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During pregnancy, the mother rabbit will need lots of clean water and nutritious food, including dark leafy greens, alfalfa hay and rabbit pellets.
Do pregnant rabbits need special food?
Throughout the pregnancy, slowly change your rabbit’s diet so it includes more celery, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, rabbit pellets, and alfalfa hay. Then, at around day 30 of the pregnancy, cut your rabbit’s food in half to prevent issues while giving birth.
What should I do with my pregnant rabbit?
That said, in the case that you are caring for a pregnant rabbit or new mother, here are a few basic tips: Separate the male rabbit from the female so they cannot mate. Provide a nest box in a quiet area. Mother rabbits nurse only once or twice a day.
Can pregnant rabbits eat fruit?
Only give small amounts of fruit 2 or 3 days a week because the natural sugar in fruits can make bunnies fat and cause their teeth to rot.
Should I feed my pregnant rabbit alfalfa hay?
It is best to feed a pregnant rabbit a rich hay, like alfalfa, and a diet intended for young or nursing rabbits. If you do not given her adequate nutrition during pregnancy, there can be complications with her health or the developing kits.
Should I separate my pregnant rabbit?
To prevent your rabbit from getting pregnant again, separate the male and female immediately after the female’s given birth, but make sure they can still see and smell each other to help maintain their bond.
What do I do after my rabbit gives birth?
Place the mother and the babies in a small, warm, quiet room. Give the mother a litterbox, in the opposite corner of the nest, if she’s placed indoors. If she is not used to being in the house, this may stress her more than being left in her outdoor cage. The only thing to do in that case is add a proper nest area.
How quickly can a rabbit get pregnant after giving birth?
The doe can become pregnant again 24 hours after giving birth. Most people raising rabbits for show or as pets rebreed does 35 to 42 days after the birth of a litter. Most medium- to large-sized female rabbits have 8 to 10 nipples, and many give birth to 12 or more young.
Can you touch baby rabbits?
And don’t panic if you or your child touches the bunnies. It’s a myth that a mother rabbit (and many other wildlife mamas) will reject their babies if they have a human scent on them. Just cover the nest and don’t touch the babies again; handling the little ones can cause injury and stress.
How soon can you tell if a rabbit is pregnant?
That is why veterinarians and rabbit breeders palpate, or gently inspect (using the fingers or hands), the abdomen of a rabbit to determine if the rabbit is pregnant. Within two weeks of conception, you should be able to feel the young rabbits inside the mother rabbit’s abdomen.
What vegetables are good for pregnant rabbits?
Vegetables: Broccoli, cabbage, celery, endive, beet/carrot tops, brussels sprouts, spinach leaves, bok choy & other Asian greens, dark leafed lettuce (not iceberg), chicory, kale, mustard greens. Herbs: Parsley, dandelion, coriander, basil, dill, mint, etc. Rabbit pellets can be offered in small quantities.
What do baby rabbits eat at 3 weeks?
When the bunnies are 2-3 weeks old, you can start to introduce rolled oats, and at 30 days, you can start them on commercial pellets. It is important to slowly switch rabbits to oats and pellets or you can cause enterotoxemia, a type of intestinal infection with a high mortality rate.
What is the best vegetable for rabbits?
Particularly good vegetables include the dark leafy greens like romaine lettuce, bok choy, mustard greens, carrot tops, cilantro, watercress, basil, kohlrabi, beet greens, broccoli greens, and cilantro.
What can I use for a rabbit nesting box?
You can substitute a cardboard box. Choose one just a little bit larger than the mother, so she fits inside snugly. Cut a small doorway in one side that’s sufficient for the rabbit to enter and exit. Leave a space of at least 1 inch from the bottom of the box to the doorway so tiny babies can’t fall out.
Will a pregnant rabbit eat more?
Like most mammals, a female rabbit’s belly will get larger as her babies grow inside throughout the pregnancy, so this is the most obvious sign of a pregnant rabbit. Aside from the weight gain, pregnant rabbits will begin to eat more, and most will also seem extra cranky or moody.
How long is a rabbit in labor?
The first and second stages of labor in rabbits occur almost simultaneously as parturition typically lasts 30 min (7). Kits are typically born in the early morning and are considered altricial as they are usually born hairless and helpless with both their eyes and ears closed (2,4).
Can 2 female rabbits have babies together?
Nope. Two female rabbits cannot have kits together. However, regardless of inability to reproduce together, they can still hump the living daylights out of each other.
Can two pregnant rabbits live together?
It’s possible to keep two pregnant rabbits together, as long as you have enough space. However, mothers should bond with one another before they become pregnant.
