my rabbit is a first time mommy

Question
QUESTION: hi i have acouple of rabbits the english spot ones they have a preety big space where they can run and play  but about  one week ago the female started to dig a hole in one corner of the yard then next day she was pulling fur out of her  and everithing seem to  bu fine but yesterday i found a baby rabbit death just outside the cave i just want to know what may have happend and did she just had one????
ANSWER: Hi Hilda

If you have a variety of bucks and doe's outside together and they aren't fixed then they will almost always become pregnant.  If you want her to have babies it is better to give her a nice next box so she has a safe and warm place to have them.  She was digging the hole to make her own nest.  First time mothers don't usually do a very good job.  If she didn't pull enough fur or was confused about what to do that is probably why the baby died.  Since she is a medium size breed it is rare for her to have just 1 baby but it does happen.  She may have more inside the hole and that one just got pulled out during nursing or something.  Check the hole really well and see if you find anymore.  If there are more you need to check and make sure they are alive everyday.  If there are more please get back to me and let me know.  I can tell you exactly what to do.

Good luck with your bunnies

Pam

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QUESTION: hi it's me again hilda thank you for your help, i did went back and checked in the nest i did found two more babies but they were dead i am so sad ,i took them out  and close the nest  it was so sad when i was digging the hole she was closing it on the other side it is possible that she might become pregnant again ??? it is the only couple i have  and they have been together all the time please help me and let me know what  can i do we do want baby bunnies  how can i help her its just one week since she delivered but they didn't make it
ANSWER: Hi Hilda

I am so sorry about the loss of your babies.  I can almost guarantee you that she is pregnant again if they have been together.  Doe's are most fertile right after they deliver.  So what you want to do is keep track of the day that the last babies were born.  Write it down and calculate 28 days from that date.  I would keep her in a cage after about 20 days just to be sure you calculated right.  Give her the nest box and this time you are going to have to wait.  Rabbits usually deliver by day 33 at the latest but you are going to want to add another 7 days to that since it has been a week since the last babies died.  You do that because she may have become pregnant at any time during the past 7 days.

It sounds like she really wanted to be a good mommy but just didn't have the right setting.  She should do better this time if she is provided with a nice safe place to nest.

If you have any more questions when the time gets closer please let me know.

I hope she does better this time :(

Pam

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QUESTION: hi its me again but now i have great news my rabbit just delivered 4 beautifull bunnies just a few minutes ago  but  now i dont know whaT TO DO CAN I TOUCH THEM ??or not  do i need to change the nest or clean it  please tell me what to  do please please

Answer
Congratulations on the new babies.  Yes you can touch them but only long enough to check them and make sure they are all ok.  Then put them back in the nest box securely under the fur.  She will feed them once a day and you might never see her near the nest because they generally feed them late at night when you are asleep.  Check the box daily to make sure all the babies are alive.  If one die's be sure to remove it right away.  Count them every day and if one is missing then take the whole box to a safe area and start digging through the nesting material.  If one dies it sometimes gets moved away from the others but it is very important to find it so it can be removed.  You don't need to change the nest very often.  I usually don't even touch mine until 2 weeks.  After 2 weeks they will have hair and they will be moving around a lot.  I take all the babies and put them in another box and clean theirs out.  Then I put them back in and cover them with the same hair again.  By this time they probably won't want to be under the hair anyway.  At 3-4 weeks when all the babies are hopping around I take the box right out.  Then when the babies are 8 weeks old you can take them away from the mother.

If you haven't already done so you need to take the buck away from her.  She can become pregnant immediately after giving birth and if they are together and he is not fixed she is going to end up having more babies before the first set is fully weaned.

Good luck with the new babies.

If you need anything else please let me know

Pam