Breeding rabbits 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.
According to the University of Miami, a rabbit will give birth to 1-14 kits in her first litter, with the average being 6. It's unlikely that all of these baby rabbits will survive. A first-time mother may fail to care for her young, so you must ensure that kits are kept warm and well-fed.
Rabbits have the strange ability to carry two litters at once, which is why it's crucial to not let your does live with bucks. Many times, unfortunately, these “double pregnancies” can confuse the doe. Double pregnancies can be dangerous and should be avoided.
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.
Mother rabbits don't want to attract predators to their babies, so they mostly leave them on their own, hidden and camoflaged. Mom will come back a few times a day, usually between dusk and dawn, to feed the babies. Feeding may only take 2-3 minutes, so unless you're watching 24/7 you will probably miss it!
Only 20 percent to 25 percent live for a year after birth. That means many rabbits never produce offspring of their own.
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.
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.
The first and second stages of labor in rabbits occur almost simultaneously as parturition typically lasts 30 min (7). Kits are typically born in the early morning and are considered altricial as they are usually born hairless and helpless with both their eyes and ears closed (2,4).
In fact, you may not realise that a rabbit is pregnant until just a day or two before she gives birth when she starts building a nest with her bedding material and own fur in preparation.
Superfoetation can happen, but it's usually reserved for mice and rabbits. Getting pregnant while already pregnant is called superfoetation. It's been reported in mammals, including mice and rabbits, and there have been a handful of possible cases in humans.
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.
It is recommended however, that not more than one mating be performed per day for each male as usually, the second ejaculation often contains much more sperm. It is also important to observe a time delay of one day between two mating acts.
DO NOT TOUCH OR REMOVE THE BUNNIES. Their mother WILL return to care for them (even if they are hairless and even if you have accidentally touched them.). Leave the nesting material AND the bunnies in the nest and do not mow the grass while the babies are present.
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.
In the wild, rabbits are raised by their mothers until they are about 4 months old. At this age, the mother will leave her babies to live with another rabbit. After that, they are on their own. The mother's milk may not be enough for the baby to survive without a caretaker.
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.
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.
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.
It is clear from these results that teeth problems and digestive upsets are the two major killers of rabbits that die prematurely.
Rabbits should have a daily diet of mostly hay, a smaller amount of fresh vegetables, and a limited number of pellets. Hay is the most important part of a rabbit's daily intake. Unlimited, high-quality grass hay, such as Timothy, orchard or brome, should make up the bulk of a rabbit's diet.