You just found out or felt that your doe is pregnant. Now what to do? You have to know a few things to prepare the female rabbit and her cage for pregnancy, as well as how to make sure the newborn rabbit is always healthy.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Preparing for the Birth of a Baby Rabbit
Step 1. Feed the mother rabbit with quality food
The rabbit's diet will not vary so much while pregnant or in the weaning process. However, it is very important to provide high quality nutrition. Check food labels and provide foods that contain:
- 16-18 percent protein
- 18-22 percent fiber
- 3 percent fat or less
- The mother rabbit must have access to clean water so you will need to change it two to three times a day.
- You can increase your rabbit's food intake while pregnant and weaning her puppies by adding hay or alfalfa cubes to increase protein intake.
Step 2. Separate the rabbit from the male rabbit
Male rabbits almost never hurt the chicks. However, she can impregnate the mother rabbit again after giving birth, so that the mother rabbit will get pregnant again before weaning the pups. To avoid this, you should separate the two rabbits as the birth draws near.
Ideally, you should keep the male close enough to communicate with the female through a separate cage. Rabbits are very attached to each other and being around the male will relieve stress for the female rabbit during pregnancy and birth
Step 3. Provide a box for nesting
Baby rabbits are born hairless and will always need warmth. Providing a nesting box with a base will help your baby rabbit feel warm and safe in one place. This little box (a cardboard box is fine too) should be slightly larger than the parent with a lid of about 2.5 cm to keep the baby bunny out of the box.
- Put a handful of grass (make sure the grass does not contain fertilizers or pesticides), fibers, or straw in the box as a base. Place the mat on a clean towel without any loose threads that will trap the baby rabbit.
- The mother rabbit will rearrange the bedding in the box or even pluck the fur to add to the base. This indicates that the birth is getting closer.
- Make sure you place the nest on the opposite side of the mother's litter box in the cage to prevent complications for the baby rabbits.
- You should also place the cage in a quiet, dark place. Too much activity around the mother and her babies will cause the mother rabbit to become stressed.
Part 2 of 2: Taking Care of the Newborn Rabbit
Step 1. Examine the baby rabbits
Pregnancy will last for 31 to 33 days. Mother rabbits do not need assistance during childbirth, which usually occurs in the evening or early morning. This means, you will wake up in the morning and see a bunch of baby bunnies. Check immediately to see if any babies don't survive. It's best to lure the mother rabbit out of the nest with a treat so you can retrieve the dead baby rabbit.
- You should also remove the placenta or placenta from the box.
- Feel free to hold the baby rabbits because the mother is used to your body odor.
Step 2. Warm the baby rabbit if necessary
If the mother gives birth outside the nest box, you must put all the chicks in the box. These babies often feel too cold and need warmth. To safely provide warmth, fill a hot water bottle with warm (not too hot) water and place the bottle under towels and nesting boxes. The baby rabbit will not touch the bottle directly because it will feel hot.
Step 3. Always provide food and water for the mother
The mother rabbit will need a supply of food and water to consume while she is nursing her babies. This is done to ensure that she produces enough milk to feed her babies. Provide plenty of fresh food every day and check his drinking water often because he will drink more often than usual.
Making sure that she is receiving good nutrition will also help reduce the chances of the mother rabbit eating her own chicks
Step 4. Look for signs of breastfeeding
The mother rabbit's natural instinct is to always be near the nest. So don't panic if you don't see him breastfeeding because he only does it once or twice a day. Instead, look for signs that she is breastfeeding her baby. Baby rabbits will be warm and have a distended stomach because they are full. He will also be quiet and not make a sound like a cat meowing if he feels full.
Step 5. Call the vet immediately if the mother rabbit is not nursing
If the baby rabbits are weak (barely responding to being held), have a sunken belly, and wrinkled skin (caused by dehydration), it's a sign that the mother rabbit is not feeding her well, and you should see your vet immediately.
- If the mother rabbit arranges her nest box, especially if she has plucked her fur, she is paying attention to her maternal instincts. This problem can be handled easily if the doctor gives a small dose of oxytocin to help milk production in the mother rabbit.
- You should contact the vet if there are more than 8 kittens as this number is too large for the mother rabbit to care for. If the mother has more than 8 puppies or she ignores the puppies and doesn't breastfeed, the vet will most likely provide instructions for bottle-feeding the baby rabbits. However, the results are mostly unsuccessful because there is no formula that is 100% made specifically for newborn rabbits.
Step 6. Keep the nest clean
Baby rabbits will poop in the box until they are strong enough to climb out on their own. So you should clean the box and change dry towels and bedding every day.
Step 7. Introduce food to baby rabbits
Baby rabbits will start chewing pellets two weeks after birth. However, baby rabbits should not stop breastfeeding for a full 8 weeks after birth. During this time, the baby rabbit will reduce its milk intake and increase the consumption of pellets slowly, but it is very important if the baby continues to suckle because the mother rabbit's milk contains antibodies that can attack pathogens. If a baby is weaned too soon, his immune system will not be strong without these antibodies.
Also, you should avoid feeding your rabbit green vegetables for several months as there is a risk of digestive complications. You can try feeding them a little at a time when the rabbit is two months old, but remove it from the diet immediately if the vegetables cause digestive problems such as diarrhea. Good vegetables to start with are carrots, romaine lettuce, and kale
Step 8. Hold the puppies when they reach 8 weeks
Until a rabbit is weaned, it will be susceptible to disease and bacteria, especially E. coli which can kill it in a matter of hours. You should wash your hands thoroughly every time you handle the rabbit until it is weaned. After that, try to hold it often to make it more docile as it grows up.
Tips
- Don't worry if the mother rabbit isn't always with her baby. Rabbits don't sit with their young like cats and dogs do as this would make their nests conspicuous in the wild. Rabbits only go to the nest to feed the baby rabbits once or twice a day.
- Always try to revive a baby rabbit that is “dead” or cold.
- Baby rabbits are born hairless and with their eyes closed.
- The size of the baby rabbit will depend on the breed of rabbit you are keeping (2.5-30 cm for the large breed and 2.5-25 cm for the small breed).
- Baby rabbits won't open their eyes for 10-12 days.
- The mother rabbit will not move her chicks. So, if anyone leaves the box, you have to return it again. Don't worry, the mother rabbit will continue to care for her baby even when you hold her.
- Rabbits in the first birth will die. So, if you want to have a baby bunny, don't be discouraged! The mother rabbit has to give birth 4-5 times before she can properly care for her baby.
