Info on Rabbits and Bunnies

Frequently Asked Questions
and Info on Rabbits and Bunnies

Q: Babies: "Are you allowed to pick up the baby rabbits from the litter?"
A:

Q: Birth: "What comes out at a rabbit birth?"
A: A baby rabbit comes out. It is wrapped in a membrane and a lot of liquid. After the baby is born the placenta comes out. The placenta is also known as the after-birth. The mama cleans everything up by licking the baby clean, eating the membranes and the placenta. This might sound gross, but it is normal, and helps to tell her body to make lots of milk for the bunnies. See Rabbits Giving Birth for more info on rabbits and bunnies.

Q: Bunnies: "How are baby rabbits made?"
A: The doe (mama rabbit) makes an egg, which combines with the sire’s (father rabbit’s) sperm. The sire puts the sperm in the doe by mating. When the egg and sperm join together, that is the beginning of the baby rabbit. It takes just 31 days for the baby rabbit to grow inside the doe and then get born. Info on rabbits and bunnies and breeding - Rabbit Mating.

Q: Bunnies: "How soon after bunnies are born can you change a rabbit’s drip tray?"
A: It is usually okay to maintain your normal routine around the rabbits. Unless the doe is very nervous and very skittish, With my does which are used to me, I would be comfortable changing the rabbit’s drip tray on the day of kindling (birth). You’ll have to be the judge, however, because you know your own rabbits.

Q: Bunnies: "How to get prepared for a litter of baby rabbits?"
A: The most important preparation is keeping records. Make a note of when the doe was bred. Mark the calendar 28 days later for putting the nest box in the cage. Mark the 31st day because this is the date the doe will likely kindle (give birth).

About preparing the nest box, palpating the doe, feeding the doe, and other info on rabbits and bunnies, please go to Breeding Rabbits and follow the links as necessary.







Q: Bunnies: "Our mother rabbit had 15 babies..."
A: That’s a lot of babies, and it happens quite a bit, especially in larger meat rabbit breeds. Unfortunately, unless you have a fabulous milking doe, the chances of all these kits surviving are not very good. (Those does exist, but...) In our rabbitry, we usually try to foster kits to other does. If that’s not possible, then we wait a couple days to see which kits are not able to fight for a teat. The weaker, unthrifty kits are the ones we cull. A large litter like this usually ends up with at most 11 kits. I hope your doe happens to be one of the super-milkers.

Q: Bunnies: "Our doe has two-bunny litters"
A: Yes, this is the flip-side - tiny litters. The immediate concern is keeping the kits warm. Two kits keep themselves warm better than singletons. The next concern, if the doe repeatedly has tiny litters is: is she old? Does she have any underlying health problems such as a retained fetus from a prior litter or immune-draining disease such as asymptomatic snuffles? The answers may determine how you proceed.

Q: Food: "When do baby rabbits start eating rabbit food?"
A: Baby rabbits start nibbling on straw or hay just as soon as its eyes are open, at around 10 days old. The bunnies begin nibbling on the doe’s droppings in the nest box which deliver correct bacteria to their guts. They also chew on bits of hay, straw or other bedding in the nest box.

At around 14 days old we remove the nest box. The bunnies are still sleeping a lot, however they soon locate the pellet feeder and begin eating rabbit pellets, as early as 14 days of age. (The bunnies pictured are 16 days old.)

Q: "How old do rabbits have to be to have babies?"
Info on Rabbits Answer: The answer to your question depends on the breed of rabbit. Very large breeds tend to mature later, and the dwarf breeds tend to mature earlier. A good middle-of-the-road rule of thumb is about 6 months, however don’t think that male rabbits can’t make babies before this age. Bunnies have been known to breed before 4 months of age (it is probably not good for them to breed this early), so breeders separate litter mates before they begin trying to mount each other.

Q: Nest Box: "Do my baby rabbits need a nest box?"
A: Yes, probably. But, how old are your baby rabbits?? These pages will show you how we take care of our baby rabbits:

• Pregnant Rabbit
• Rabbit Nest Box
• Rabbits Giving Birth
• Care of Baby Rabbits

Q: Peanuts: "Can peanut rabbits live?"
A: No, sorry - the ‘peanut’ is a very tiny rabbit that has inherited two copies of a dwarfing gene, and the two-gene combination is 100% fatal. The peanuts are born dead, usually, but a few live a couple days, and even fewer live a couple weeks. See Dwarf Rabbits for info on rabbits and bunnies that carry the dwarf gene.

Q: Pregnant: "How do you know if bunny is about to give birth?"
A: There are ways - see Pregnant Rabbit.

• If your rabbit has been scratching in the corners of its cage
• if it tries to cram lots of hay in its mouth and then carries the hay around
• If you know it was around a male rabbit about 31 days prior
• If it has lost its waistline
• If it’s been more cranky than usual, or is running away from you uncharacteristically
• If it doesn’t seem to be eating quite as much (the tummy has more pressure in it due to growing babies)

Q: Pregnant: "How to care for a pregnant meat breed rabbit?"
A: For the first two weeks, there is no need to change the care you are already giving. Our Rabbit Breeding page covers in detail everything you need to know about taking care of a pregnant doe from conception to kindling (giving birth).

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