Rabbit Web Discussion Board

Hello all nice to meet you!
I have a bunny that I got from an old famliy friend(breed unknown). Unknown to us she was bred and we woke up to find 9 babies. (we lost 2 of them) At the time we had a cardboard box in her hutch because we had no time after she started the nesting routine to get a nesting box made. My husband and I built a stand for the hutch and a nesting box when the kits were 4 days old. We got them moved into it and they are now almost 3 weeks old. They are running around the hutch and chasing mom till she hops up on top of the nesting box.

Cotton is a indoor/outdoor bunny. When we got her she was used to being outside. She is now litter box trained and loves to lounge around the house with the family dog adn kids. Usually they are laying in the same corner or in front of the couch. She won\'t jump up on the furniture at all so far which is ok. We dont\' let her jump down when we are sitting with her for fear of her getting hurt.
My husband Keeps telling me he is not a rabbit person but I keep catching him playing with the babies and giving Cotton treats or lounging around with her in his lap. He also rabbit proofed the back yard so she can have the run of it.(pity we forgot about the garden and how much she would love to eat it
Shadow the Sheltie keeps herding the babies when I have them loose in the yard. They are only allowed to be about 4 to 5 foot before he goes and brings them back. I think he would be their mom if he could.

Question is: Is there a time when the nesting box should be taken out of the hutch and a normal house put in? Do i put a house in for them? I know that if i take out the box i need to have something for her to jump up on to be able to get away from the babies if she likes.

Thank you for any help you could give me. It has been 25 years since I had rabbits. And there is some things I have forgotten.
Lacy

We are breeders and we usually remove the nest boxes around three weeks of age. They do chase mom but she knows how to put up with them. : ) They will soon start filling up more on the pellets and other foods. Timothy hay is a good starter for babies as well. Just make sure as they adjust to the new foods you keep an eye out on there little behinds for feces getting stuck, sometimes you have to help out in that department as they make the switch from mom\'s milk to regular food. Hope this helps? Tony Artist, Artist Rabbitry, South Bend, IN.

Thanks! They have been eating the hay in the hutch and they also like the carrots. I keep them checked daily for problems as I was taught when i had rabbits before. When should they be weaned and seporated from mom? I have heard anything heard or read anywhere from 4-8 weeks. When can the 2 that I\'m giving to friends go to new homes? I\'m keeping most of them since I have the room for them. But i found homes for the 2 baby bucks. Least i think there is only 2....
Thanks!

We leave our babies with mom till 8 weeks old. Though two of does came to us at 5 weeks old and have done fine. I just think those extra few weeks are benefitual to the kits. At that timethey can go to their new homes.

And those pictures are beautiful. Our chihuahua also tries to mother our babies.

Ok thanks. I will leave them for the 8 weeks then if it is better for the kits i\'m all for it. I have 4 people wanting a baby rabbit but I don\'t think the kids would let me give up that many. Each has picked one as their own and then Cotton and one of the babies has my finger so will be a 6 rabbit house around here. That is ok though. The room in the back yard is enough for a few more than that and it will keep the trees trimmed for me so i don\'t have to do it.... They are just getting to the point i can call them and they come to me. except ram.... Little stinker is fearless! Corse she is bigger than everone in the litter.
Thanks for the help!
Lacy

We usually wean our babies at 6 weeks. But we raise the dwarf breeds in rabbits. We keep the litter together for another week or two depending on how they are acting and then we usually seperate them into there own cages or they go to there new owners. When mom has a large litter we wean them a few at a time so she can dry up gradually, the larger ones going out first. Hope this helps? Tony from Artist Rabbitry in South Bend,IN