Rabbit in Labor!

Question
I have a rabbit in labor, how long after she comes into labor does it take until she will have her first baby?

Answer
Jess, clearly by now she has had them. It usually takes about an hour, start to finish. If they are breach or she has problems, she will extricate them by tugging until they sometimes are even in pieces..clearly not living! The nice thing is that Mother Nature rarely lets a doe die during birth. Also, if the first litter is hard to be delivered, the second is usually OK, as she is opened up a little.

I suggest if there are babies, you should be fine now, and if they died, rebreed her in about a week. It isn't a problem.  I had 7 litters last week, and lost 4 babies out of ~29..Not unusual. I often have 30-40 litters a year, so I am concerned more about the doe getting through that first eperience than I am with the baby survival rate. However, after two litters, if she isn't a good mother, I discontinue using her!

Good Luck, Steve