As Baby Rabbits Come of Age Rabbits will foster another's baby if they are the same of the same size and age. As soon as the babies are weaned, at eight weeks, the mother rabbit should be spayed. She can then be placed back into the companionship of the now (hopefully) neutered male.
Baby rabbits need to stay with their mother until they are about 8 weeks old. Baby rabbits start nibbling on hay and pellets at about 2 weeks old. However, just because they start eating on their own does not mean they can be taken away from their mother.
To prevent your rabbit from getting pregnant again, separate the male and female immediately after the female's given birth, but make sure they can still see and smell each other to help maintain their bond.
Separating the Father
Most male rabbits are gentle with their offspring. The main reason to separate off the male is that the female can become pregnant again WITHIN HOURS of kindling! He should be housed where he can still see and contact her as separation is stressful.
Once the rabbits are spending one to two hours together daily without any problems, they can be introduced into their intended living space, initially under supervision. Rabbits can be left alone together safely once they're showing positive behaviours towards one another.
No. Rabbits are very specific about the location of their nest. Moving it even a foot or two away will cause the mother to abandon it. Mother rabbits are also one of the only mammals who cannot pick their babies up to move them to a better spot.
Rabbits can make great pets. But they are not a suitable pet for a family with young children. They require safe, gentle handling and a quiet environment.
SEPARATING THE FATHER Most male rabbits are gentle with their offspring. The main reason to separate off the male is that the female can become pregnant again WITHIN HOURS of kindling! He should be housed where he can still see and contact her as separation is stressful.
Place the mother and the babies in a small, warm, quiet room. Give the mother a litterbox, in the opposite corner of the nest, if she's placed indoors. If she is not used to being in the house, this may stress her more than being left in her outdoor cage. The only thing to do in that case is add a proper nest area.
You and your children can peek at the baby rabbits, but don't touch them. If anyone picks up a bunny, return it to the nest. A little human scent will not prevent the mother from caring for her young. If it's clear the mother rabbit was killed, contact a wildlife rehabilitator who can best raise the orphaned bunnies.
Weaning: A mother rabbit feeds her babies for about 3 - 6 weeks, gradually decreasing the frequency of feedings until they lose interest. Your baby bunnies will start to nibble solid food at about the age of two to three weeks, but this does not mean they are ready to be weaned.
The average litter size for rabbits is five, though mothers may give birth to as few as one and as many as 12! Since young rabbits grow up quite quickly, “doe” rabbits may have three or four litters in a season.
FEED TWICE A DAY ONLY for healthy babies, three times if low weight. It may be easiest to start with a 3 cc/ml syringe or an eyedropper. Feed only with the bunny sitting UPRIGHT, and point syringe down towards bottom or side of mouth, so if too much comes out, the baby does not aspirate.
Newborn rabbits drink only milk for the first 10 days. From 10 days small amounts of hay and veggies may be offered. By day 20 the kits should be nibbling the solid food, and by day 28 no more milk replacer should be offered.
Mother rabbits do not abandon their babies if people have touched them, so you don't have to worry about picking them up and placing them back in the nest. However, you do want to avoid any unnecessary handling because baby rabbits are very fragile.
To keep predators from finding the young the female only visits the nest twice a day to nurse them, typically once in early morning and again in the evening. Young rabbits develop quickly and will leave the nest when they are about three weeks old.
Female rabbits will follow their instincts and defend their babies. Sometimes this will happen if they have false pregnancies, build a nest, and believe they have a litter. Whether your rabbit really has kits or simply believes she has, respect her space around her nest and if she is aggressive, leave the nest alone.
Rabbit pairings
Rabbits can live happily in male/female, female/female, male/male pairings and larger mixed groups.
The length of pregnancy in the rabbit is 31 days and the doe can produce from 1 to 12 young each time she gives birth. She can become pregnant again within a few days of giving birth. However it is not good practice to allow the doe to become pregnant straight after giving birth.
Mother rabbits will nurse the kits in the nest for only three to four weeks. The young will start venturing out of their nest to nibble on greens as they grow, but return to the nest at night.
Two Weeks Old: The fur should be starting to stand up and be less slick against the body. Eyes and ears are wide open. They should weigh 55-70+ grams and be 4″ or longer — he should fit in your palm but not fill your hand. Two and a Half Weeks Old: Cottontails should begin to look “fluffy” at this stage.
If the nest has been disturbed, the caller should: Remove injured/dead rabbits. Refer injured rabbits to the Helpline. Keep dogs and cats inside until the rabbits have left the nest on their own.