very light colored pale chocolate buck and kindled 11 babies.  All but 2 are black.  I have no idea where the black came from but it does happen.

The mom needs a box to nest them in.  Since you obviously don't have time to build one then I suggest since she is a dwarf that you get one of those plastic tubs for storage (they look like shoe boxes).  Cardboard won't work because it will be soaked with urine.  Put all the babies and the nesting material in the container and place it in the area where she made her nest.  I put a layer of newspaper on the bottom of the box and a layer of fresh hay to help absorb moisture, then I put the nesting material on top of the hay. Other than that she should be able to figure out the rest on her own.

A few concerns to think about.  First if you didn't know that Fred was a boy until after she gave birth and they were still together there is a very good possibility that she may be pregnant again.  Rabbits can become pregnant again almost immediately after giving birth.  I would put another nest box in in about 27 days just in case.  If she does have another litter in 4 weeks please contact me again so I can give you instructions on what to do.

The other concern is that dwarfs can have babies that are called peanuts.  Peanuts basically have a double dwarf gene and are super small and are unable to process food and will never survive.  So don't be to upset if a few of them die.  It is very common in any dwarf gene.  They will be very tiny and have a domed head.  Then when they are about ready to die their ribs will show and sort of gasp for breath.  Once you see it you will never forget it.

You want to wean them at about 7 1/2 - 8 weeks.

Also 7 kits for a dwarf is a huge litter.  Just don't be upset if a few die.  Also make sure to check them every day for dead babies.  The deceased will need to be removed right away to prevent maggots, fly strike and infection.

Make sure you keep Fred away from the doe's so this doesn't happen again, or you can get him neutered.

The best thing to do is to have limited contact with the mother bunny except to check the babies.

If you EVER need any more help please let me know.

Thank you and good luck to you and the babies.

Sincerely

Pam

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

QUESTION: thanks heaps for your help,
also, we have another female rabbit and chances are that she will be pregnant
aswell, do we need to seperate her from the mum and babies that just gave
birth?
Fred was neutered today and is doing well.

Cheers, Briony O'Connor

Answer
Absolutely.. please separate her and give her a nest box as well.  I would leave her a nesting box for up to 30 days.

I am so happy your Fred was neutered, now he can play with his friends again.

Oh and yes the other doe needs to be separated from the mother.  They can get hormonal when babies are involved and fights can happen.  Sadly its usually the babies that are the ones that suffer.  After the babies are weaned you can bond them all again.  When the time comes to put them back together you usually can't toss them all back into the same cage.  They will need to be properly re-bonded.  I will be happy to help you down the road but we are talking at least 8 weeks.

Congratulations again on the little ones

Pam