How long rabbits in labour

Since rabbits are prey animals, the doe typically does not take many risks in order to protect their young. They will save themselves before they save their babies, which is why they typically stay stationary once delivering their litter.

This does not make them bad caregivers; however, they are just more cautious than some other animals. This is why your assistance is crucial, you can be vigilant in making sure the kits are where they should be and returning them to where they should be if not. If you fear the mother is rejecting their babies, make sure you are checking the signs to be positive. If the babies have a proper nest and full round bellies, they have not been rejected. The mother is just feeding when you are not present.

If the babies are scattered, the nest is messy, and they do not seem adequately nourished sunken tummies , the mother is not caring for them. This could be due to fear if many people are watching the babies throughout the day, however, action should be taken to ensure the health of the babies. There are many complications that can happen throughout the birthing and gestational process of a rabbit. It can be confusing and complicated, but it is important to remember to treat the situation with care and diligence in order to keep the doe and the babies safe.

Sign in. Log into your account. Privacy Policy. Password recovery. If a doe is unable to nurse all the kits effectively, kits may be fostered by removing them from the nest box during the first 3 days and giving them to a doe of about the same age with a smaller litter. Moving the larger kits instead of the smaller kits to the new litter increases the chance of success. Does nurse only once or twice daily, and kits nurse for less than 3 minutes at a time.

Kits are weaned around 4 to 5 weeks of age. Kits can be reared by hand, but the death rate is high. They should be kept warm, dry, and quiet.

If a lactating doe is not available to foster the kits, they can be given kitten milk replacer twice a day. Domestic rabbit kits are weaned at about 6 weeks old. Young does may kill and eat their young for a number of reasons, including nervousness, neglect failure to nurse , and severe cold. Dogs or predators entering a rabbitry often cause nervous does to kill and eat the young.

Cannibalism of the dead young occurs as a natural nest-cleaning instinct. If all management practices are proper and the doe kills 2 litters in a row, she should not be used for breeding. In cases like this, the doe may exhibit typical rabbit pregnancy behaviours, such as nest building. The best way to know for sure whether your doe is pregnant is to take her to a vet. If you want to avoid rabbit pregnancy, we would recommend considering getting your rabbits neutered.

We are pet specialists and have an unrivaled knowledge of pet health unlike many other insurers. Back to top. Look no further We are pet specialists and have an unrivaled knowledge of pet health unlike many other insurers. If your rabbit is usually pretty unfriendly though, it may be difficult to tell if it's pregnant based solely on a mood swing.

After about days post-breeding, you'll be able to feel multiple marble-sized bumps inside the rabbit's belly. These small bumps are the baby bunnies and will be just big enough to gently feel at this time. They will continue to grow inside the rabbit for another couple of weeks until the rabbit gives birth about a month after breeding. If a pregnant rabbit has gone more than 33 days after breeding and still has not given birth, a veterinarian will need to be contacted as soon as possible to either induce labor or perform surgery to remove the babies.

A pregnant rabbit will exhibit nesting behavior about a week before giving birth. The most obvious sign that a rabbit is beginning to nest is if she's piling up bedding or digging into a corner of the enclosure. Usually, a rabbit will take hay or items it can carry in its mouth, or push blankets or loose bedding together to make a comfortable space to give birth. A nesting rabbit may also pull its fur out to line the nest, which can be alarming to owners who don't know to expect this.

If your rabbit is nesting, it will most likely give birth within a week and if your rabbit begins to pull its fur out, anticipate that the babies will be born within the next day or two. Most rabbits give birth at night, so be prepared to wake up to a litter of rabbits. In addition to the usual food and water bowls, a pregnant rabbit will need space for its nest and enough room to accommodate all the babies it gives birth to. Rabbits can have up to 15 babies in a litter so you should be prepared to have space for a lot of rabbits, especially if you don't have homes lined up for them to go to once they are weaned.

An easy-to-clean nest box option is a cat litter pan filled with hay or bedding. This can be cleaned as needed if your rabbit uses it as a bathroom before the babies being born and also after the babies leave the nest. Some people use other plastic containers with a side cut out of it so the rabbit can quickly get in and out, while others make wooden boxes, but these are not as easy to clean.