rabbits fostering rabbits

Question
I found my doe had had babies overnight.  All but one were eaten.  She was eating the skin off of that one when I arrived.  I removed it from the cage and warmed it up.  It seemed to be active.  We read that you can add a baby to another rabbits nest and she will adopt it.  Will she adopt this baby also or will she kill it and possibly all of her babies too?

Answer
Dear Bobbi,

The mother who cannibalized her young was not doing so out of viciousness or meanness:  a very young, inexperienced rabbit, or one who is very stressed, will sometimes do this as a form of overgrooming and cleaning up the babies right after birth, not realizing what she is doing.  I hope you can provide her with a quiet, well-equipped place to fully recover before she is spayed:

www.rabbit.org/health/spay.html

The remaining baby should be adoptable by another doe, as long as it is close to the same size as her other babies.  She is not likely to harm it if you introduce it carefully and watch her behavior to make sure she's not going to harm it. I've heard some say that putting a tiny drop of vanilla on the mama's nose may mask its foreign scent and make it less likely for her to reject the baby.

But it  might just be safer to take the baby into your care. You can find feeding instructions here:

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

Please also see:

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

I hope this helps.

Dana