Rabbit Web Discussion Board

Hi,
I ended up with 2 pet rabbits from a granddaughter & niece. The rabbits care ended up being my responsibility because they were not being carded for at all. One bunny is a dwarf (female) & the other is a lop ear of some sort. The bunnies, I was told, are both female. Well, I am now waiting for the babies to be born!!! The dwarf is the female & the lop is the male. Several things are of real concern to me. 1st & foremost is the size difference in the mother & father going to injure the mother dwarf bunny? How long does it take for the babies to be born. The mom went into labor last night & it is now 9 am & she has not had the babies yet, that I know of, I had to go to work so they are at home alone. I separated the mom from the male & put her in a big deep tub (clean) in my bedroom with a blanket paper towels & will take home some hay at lunch time( after reading it was needed). How long does it take for the babies to be born. If they are not born by noon, should I take her to a vet or animal hospital (that was/is my plan) What do I need to do to help her? I am taking off the rest of the afternoon to go home & take care of her I am just at a loss & do not want her to suffer or die. Please respond!
Thanks
Cindi R

Hi Cindi
My rabbits have hutches outside, so I\'m not sure how long our Midnight was in labor. But I would really consider calling the vet if she hasn\'t delivered when you get home. I would remove the blanket from the tub as rabbits will shred it and the babies have a chance of getting caught & hurt in the threading. The hay will be good for the nest area. As for the size of the babies hurting mom, I really just don\'t know. My rabbits are all lops. That\'s another good question for the vet. We wish you and the bunnies the best, and please keep us posted.

I hope your doe is okay,dwarfs frequently have problems with the first litter even when bred to another dwarf.many times the first litter is born dead. dwarfs can get pregnant at 4 months of age.bluebird

Do you know in fact when the doe was bred? It takes about 31 days from breeding to kindling. A next box should be provided on day 28. I like to put a layer of shavings in the bottom and soft grass hay (which the doe uses to mix with the fur she pulls).

The box should not be too big. A good size for a compact breed rabbit is 14\" long x 9\" wide x 8\" high. (It can actually be as short as 12\" for a dwarf rabbit.) There are two reasons why you don\'t want a box too large: 1) to encourage the doe to make a compact nest, which is best for the kits and 2) to discourage the doe from using the box as a \"resting place\". Does only feed their kits once or twice/day for a very short duration at a time.

Yes, Netherland Dwarfs, because of their proportionately larger head size, can tend to have difficult births. I wouldn\'t worry too much about the overall size of the buck though. The size of the uterine horns tends to help limit the size of the kits. What is usually the culprit in extra large kits is when the litter is small (for a dwarf breed - 1 to 2 kits). But, the head-size issue is a concern.

Once labor begins, the litter is generally delivered within 30 minutes, with about 1 to 5 minutes between each kit. The vet can give 1 unit of oxytocin injection if the doe has gone 32 to 33 days without going into labor (if you know for a fact she is pregnant). If she is in labor and has not delivered, then she could have a large kit that is blocking up the works. In that case, it might be best for you to take the doe to the vet for intervention.

I wish you the best.

Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com