Newborn Rabbits

Okay first I want to ask, what type of breed of rabbit is Thumper and the
father? Are they small or large?

You are doing good so far, just try not to bother them, and I might suggest
not even touching the mother depending on how long you have had her or how
much she trusts you. About her feeding them, don't worry. I just recently
got my 1st batch of 6, all healthy and mother as good as always. I never
once saw the mother feed them, but right now they are about 3 months old and
have enough fat to last them all winter.

Now this is where I'd need to know the size of the mother and father. My
rabbits had a medium size father and a larger size mother. Most would say
they get fur and open eyes at about... 3 weeks to a month maybe. Mine only
took less than a week.
Now since I've only had one litter I don't know about smaller ones. But
since I've been reading up on kits since before I knew mine were coming, I
know that they probably will take a longer process.
Here is something that might help you figure out if she's having them again.
Some rabbits start to change just like most animals do about a week before
the birth. My doe Clover became OVERLY aggressive(like biting off your
fingers for petting her belly) and she also became very slow. She laid down
and stretched a lot and never wanted to get off the shelf that was in her
cage/hutch.

"Juliacarey1965" <juliacarey1965 RemoveThis @aol.comnospam> wrote in message
news:20031028094753.28496.00001557@mb-m18.aol.com...
> Hi
>
> I am new to this newsgroup
> I'm Julia, from the UK, and I have 4 rabbits,
> Roger, Peter, Thumper, and Snowy...
>
> Thumper pulled some of her fur out on Friday evening, later that evening
gave
> birth.
> I dont know how many there are, as I dont want to disturb them, though
they all
> seem alive and well.
> Has anyone any advice regarding this situation?
> I havent seen Thumper feeding them as yet...
>
> What age are they when they grow fur, open eyes etc....
> Sorry for all these questions.
> I did try the Aol newsgroup alt.rabbit breeders.
> But its full of Spam, Filth and get rich quick schemes..
>
> Thanks in advance
> Julia
 >> Stay informed about: Newborn Rabbits 

Hi Julia,Roger,Peter,Thumper and Snowy...welcome to APR....
Hope you'll let us know more about your little furry crew soon....
As per your newborn bunnies,I would check them one by one trying to be not
to invasive...just to make sure they are all well...breathing fine and all
alive.Also,I would take the hair that the mother bunny used for the nest and
cut it very short,there might be risk of the kits getting their little necks
or toes or feet...caught and tangled in the hair and that can be very
dangerous...it's important...

Also as Steve already said,unlimited pellets for the bunny mom and possibly
alfalfa pellets would be better ,it will make her milk richer...you can buy
pellets made for growing bunnies...they are usually alfalfa based and given
to nursing mothers...lots of hay.....and water and I strongly recommend a
daily check on the kits....just gently pull the nesting material aside and
check...you never know....

Other than that...good luck with your cute little kits ...I would start
trying to find future families for them now...you know,you still have time
....but it takes time to find the good ones :)
Please keep us updated......
Take care,
Shan


"Juliacarey1965" <juliacarey1965 RemoveThis @aol.comnospam> wrote in message
news:20031028094753.28496.00001557@mb-m18.aol.com...
> Hi
>
> I am new to this newsgroup
> I'm Julia, from the UK, and I have 4 rabbits,
> Roger, Peter, Thumper, and Snowy...
>
> Thumper pulled some of her fur out on Friday evening, later that evening
gave
> birth.
> I dont know how many there are, as I dont want to disturb them, though
they all
> seem alive and well.
> Has anyone any advice regarding this situation?
> I havent seen Thumper feeding them as yet...
>
> What age are they when they grow fur, open eyes etc....
> Sorry for all these questions.
> I did try the Aol newsgroup alt.rabbit breeders.
> But its full of Spam, Filth and get rich quick schemes..
>
> Thanks in advance
> Julia
 >> Stay informed about: Newborn Rabbits 

Congratulations!!!
Make sure thshe has enough milk for each babbies. :>

Pet
"Juliacarey1965" <juliacarey1965 RemoveThis @aol.comnospam> ¦b¶l¥ó
news:20031028094753.28496.00001557@mb-m18.aol.com ¤¤¼¶¼g...
> Hi
>
> I am new to this newsgroup
> I'm Julia, from the UK, and I have 4 rabbits,
> Roger, Peter, Thumper, and Snowy...
>
> Thumper pulled some of her fur out on Friday evening, later that evening
gave
> birth.
> I dont know how many there are, as I dont want to disturb them, though
they all
> seem alive and well.
> Has anyone any advice regarding this situation?
> I havent seen Thumper feeding them as yet...
>
> What age are they when they grow fur, open eyes etc....
> Sorry for all these questions.
> I did try the Aol newsgroup alt.rabbit breeders.
> But its full of Spam, Filth and get rich quick schemes..
>
> Thanks in advance
> Julia
 >> Stay informed about: Newborn Rabbits 

Okay first I want to ask, what type of breed of rabbit is Thumper and the
father? Are they small or large?

You are doing good so far, just try not to bother them, and I might suggest
not even touching the mother depending on how long you have had her or how
much she trusts you. About her feeding them, don't worry. I just recently
got my 1st batch of 6, all healthy and mother as good as always. I never
once saw the mother feed them, but right now they are about 3 months old and
have enough fat to last them all winter.

Now this is where I'd need to know the size of the mother and father. My
rabbits had a medium size father and a larger size mother. Most would say
they get fur and open eyes at about... 3 weeks to a month maybe. Mine only
took less than a week.
Now since I've only had one litter I don't know about smaller ones. But
since I've been reading up on kits since before I knew mine were coming, I
know that they probably will take a longer process.
Here is something that might help you figure out if she's having them again.
Some rabbits start to change just like most animals do about a week before
the birth. My doe Clover became OVERLY aggressive(like biting off your
fingers for petting her belly) and she also became very slow. She laid down
and stretched a lot and never wanted to get off the shelf that was in her
cage/hutch.

"Juliacarey1965" <juliacarey1965.RemoveThis@aol.comnospam> wrote in message
news:20031028094753.28496.00001557@mb-m18.aol.com...
> Hi
>
> I am new to this newsgroup
> I'm Julia, from the UK, and I have 4 rabbits,
> Roger, Peter, Thumper, and Snowy...
>
> Thumper pulled some of her fur out on Friday evening, later that evening
gave
> birth.
> I dont know how many there are, as I dont want to disturb them, though
they all
> seem alive and well.
> Has anyone any advice regarding this situation?
> I havent seen Thumper feeding them as yet...
>
> What age are they when they grow fur, open eyes etc....
> Sorry for all these questions.
> I did try the Aol newsgroup alt.rabbit breeders.
> But its full of Spam, Filth and get rich quick schemes..
>
> Thanks in advance
> Julia
 >> Stay informed about: Newborn Rabbits 

In article <vq14liq656p82a RemoveThis @corp.supernews.com>, "Summer"
<horseland2001 RemoveThis @hotmail.com> writes:

>Okay first I want to ask, what type of breed of rabbit is Thumper and the
>father? Are they small or large?

Hi

Thanks for your very helpful reply.
Thumper is a small grey rabbit, not sure which breed, and the father(which we
were informed was a female!), is a little white rabbit with small grey patches.
There are 8 babies, 6 days old now, and are just starting to grow some fur.
Should I still be giving Thumper greens still, as shes been a bit loose for the
last few days?

So far, everything seems OK.
Thanks
Julia
 >> Stay informed about: Newborn Rabbits 

all you have to do is buy a book from a pet shop. they tell you everything you
will ever need to know on the newborns. you are right about not disturbing
them, but still try and get a peek to see how many and make sure they are
alive. as far as when they will get fur and there eyes will open it depends on
the type of rabbit you have. it will probably take two and a half to three
weeks. and thumper not feeding them is probaly a sign that she is neglecting
them, but don't worry because lots of rabbits are like that. as I wrote
earlier you are best off getting a book on it, or going to a vet to get some
help.

sincerly,
Sarah
 >> Stay informed about: Newborn Rabbits 

>From: juliacarey1965.RemoveThis@aol.comnospam (Juliacarey1965)

>There are 8 babies, 6 days old now, and are just starting to grow some fur.
>Should I still be giving Thumper greens still, as shes been a bit loose for
>the
>last few days?

If she gets regular daily veggies then I would not stop giving them, the
looseness is probably cecal droppings that she will feed to the kits in
addition to milk, the ceacals help "jump start" the kits GI systems by
introducing the digestive bacteria that they need to tackle solids, just clean
her up if she needs it :)

There are 2 schools of though as to whether to feed veggies to kits or not,
here are my thoughts on it ~~

If mum is on regular veggies then her GI system is used to being hydrated by
them, cutting out the veggies suddenly could cause it to dry up, which would be
bad news.
The cecals should prime the kits GI systems to deal with whatever mum is eating
and when they emerge will nibble at whatever mum is having ( I suggest not
feeding root veggies however ).

Wild bunnys are on greens right from the start, but I would not feed baby
bunnys veggies untill they were older if mum was on an all pellet diet or
getting little or no veggies.


What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?

Is there another word for synonym?
 >> Stay informed about: Newborn Rabbits 

In article <20031031153338.14928.00000062.DeleteThis@mb-m13.aol.com>,
steverddrf.DeleteThis@aol.commotion (Steverddrf) writes:

>If she gets regular daily veggies then I would not stop giving them

Hi

Many thanks
She usually has some broccoli and a few pieces of carrot, in addition to her
normal pellets.
Should I give her milk to drink, or just stay with the fresh water?

Thanks in advance
Julia
 >> Stay informed about: Newborn Rabbits 

>From: juliacarey1965 DeleteThis @aol.comnospam

>She usually has some broccoli and a few pieces of carrot, in addition to her
>normal pellets.
>Should I give her milk to drink, or just stay with the fresh water?

I would cut out the carrot as soon as the kits come out and start nibbling
stuff.

Milk is a definate no for bunnys, fresh water is perfect :)

Imho carrot tops are better for bunnys than the actual carrot.

I would also start mixing Burgess junior with her regular pellets in increasing
amounts over the next week.

When weening time for the kits comes at between 8 to 10 weeks the doe should be
removed to her own cage rather that the kits, bunnys become fertile as early as
3 months and so need to be at the very least sexed and seperated into male and
female hutches by then.

Beware of people looking for snake food when finding them homes, also of
parents with no interest in them buying them for a child to look after, or
geting the smallest hutch possible :(

Probably the best rabbit book available is
The House Rabbit Handbook: How to Live with an Urban Rabbit
By Marinell Harriman
ISBN: 0940920123

I am trying not to stand on a soap box, but I have 2 unwanted bunnys, one of
whome could be knocked over by simply giving him a head scratch due to his 12
yo owner loosing interest in him after 18 months :(

Accidental litters are unfortunaly a normal occurence and fully understandable,
my first bunny was ment to be a doe, 6 years later he was properly sexed as a
buck !

For those reading this and wondering why it took 6 years, I got him when I was
5 in 1966.


What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?

Is there another word for synonym?
 >> Stay informed about: Newborn Rabbits 

On Tue, 28 Oct 2003, Steverddrf wrote:
> >From: juliacarey1965.TakeThisOut@aol.comnospam
> >Thumper pulled some of her fur out on Friday evening, later that evening gave
> >birth.
> >I dont know how many there are, as I dont want to disturb them, though they
> >all
> >seem alive and well.
> >Has anyone any advice regarding this situation?
>
> Mum needs to be on unlimited pellets while she is feeding the kits, when the
> kits start on solid food feed them Burgess Junior, if the buck is in the same
> hutch as the doe then he has to come out imediatly.
> The kits should be weened at 8 to 10 weeks, then comes the problem of finding
> good homes for them.

Now don't we assume that they have to live elsewhere.... Is there a reason why
they can't be kept if desired?

> Its a good idea to get your rabbits spayed / neutered as this not only stops
> suprise litters but is a lot more heathy for them as does have a very high risk
> of reproductive cancers unless spayed.
 >> Stay informed about: Newborn Rabbits