Help! My Rabbit Is Pregnant

From time to time, I receive emails from people who have a rabbit that accidentally got pregnant. The story usually goes something like this:

• We got two "male" rabbits from the pet store, but one turned out to be a female
• We won a rabbit at the fair and now she's pulling fur
• Our neighbors watched our rabbits for us while we were on vacation and they said they never had them out together
• I thought they were too young to have babies, so I didn't separate them

First, it's best to get your rabbits from breeders. Breeders have to learn how to sex rabbits accurately. Pet stores do not.

If you have two rabbits, you really do want to alter them, regardless of their sex. Even if you have one, it's a great idea.

Rabbits can have babies as early as about 12 weeks old. Don't take a chance.

If it is already too late and you have babies on the way, the first thing you should know is that having rabbit babies is nothing at all like having puppies or kittens. You do need to read up on rabbits as soon as possible. But here are the main things to know:

• Rabbits typically have their babies between 29 and 33 days after mating
• Rabbits need a nest box and nesting material such as hay, shredded paper, or shavings (I use hay)
• The mother will pluck out her own fur to line the nest after she's built it. That may be several days or several minutes before the babies are born
• The mother will only visit her babies once or twice per day and you may never see her feed them
• You can touch the babies as soon as they are born
• You should remove any dead babies immediately or the doe may feel that she has to eat it to clean up the nest area and prevent predators from finding her nest
• You can tell that she is feeding her babies if you see round tummies; loose wrinkled skin means they are not being fed
• Feeding baby rabbits by hand is very difficult; do not attempt unless you are a professional at caring for animals (you are just likely to kill the bunny)
• Sometimes rabbit milk doesn't come in for 72 hours; baby rabbits can last for that long without feeding
• Their eyes will open between day 10 and 12 usually
• I leave my babies with their mothers until they are 7 weeks old or older

Visit The Nature Trail Rabbitry for more information on breeding rabbits. The breeding section includes newborn care through weaning.

Laurie Stroupe
Precious Pet Rabbits
Pet Rabbit Care Information, Quality Pet Rabbit Breeders, and Rabbit Fun