Baby bunnies

Hi, i am new to this site and i just wondered if someone could give me a bit of advice please. My rabbit had babies 2 days ago, she made her nest in her litter tray which i am sure will need cleaning out, i hate to think the babies are in all her wee and poo, what should i do as i know the babies shouldn't be touched. Any advice will be very welcome. thanks. Lisa x

Hiya,

Welcome to happy hoppers.

Im afraid i dont know anything about newborns but someone will be along soon who will be able to help.

Please keep checking back, good advice wont be to long.

thanks for the reply,
Any information is appreciated.

Hi there!

Have you managed to take a look at the babies at all since mum gve birth, as it is recommended they be quickly checked on after the first 24 hours whilst mum is distracted and cannot see what you are doing (with dinner perhaps). The ides is not to pick them up but simply to chck their colour, that they are being fed and that they are warm. This will allow you an opportunity to asses the nest conditions, as you do not want to relocate it if at all possible.

Rabbits are fastidious creatures so it is unlikely she has built the nest in a heavily soiled area. Before handling the babies or surrounding area rub your hands through some soiled bedding (with urine if possible) so you do not transfer a foreign scent to the babies.

Thanks for your reply, mum has put lots of hay on top of them so i haven't likes to move it. How can you tell she has fed them? This is her first litter and mine. I will try and take a better look at them tomorrow. Any advice you give is very much appreciated. They were born early hours of Thursday morning. x

They will have round little pot bellies if they have been fed, be pinkish in colour and also quiet. Hungry babies often cry out, have a blueish tint with empty bellies and show signs of dehydration.

Thanks so much for your help, i will look first thing in the morning. If you know any more info on baby buns or any sites i can look at, i would appreciate it so i can learn as much about them and give them the best start in life i can. Thanks once again. x

There is a lot of great information on the House Rabbit Society website which would be good for you to read: Click Here

Thanks so much. x

Thanks Sooz for your help last night, i have checked the babies and all 5 of them had fallen down the back of the litter tray so i rubbed my hands in the wet shavings and carefully put them back in the nest ( all seem well) The nest does seem damp i hope they will be ok in there. What do you think? x

hi hun. i lot of our more knowledgeable members are at a wedding today but will prob be back on line tomorrow. i hope the buns are all ok. did they look like they had fed etc?

Keep topping up the bedding so there is dry hay. The doe will have plucked her fur and made a nest for them using her fur. It probably feels damp because they are all snuggled together.

As long as they are warm, pink and have a round pot belly, you will know they are getting fed. Rabbits generally feed their babies once a day and in the wild will leave them for the rest of the time. It isn't like puppies or kittens where they feed on demand

Not so sure about the Pink thing, when i first saw them they weren't pink, they seemed to be more the colour of the fur they may be when grown. When i put them back in the nest earlier today, 2 look black, one looked sooty fawn and the other 2 were speckled, they all had a very slight covering of fur and looked pot bellied.

With the nest being in what was the litter tray, i think the wet part is from urine, will i be doing them any harm if i remove the dry parts of the nest, clean it out and replace them again?

just had a quick peek and they are all out of the nest again, which was in the centre of the litter tray, they are now at the back of the hutch in a corner, covered in hay and all still wiggling happily though. should i move them back to the nest again? I know they don't normally, but could bun mum be moving them to a dryer,warmer part.

Hi I'm really not going to be very useful to you as I've never dealt with baby bunnies, but, as Katie said most of the knowledgeable members are away today.

Do you think that the mum moved them or that they wiggled over there on their own? Did they move to the same place both times?

Maybe if the place that they have moved/been moved to is dryer and warmer you should leave them there for now. Good luck!

I'm not sure how they got there but they are very wiggly. They have surived another night and seem to be well. Thanks for your reply. x

It sounds like they are doing fine. I haven't any experience of baby bunnies, but if they have their fur colours coming through, I would suspect that are a little older than a day or so old. As long as their tummies are full and they are moving around, it sounds like they are doing fine. Mum might have moved them and they will probably naturally all gravitate around each other for warmth. If they seem to be in that part of the hutch, make sure they have dry bedding and just keep an eye on them without disturbing mum too much.

How is she? You will need to give her extra food so she can make milk for the babies.

Mum may have moved them, if they are warm and dry leave them be. Also, after a few days they will start to get a covering of downy fur so will appear to be more rabbit coloured, which is of course fine.

Thanks for your replies. Today is day 4 for the little bunnies now and all seems to be going well i just hope it continues. Mum is also doing well and eating lots. They are gorgeous, i am becomming very attached, can't wait till they are older and i can give them a cuddle. x

My baby bunnies

Awwwwwwww..........Gorgeous!

You've got some beautiful little bunnies there. They look very healthy to me. I would leave them alone as much as possible now until they start to leave the nest of their own accord, usually around 2-3 weeks. Just check on them every couple of days, and ensure their eyes are opening at around 10 days old....if any are still sealed at 2 weeks you may need to intervene.

Thanks soooo much for all your help and advice katieb and sooz. x

God I am the forums most useless advice giver......but I am very good at ooo's and ahhhs.

Again welcome to HH. We will all be looking forward to hearing more from you and getting to know you and your lovely buns better.

There is some brilliant advice given on this site and I know that my Daisy's life has been enriched because I am a member here - thats not to mention the new friends I feel I have made.

Enjoy.

K x x

Your welcome hun, if you need to know anything else just ask.