baby rabbis

Question
QUESTION: my rabbit has had a second litter while still nursing her 1st litter. They are 5 weeks and the newest litter are two days old.. I was wondering would the older litter attack the younger ones?

ANSWER: Hi Jack

The very first thing you need to do if you haven't already done so is to take the buck away from the doe.  Rabbits that are not fixed cannot be left together.  If you haven't already taken the buck away then she is probably pregnant yet once again.

The best thing to do is to take the babies and the nestbox into the house and put it in a safe place.  Let the 5 week old babies stay with their mother until they are between 7 and 8 weeks.  Take the nest box back to the mother twice a day and make sure she is feeding the babies.  If the babies look skinny or fail to thrive you may have to supplement their feedings.

This site tells you how scroll to the bottom and find the section on domestic rabbits

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/orphan.html

If your buck and doe have been together after the birth of the second litter then you can expect a 3rd litter in 28-32 days.  Doe's are most fertile right after delivery.

Good luck

Pam

this site gives a description of when to bond your bunnies and how to do it properly

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



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

QUESTION: hey pam thankx for replying but the babies sadly died over the weekend :(  i was wondering if i kept a nuetered boy form her first littler with her even though she isnt spayed and with his dad who is neutered, wud the son and dad fight over her? even thou both boys wud be neutered. [ p.s the dad is neutered alredy and the boy is gettin neutered next  month]
ANSWER: I am so sorry Jack.  I hope it was the second litter and not the first.  Sadly often times the 2nd litter doesn't often survive.

As long as both are neutered they can all be bonded.  I know I don't have that listed on the site but many people have bonded multiple litters.  If you are able to bond the buck and doe properly along with the little one is less than 12 weeks old then they should get along.  The only problem is that bucks can reach maturity as early as 3 months old.  You are going to have to watch him very closely or you are going to end up in the same situation.

After the babies get a wee bit older if you need any help please let me know.

Again so sorry for the loss of the babies :(

Pam

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

QUESTION: hey again pam =]

i klno we all very sad my little sister the most but thanx for answerin all of my questions

we have decided 2 keep a albino girl we called ruby but i have heard that red-eyed-animals are vicious is this true az i have younger siblingz who adore all of my rabbitts?

Answer
Hi Jack

Rabbits disposition can range from laid back and passive to downright evil.  It really has nothing to do with their color.  It generally has more to do with how they are handled when they are young.  Play with it and give it attention while it is young and make sure they all have plenty of toys and are happy.  This generally gives them a better disposition.  

Whether Ruby is red, yellow, black or white she may very well be one of those rabbits that don't like to be picked up.  Actually most rabbits don't like to be picked up.  In the end that doesn't mean that she would be vicious.  She would let you play with her and love her and probably pet her.  You are just going to have to wait and see what kind of personality she has.  If she is a snuggler or just an occasional give me a pet type of girl.

Remember that having her spayed will calm her down and make her easier to bond with the others.  If you are planning on keeping both her and her mother together they really should be spayed.  This combination has worked on occasion but if they are left un-spayed they could become very aggressive and fight after the baby gets sexually mature.

I used to think REW (ruby eyed white) rabbits were evil.  Their eyes looked spooky and freaked me out.  I swore I would never own one.  Then I got one and now I want a barn full of white rabbits.  I look at him and think how amazing is he, he is absolutely gorgeous.  Plus he lets my 6 year old hold him and he never scratches or fights.  I hope your bunny turns out the same way.

Good luck

Pam