Rabbit pregnant with two litters

by Kaitlin
(Missouri)

I think my doe may be pregnant with two separate litters. How can I tell for sure and what should I do? Will she lose all the kits? Thank you.


****Karen Sez****
Hmmm, you'll need to tell us a bit more...explain why you think two separate litters.

If you test-bred at 10-14 days just to see if the doe was pregnant, and the doe only had babies in one of her two uterus horns, the doe could indeed conceive a second litter 2 weeks after the first. In our experience this is possible but not probably, thankfully.

We have never personally experienced such a scenario, so cannot give you much guidance. But, IF I felt my doe was double-pregnant 2 weeks apart, I might wait it out and see what happened, or I might take her to my rabbit-savvy vet and get an expert opinion.

It could be that the doe will deliver both litters at once; the younger litter would then be premature and would die while the oldest kits would be fine. Or, I've heard of delivering the second litter when the first was 2 weeks old. If this happens, you'll have a serious management problem, and may need to foster or hand-feed the second litter.

Or it sometimes happens that the second litter gets retained, an infection ensues, and, well, that's not good. You could lose both doe and all kits.

Let us know how it goes, Kaitlin. Your experience might help all of us.

Best of luck,
K

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Jun 02, 2023
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Doe pregnant with no male
by: Anonymous grandma

My granddaughter caged her doe alone when she had babies and 4 weeks later the doe had babies again with no male. Now she's pregnant again and she doesn't know how. She's on the opposite side of the the shed of the other younger ones. There's no adult males.
Mar 23, 2023
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Pregnant with two litters
by: Anonymous

So my doe gave birth to 4 healthy kits 2/22/23. When they were close to 3 weeks I noticed she was pregnant again. Her current litter is now a month old. She’s very pregnant to where I can feel and see babies kicking and moving. But she hasn’t tried to nest or anything. Is she not nesting because her first litter is with her? Do I remove them now? Would it help her and be ok? They started eating on their own around 3 weeks due to mom not letting them nurse anymore I’m assuming due to being pregnant again. Any advice??

***** Karen Sez *****
You can remove the kits of the first litter when they are 28 days old (exactly 4 weeks old). This mimics real life for a wild domestic European rabbit, who abandons her kits at that age in order to build a new nest for the current litter. Find more info about back to back litters in Rabbit Raising Problem Solver, starting on page 145. Enjoy your bunnies!
Jan 07, 2023
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Two litters at one time.... can confirm
by: Anonymous

I had two bunnies from when they were babies. I thought they were both female... turns out they were not. I came home to 4 babies scattered throughout the cage so I placed them in a box and removed daddy bunny and put him in a separate cage. Only one made it throughout infancy. He/she is 4 weeks old and still with mom and daddy bunny has not been near mom since 4 weeks ago. She just delivered 6 more. 🥲 So single original baby bunny had to be removed from cage so mama bunny could care for its 6 new siblings... I had experienced breeding bunnies as a child for years and never came across a double pregnancy until now. I am surprised and confused as to why there isn't more about this out there. But now that I have 9 rabbits in my house, I will never forget.
Jun 13, 2022
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Doe building new nest three weeks after birth
by: Anonymous

Hi! I have a doe that is building a new nest only three weeks after giving birth to her last litter. She is with a buck, but we sprayed him actually 2 weeks before she got pregnant with the first litter (we know now that he still has hormones and all that up until 6 weeks after spraying).
But my question is, could she have a double pregnancy or is it a phantom pregnancy since our buck is sprayed and it had been well over those 6 weeks?

***** Karen Sez *****
It's hard to say at the moment, but my guess would lean toward a false pregnancy. I suppose there is still a small window in which the buck *might* be able to make the doe pregnant. But in the case of a second pregnancy, the doe typically builds her next nest closer to 4 weeks of gestation.

A sterile buck's attempts to rebreed a doe will frequently stimulate a false pregnancy.

I know this doesn't answer the question! In any case, we wish you the best with your bunnies. Enjoy!
Jun 11, 2022
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Two litters a month apart
by: Anonymous

Hi. My beautiful little Holland lop had her first litter on 11 May. She was a great mamma for her first time too. Anyway come 11 June she had a second litter. Some how my buck was able to get to her despite our best efforts to keep them apart. The babies are obviously a bit early and the look smaller but seem healthy enough.

I am concerned about both litters now. I have assumed that I would have to feed the first litter at 4 weeks, is this correct? If so what do I do if they don’t take hand rearing? Are they too young to wean? Is she more likely to focus on feeding her new babies? Thanks ever so much.

***** Karen Sez *****
In the wild, the doe will have abandoned litter #1 at 28 days of age in order to build a separate nest, kindle, and wean the second litter.

Your month-old babies are fully weaned and will be fine without additional hand-feeding. Find lots more info at one or both of the following links:

Rabbit Raising Problem Solver
Rabbit Reproduction.

Enjoy your bunnies!
Apr 08, 2022
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Two does in same nest
by: Patrick

I just recently had a doe dig a nest in the ground and we added a door window to look in. Kits born two weeks ago 6 but today there were six brand new kits?? There is another doe that we thought was pregnant as well and was building her own nest and lined with fur but today they're all in the same nest??? Is this ok? Not sure what to do leave alone or separate them? We have 4 rabbits pretty sure 3 does one buck.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
Jun 26, 2021
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Pregnant doe with its kittens?
by: Anonymous

Hi guys, I am new in the breeding rabbit industry. My question is: I have just bred my rabbit today, she has 5 kits that are four weeks old. Is it safe for the mom doe that has just mated to remain in the same cage with its four weeks old kits? I am asking this because I was thinking maybe they still need more time to nurse before they can be separated by mom. Regards!

***** Karen Sez *****

Yes, it is safe.

In the wild, the mother doe gets pregnant immediately after she gives birth, and then abandons the 4-week-old kits in order to build another nest and kindle the new litter.

Keeping the doe with her first litter for a while is okay, but it will eventually result in a nutritional drain on her body. The month-old kits are actually able to take care of and feed themselves right now. So, I suggest that you plan on separating the doe from her litter soon, say, within the next couple weeks, so the doe can conserve her bodily strength to feed her next litter when it comes.

You'll find some excellent help in either or both of the following resources.

Rabbit Raising Problem Solver.
Rabbit Reproduction.
May 21, 2021
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Dual pregnancy?
by: R639

My rabbit female gave birth to 4 bunnies a month ago and today she gave birth again to 6 bunnies. I do not have any male rabbit. I took her to someone else's rabbit the first time and ever since then she just stayed with the bunnies. How rare is that??

***** Karen Sez *****

My guess is that on the day she kindled that first litter, she got a visit on the down-low from the local randy roaming Don Juan rabbit.... Are there feral bunnies out and about in your neighborhood? Because clearly there is no way to make babies without a boy rabbit somewhere, and your newborns don't count....
May 18, 2021
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		2 Rabbit Litters and Premature Birth?
by: A Adkins

Hi. So first, we added a buck for bonding purposes. Had them in separate hutches, as Covid made castration and spay appointments a little more spaced out. My guess is that my doe was in season (do they ever NOT have a season?) and my buck was very happy to accommodate. He dug under his hutch and into hers... and we have no idea (aside from 24 hours-ish) how long they...really bonded.

Fast-forward, now she's had a litter 1 week early. Obviously, none survived. 5 kits. But in the past 2 days, she has furiously ripped out her fur (we cleaned out the older nest) and has re-nested. Could she actually still have another litter in there? Obviously, we could go the route of ultrasound... but this was an unexpected and unintentional litter, and we'll just wait it out. I just thought I'd have a google and couldn't find any answers :)

Thank you in advance, these are so helpful to read through.

*Note: Our buck has since been castrated, hutch repaired and chicken wire added to the bottom of the run, as we're conscious he could still procreate for the next 6 weeks.

***** Karen Sez *****

Oh good, I'm glad you find the info on Raising-Rabbits very helpful!

To answer your first question - rabbits don't do "seasons" at all. They are induced ovulators - they ovulate when stimulated, and it really doesn't take much. The pressure of the buck mounting her back, or even his proximity might cause her to ovulate, depending on the season.

Time will tell if your doe will deliver a second litter. Perhaps she emptied one side of her double-horned uterus early, perhaps for hormonal reasons, resulting in the 5 dead preemie kits. If so, perhaps she'll give you another 4-5 kits alive soon from the other side. Let us know!
Jul 26, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		My Doe's last litter
by: Beverly

My bun Willow, a Holland Lop, has had 2 litters and then the next 2 breedings she didn't take.

Then I bred her again but didn't know if the reason she didn't take before was because of the male so I ended up mating her with 2 males, thinking she'd conceive by one or the other.

I don't know if that was a bad idea because her litter was due July 12th and she didn't deliver so I thought she didn't take again. But 2 days later she delivered one kit it was stillborn and very much bigger than the kits she had before it almost looked like it was a peanut.

I was worried that she had more in her and I kept a close eye on her as all my bun's are indoors. She would huddle next to the nesting box and raise her bum up as if she were having contractions and was trying to push a kit out but nothing happened.

The next morning she was in the nesting box doing the same thing, I had to go to work and I worried all day about her, when I got home she had passed a small kit still in its bag but it had kind of like connected to what looked like a umbilical cord a pair of feet.
The whole pregnancy went wrong, did it have anything to do with breeding her to 2 different males?

She came through it all ok thank God.

She is a good mama and after she had her second litter she acted like she wanted more babies but I wanted to give her a rest.

I'm concerned if I should mate her again, I would at least wait 6 months make she everything inside heals ok. She was born April of 2019 so she's still young, what do you think I should do?

***** Karen Sez *****

I don't think it takes 6 months to heal up. It's July now - if you want to rebreed her, then do it within a month or so, or, let her rest through the autumn season where rabbits are no longer interested in breeding for a while, and rebreed in December/January.

Enjoy your rabbits!
Jun 06, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Looking for advice
by: Steve

I recently rescued a female rabbit that i was assured had been spayed. So she was in a play area with my male rabbit, a few weeks ago she gave birth to 6, all healthy and doing really well.

We kept the male separate from her with a fence, however a very windy day blew the fencing over and we found them together in their outside hutch. They were both pretty scared, it really was one of the windiest days I've witnessed so I suspect that they didn't mate...however, the last day or 2 she has been acting differently, doesn't seem to come to us for strokes (though she will if we have treats), and generally just seems "off." Do you think she may be pregnant again?

***** Karen Sez *****
Yep! Plan on it.
Jun 02, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Double Pregnancy
by: Pecc

I bought a doe on the 10th of May, bred her that day to my buck. Due date would be around the 10th of June. She dropped 3 kits on the 2nd of June, a week early.

Her belly is still very firm and slightly rounded. My concern is she was pregnant in one horn when I got her, and my boy knocked up the second horn.

I won't know for certain unless I get her checked at the vet, or she has babies.

Big question for me is, if she is pregnant still/again, will she drop on schedule and have litters a week apart?

***** Karen Sez *****

To give you a direct answer, if she has a second pregnancy, I would think 'yes' to your question - she will kindle that litter on time.

And if so, she lost the first litter because of disruption of hormones due to the second growing litter.

Lastly, Newly kindled does, even if they drop just a single kit, tend to appear still pregnant for a while. If your doe only had the one pregnancy, it might be that your doe is just showing the aftermath of that pregnancy right now, and her waistline will return after a few more days.

Best of luck with everything. :-)

Rabbit Raising Problem Solver.
Rabbit Reproduction.
May 01, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Miscarriage of Rabbit
by: Anonymous

Anyone knows or can explain the situation of our rabbit? She gave birth last April 01, 2020 and today she has miscarriage with 2 kits?

***** Karen Sez *****
Yep. The timing says she was rebred either before she kindled the first litter, or on the same day she gave birth to the first-mentioned litter of rabbits. Did you have her with the buck up until, and/or after she kindled?
Apr 11, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Rabbit with multiple litters
by: Wlfchic

I in fact do have a white angora Holland lop breeding pair which incidentally on February 16th gave birth to a litter of six however 5 have made it then approximately 18 days later another litter was born of 7 all have lived and are doing very well. Never heard of such a thing never saw such a thing but it is possible.
Apr 04, 2020
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Double Pregnancy in Rabbits
by: Prudence

We bought a Standard Rex rabbit from a breeder. She was approximately 6 months old. 2 weeks later she gave birth to 4 kits. She's a great mom. However, when we bought her, she was in a pen with a bunch of females, roughly the same size, and a male. We are figuring she was at least 12 days pregnant when we got her. Her babies are 5 days old. We are noticing that her tummy is still round, and tough. My daughter is feeling her tummy, as is positive she has more babies? And saw her tummy rolling. Is it possible for her to have a second litter? We were going to breed her with a Dwarf/New Zealand (or English Spot), but he's only 3 months when we bought her. And she wouldn't receive him.
Nov 16, 2019
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		The female rabbit has a bicornuate duplex uterus
by: Gilles B

I used to rescue rabbits for years. When they started mating I became a pro at playing around with which 2 I would mate to make a breed of my own. I had chinchilla rabbits mate with lionheads. I gave them away to a feed store who had people waiting for these rabbits. My deal with them was to make sure they are pets and good owners. They were good people I didn't have to worry about these rabbit used to feed snakes.

I learned to be a vet on them as vet visits for a $10 rabbit cost $250 in my area. These are the toughest animals I've had the pleasure to study and learn. I had them in a giant 20 x 20 pen with individual condos for them to have babies.

I started noticing right away that some would be one color and hairy, and others were completely different. No way could these be from the same male. Turns out they can carry dual pregnancy.
If you ever want to learn more about your rabbit google rabbit language. They communicate very well.

***** Karen Sez *****
Thanks for this, Gilles. Yes, female rabbits have a bicornuate duplex uterus, which makes it entirely possible for 2 bucks (or more) to impregnate the doe at the same time. (It is also what makes it well nigh impossible to maintain accurate breeding records or pedigrees in a colony setting.)

Rabbit breeders typically describe the rabbit uterus in less scientific terms. If you hear someone talking about a rabbit uterus having two "horns," the bicornuate duplex uterus is what they are talking about.
Aug 12, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Birthing process over 12 hours
by: Anonymous

After breeding my doe and buck, marking the calendar Aug 12 to have babies, well yesterday the 11th I went out for her morning checking and feeding. There were babies in her nesting box and one outside the nesting box.

(My other doe after 2 breedings had killed and partially eaten her kits, so of course I wasn't breeding her anymore, anyway. I'm a bit nervous about this one doing the same.)

The kit outside the box and the ones in the box totaled 4. After checking the box, I discovered 2 of the 3 that were inside were also dead, appearing to be still born all three of them. She did not hurt them or attempt to eat them. I got the dead kits out and made sure her 1 had a nice fat belly and all the good stuff and it was super active, so I leave her to her business and tried not to bother her while checking on her and her baby throughout the day. When I went to bed about 9, she was fine the baby was fine, nothing out of the normal.

Getting up this am I was excited but nervous to go to the cage, because this is my first baby kit surviving.

I go to her cage this morning and to my surprise I see blood, more than I saw in the cage, even in my other doe, on top of the nesting box, on the solid base of her hutch. I was so afraid to look into the box thinking for whatever reason she thought she had to euthanize her kit. However that was not the case, it was actually in the box and moving around quite a bit more than it had just the day prior.

I started to look around the rest of her cage and to my surprise there are parts of what seemed to be parts of one kit.

When I allowed her to get pregnant my buck connected with her and the typical fall-off three times, then removed and not put back together. There is also like a milky white substance over 1 of her eyes. I wasn't sure if this is something normal, or happens with her having her litter of 4, and one was stuck for hours with no signs of her being in pain or uncomfortable, pregnant this doe doesn't like to be pet, however after having the 4 kits, she was back to her self not grunting at me. Also will or could this cause her to not take care of the baby she does have and why would she eat this one and none of the 4 the day prior? Any advice would be great!

***** Karen Sez *****
It is hard to know why your doe brutalized her last (delayed) kit. It may have to do with her survival instinct. Just ensure that her singleton baby can stay warm and not chill. Also, milky white over the eye is not normal, you might want to see a vet about that, but I don't think it will hamper her mothering, I hope.

More answers here: Rabbit Raising Problem Solver

Good luck with everything.
Aug 09, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Rabbit making babies one month apart
by: Avanell

My rabbit made babies on the 7th July. She made seven all healthy. She has been away from the males since then but on the 8th August she made seven more is that possible?

***** Karen Sez *****
Was the male in the cage when she gave birth to the first litter? If so, he re-bred her the first chance he got either before or after she kindled her first litter.

More answers here: Rabbit Raising Problem Solver
Jul 18, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Two litters
by: Jeanette

Hi I found your comments really helpful. My doe had another litter as soon as the first litter was four weeks old. Four more babies but one is super tiny and wasn't thriving after a few days. I took the little one out and hand reared for two or three days but when I attempt to put it back she didn't want to know.

Fortunately I have another doe nursing so I popped it in with her. Now it's eating on its own but still super tiny. I think it might break a record for the world's smallest bunny!

***** Karen Sez *****
Cool. Your description actually sounds remarkably like a bunny with fatal double-dwarf genes. If this is the case, your cute lil tiny bunny will have a short life expectancy. I'm sorry; hopefully it is easier to know this ahead of time. See this page: Dwarf Rabbits
May 06, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Lola the killer bunny
by: Anonymous

So my rabbit named Lola ate one of her bunny's. Is this normal? This is her first litter.
Mar 05, 2018
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Nesting bunny
by: Sindhu

Hi, My female bunny gave birth to five babies yesterday (March 4th 2018), this is her second litter. She pulled her fur out to build the nest. Today she started to build a nest using hay and newspapers. Should I expect a new litter any time soon??
Jun 13, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Pregnant and feeding another litter
by: Anonymous

My doe had a litter of 4 approx 5 weeks ago, unbeknownst to us as they free range in our backyard, and we thought we had 2 males. At 2 weeks old, we found them. It is possible the doe may be pregnant again. If she has another litter I have to separate the mum and new litter from older babies, but they aren't fully weaned yet. How do I ensure older babies still feed when she's with the new ones....fingers crossed she isn't...

***** Karen Sez *****
All is well. 5-week-old kits are more than able to feed themselves and thrive without their dam in your situation. Good luck with everything.
May 14, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		two litters in 33 days.
by: Randy

My doe gave birth on April 11th 2017. I removed her and two of her already born kits from the buck. She proceeded to birth 3 more kits. Lo and behold she gave birth to 5 more kits today May 14th, just 33 days later. Since she was removed from the buck, I don't quite understand.

***** Karen Sez *****
Your account well illustrates the facts of life when it comes to rabbits. Rabbits are prey animals. They are hard-wired to re-breed at the earliest possible moment in order to both feed predators and perpetuate the species.

Your buck had already re-impregnated the doe, probably just before kindling, but possibly even during kindling, and certainly before you separated the pair. Hence, a new litter 33 days later.

Enjoy the bunnies! :-)
May 03, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Two nests
by: Mommacoley

My bunny just had her first litter and I have noticed she made two nests, one inside her box and one on the other side of her cage. There are babies at both sites is this normal? Should we try to combine the babies into one nest?

***** Karen Sez *****
Not necessarily "normal," but not unheard of, either. Yes, combine the babies into the nestbox.
Mar 24, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		pregnant baby
by: Sally

My son brought me a baby rabbit last year and then about 6 months later brought another baby. I did not know if they were male or female and one day I opened up the bottom part of the 3 story condo and much to my surprise there were two babies that must have been at least 6 weeks old. I gave one away and didn't know the sex of the either. I was feeding them one day and the male (daddy) was breeding the baby which by that time was probably 2 months old. I put her in another cage (I had already put mom in a cage by herself)and put a date on my calendar. That date came and went with no babies so I just figured she wasn't pregnant. Then almost 2 months later, I went out to discover 4 babies. Mama had not been in with the buck after I took her out. I was shocked.
I now have 3 week old beautiful white fluffy babies. I worry about a daddy rabbit impregnating his kit.
Mar 15, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Second litter
by: John

Our doe had a litter 2 months ago. Five in the litter. The buck was removed from her cage about a week before they were born. He was put in a cage over 10 feet from the doe's cage. Last week the doe begin pulling the young out of the nesting box if they entered it and chasing them around the cage while biting them on their rumps. I put her in the bucks cage. This morning I found 11 dead fully formed babies in the cage. She had tried to pull fur out to cover them but it was too cold to provide the needed warmth. Never suspected that she was carrying! Never saw anything like that before.
Mar 07, 2017
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Babies
by: Anonymous

How old do the kits have to be when they don't need to nurse on the mother? I also had a rabbit that had two litters that are a month apart If I put the mother and the recent babies in another cage is the first set of babies going to be ok?

***** Karen Sez *****
The kits will be fine after 4 weeks, though the mom might still let them nurse for longer.

Yes, the older litter will be fine if you move mom and young litter to a new cage.

If you had two litters a month apart, are you leaving the buck in with the doe? He needs his own cage. Cuz if he is still with her, you'll be having a third litter a month after the second.
Feb 21, 2017
Rating
starstarstar 		OMG!
by: Kelli

I've had my female mini rex give birth 2 weeks apart and the second litter died. I had no idea that such a thing could happen until I asked my cousin (she owns a rabbitry) and she said she has had only one case of that happening in the 17 years she has sold rabbits.
Nov 03, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Confused
by: Anonymous

My Holland Lop gave birth 12 days ago, she was bred twice with my buck table top method within about 30 minutes and has been in her own cage since the breeding. She is now acting as tho she is in labor again and I am seeing movement,
Is it possible she got pregnant twice?

***** Karen Sez *****

Yes, it is possible, but ONLY if she was introduced to a buck again 12 days after the first breeding. But, the way you describe it, she never saw a buck after the tabletop breeding.

BUT: had she been bred by a buck a couple weeks BEFORE that intentional supervised breeding??
Apr 12, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Re: CLUELESS
by: Anonymous

She ended up having babies and the other one I have had babies about 4 weeks ago and she is having babies again. I found out that rabbits have two uteruses and they can have another litter within weeks after the first litter. Rabbits can have up to 3 litters during their cycle. Thank you for relying to my comment.
Apr 08, 2016
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		CLUELESS
by: Anonymous

I have a rabbit that just had four babies about a month or so ago. Well there hasn't been a buck in with her and well I think she's pregnant again cuz she has made her nest again. She is pulling out her hair and making a bed with it. Is it possible that she's pregnant again? If so how is that when a buck hasn't been in her cage for over a month. If she is pregnant do I need to remove her other babies out of her cage. Thanks in advance.

***** Karen Sez *****

Two possibilities:

1) Your doe is in the midst of a false pregnancy. That is, her hormones are saying 'pregnant' without the presence of a buck. If this is the case, she'll end up abandoning the nest, and there will be no new litter.

2) WAS THE BUCK IN THE CAGE WHEN THE FIRST LITTER WAS BORN? If so, then the buck could have re-bred the doe shortly after kindling that last litter. And if so, then yes, she could certainly be pregnant. If you answer 'yes' to the all-caps question, then remove the first litter, provide the materials (if needed) for nest-building, and expect another litter in a few days.

For more info:
Rabbit Raising Problem Solver

Rabbit Reproduction E-Book

Enjoy your rabbits!
Nov 15, 2013
Rating
starstarstarstar 		Did doe survive?
by: Anonymous

I am in the same predicament, for showed no sign of pregnancy after three weeks. Was her same size no fat at all, felt for babies and didn't feel any so i was told to put her back in with the buck to see if she would reject him and she didn't so could she be pregnant and am I going to lose her??
Feb 18, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Help
by: Anonymous

My doe had a litter a month ago and has just given birth again what should I do, can all the rabbits stay together. the father is separated from them now, obviously too late. I thought they were two girls as pet shop sold them to me that way......help

***** Karen Sez *****
Yep, rabbits will be rabbits. The buck will re-breed the doe sometimes before she even has the first litter. Bucks cannot stay with does unless you want a litter per month for about 8 straight months.

The more dense the rabbit population in the same cage, the greater likelihood of pitched dominance battles. Your best bet is to move all the doe and her new litter into a new cage, leaving the first litter in the original cage. The buck is already moved out, this is good.

The doe and her new litter can be given her own cage.


Oct 05, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Response to your additional info
by: Moderator

Hey Kaitlin,
Everyone does what they believe to be the best thing based on the info they have. So don't worry about the guilt trips, at least when it comes to rabbits. A rabbit is a rabbit.

I suspect all will be well with your doe. I'm not sure what to make of every last move by your rabbit. For example, early fur pulling might mean great maternal instincts, or it might mean a false pregnancy.

You should mark your calendar 28 days from BOTH breedings. Put the nest in on day 28 after the 1st breeding. If she hasn't had any kits by the time day 28 arrives from the *second* breeding, the nest will be in place and ready for in case the second breeding 'took.'

Good luck with everything, and I hope you'll let us know what happens.
K
Oct 03, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		More info on the doe
by: Kaitlin

I believe she is pregnant with 2 litters because I did test breed her, if that's what it's called, 6 days after her first breeding. I bred her twice one day (Saturday) and then once on the following Friday to see if she would refuse the buck. I knew this would indicate she was most likely pregnant.

I then asked a couple other breeders if they thought she was pregnant because after the breeding on the following Friday, she began to pull fur. I thought this was really early but wondered if she meant she was pregnant. They scolded me for breeding 6 days apart and told me I would probably lose all the kits and the doe because I bred her that far apart and that she would most likely have two litters.

I was told to put her back in to see if she refused and that's why I did it but now I'm scared I might lose her:( Let me know if you need more info. Any advice based on what I've told you? Thanks!

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Go ahead - take any of our e-books for a test drive. Peruse our detailed informational and educational e-books. Examine our plans for building rabbit cages, runs, or metal or PVC hutch frames. Check out the Rabbit Husbandry info e-books.

If you aren't completely satisfied that your e-book purchase is worth at least double, triple or even quadruple the price you paid, just drop us a note within 45 days, and we'll refund you the entire cost. That's our Double-Value Guarantee.

Note: When you purchase your e-books, they will be in PDF format, so you can download them to any device that supports PDF format. We advise making a back-up copy to a drive or cloud account. If the books are lost, you can also purchase another copy from Raising-Rabbits.