my rabbit is having problems with her two cute baby bunnies. she does not seem to be willing to fed them. the babies are two weeks old . is it normal for the mother to wean them at this age? i was thinking of trying supplements for the babies as they are persistent in their efforts. they are not willing to feed on bottles. any suggestion that you might want to offer are most welcome.
Does generally only nurse once a day, sometimes twice. Since they are a prey species, they tend to visit their nest and their young at night when they feel the safest. The does isn\'t going to stay with the babies and \"cuddle\" them at all. As a matter of fact, they\'re very stand-offish with the kits. As long as the kits seem to be growing and gaining weight, don\'t worry, the doe is feeding them, you\'re just not seeing it. Very different than having kittens or puppies around!
4-H Mom is correct. I take it the bunnies are already out of the nest box?
I\'m sure what is happening is that the bunnies, out and about, naturally want to nurse from the doe as is normal when they come in contact with her. Normally, the doe feeds once or twice in a 24 hour period and does not interact with her kits at any other time, so the kits are conditioned to nurse when \'Mom\' is present. The doe leaves the nest after briefly nursing the litter.
For awhile, when the kits are out, they still have the conditioned response to nurse when the doe is near. The doe, however, has her own timetable and will only let the kits nurse at the proper time.
If the kits are healthy and alert, they are being fed.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com