It's possible that your female rabbit is pregnant.Now what?The doe and her cage should be prepared, as well as the health of the newborn baby rabbits, if you know a few things.
Step 1: The mother should be fed a good diet.
Your rabbit's diet will not change much while she is pregnant, but it is important to provide high-quality nutrition.She should have access to clean water two to three times per day and a feed that is 16 to 18 percent protein, 18 to 22 percent fiber, 3 percent or less in fat.You can give her some hay or cubes to add to her diet while she is gestating the kits.
Step 2: The male rabbit should be separated from her.
The kits are usually not harmed by the male rabbit.As soon as the female gives birth, he can have another baby with her before she finishes her first litter.You should separate the rabbits if you want to avoid this.The male should be close enough to make contact with the female through their separate enclosures.Rabbits bond very closely and being close to the male will cut down on unnecessary stress for the female during the birth.
Step 3: A nest box should be prepared.
Kits are born without fur and will need warmth initially.Providing a nest box with bedding materials will help keep the kits warm.The small box should be slightly larger than the mother's box to prevent the kits from escaping.Take a generous amount of grass, straw, or hay and put it in the box for bedding.The bedding should be placed on top of a clean towel.A sign that the birth is close is if the female rearranges the bedding in the box or pulls out some of her fur.If you place the box on the opposite side of the cage from the mother's litter box, there will be no problems with the kits.The cage should be placed in a dark place.The mother will be stressed out by too much activity around her.
Step 4: The kits should be checked.
Thirty-one to thirty-three days will be the length of the pregnancy for your doe.She doesn't need help birthing at night or in the early hours of the morning.One morning, you will wake up to the new litter of kits.Check to see if the kits survived the birth.If you want to remove the dead kits from the nest box, you'll have to draw the mother away with a treat.There should be no afterbirth or placenta in the box.The mother will already be accustomed to your scent so don't be afraid of handling the babies.
Step 5: Warm the kits.
If the mother gave birth to any of the kits outside the box, you have to put them in it.Warming is needed for these kits to be too cold.To do so safely, fill a hot water bottle with warm water and place it under the towel and bedding in the box.The kits will likely be too warm to have direct contact with the bottle.
Step 6: Provide the mother with access to food and water.
While she is nursing the kits, the doe will need constant access to food and water.She needs to make enough milk to feed the litter.She will drink more water and eat more fresh food, so make sure to check her water frequently.Ensuring that she receives proper nutrition will help reduce the chance of the mother cannibalizing the kits.
Step 7: There are signs of nursing.
The doe usually stays away from the nest most of the time, so if you don't see her nursing once or twice a day, you're not going to be alarmed.Look for signs that she has been nursed.The babies will be warm.If they are well fed, they will be quiet instead of making mewling noises.
Step 8: If the mother isn't nursing, contact your vet.
If the babies are weak, have sunken tummies, and have wrinkly skin caused by dehydration, you should see your vet immediately.If the mother sets the box up, she pays attention to her mothering instincts.Your vet may be able to help with the problem by giving you a small dose of oxytocin.If the litter is more than eight kits, you should contact your vet as this may be too large a number for the mother to support.Your vet will likely give instructions for bottle feeding the babies if the mother has more than eight kits.There is no formula that is 100 percent adapted to newborn rabbits.
Step 9: The box needs to be kept clean.
The babies will toilet in the box until they are strong enough to eventually climb out of it on their own, so you will need to clean it daily, providing a new, dry bottom towel and clean bedding.
Step 10: Adapt the kit's diet.
As soon as two weeks after birth, the babies may begin eating.They shouldn't stop nursing for a full eight weeks after they're born.During this period, the babies will slowly decrease nursing and increase their consumption of pellets, but it is important that they continue to nurse as well as the mother's milk provides antibodies against pathogens.They might not be strong enough without these antibodies.You shouldn't feed the rabbits greens for a while due to the potential for GI problems.You can try tiny bits of one item at a time starting around two months, but remove it from the rabbit's diet immediately if it causes idiosyncrasy.There are good items to start with.
Step 11: The babies are eight weeks old.
Babies are susceptible to illness and can be killed by E. coli in a matter of hours.You should wash your hands whenever you have to handle the babies.It will lead to tamer adult rabbits if you handle them frequently.