Advice needed

[llerew49]

My two domestic bunnies got loose and are now reproducing!! We have some land and no neighbors so it was cute at first.... the first litter was born end of April. 5 months later... and I think the first set is now pregnant!!! The original mama has had 4 litters since April! So I started catching the smallest bunnies and adopting them out. But now it's time to catch the older ones.
So here is the dilemma---
When I catch a female bunny, how do I know she isn't still nursing her babies?! It seems their nests are under our house and there is no way I can get under there to investigate.

I just caught my original mama bunny. She looks worn out! How can I tell if she has a litter to tend to?!?!

 

[Bunnylady]

Welcome to the forum!

Does don't develop a lot of mammary tissue, but the nipples of a nursing doe are a bit larger, and there is a bit of puffiness around them that you should be able to feel, particularly in the belly area. There will likely be some fur missing, too. If she's really ragged underneath, she may have just pulled fur to line a nest for a new litter.

Obviously, any fairly mature doe that you catch at this point will need to be monitored for a month, since there's a good possibility that she may be pregnant, whether she's nursing or not.

Good luck!

 

[llerew49]

So there is no way to tell if I'm starving baby bunnies to death?

 

[Bunnylady]

Nothing as blatantly obvious as a huge, tight udder that is dripping milk, no.

 

[llerew49]

Well... mama bunny has been breathing fast this evening and I just noticed her utters are swollen! And they are very sensitive! If I let her free again, is there any chance her babies are still alive? She hasn't been outside for 32 hours!

 

[llerew49]

So, is it worth setting her loose again to possibly feed babies? Then she is at risk to get pregnant again!!

 

[Alaskan]

Well... mama bunny has been breathing fast this evening and I just noticed her utters are swollen! And they are very sensitive! If I let her free again, is there any chance her babies are still alive? She hasn't been outside for 32 hours!

yes, that does sound like she was nursing a litter.

unfortunately there is no good answer for you...you are clearly d#$med if you do and if you don't.

sorry.

 

[Bunnylady]

So, is it worth setting her loose again to possibly feed babies? Then she is at risk to get pregnant again!!

Does only feed their litters once or twice a day as a general rule (though the odd one may feed more often). Unless the current litter are basically newborns, missing a feeding probably won't hurt them (much). Rabbit does can get pregnant almost immediately after kindling, and if this doe has had 4 litters since April, it sounds as if she has been doing just that. Unless her body has gotten so run down that it is not ovulating or perhaps absorbing the fetuses, the odds are excellent that she's already pregnant.

 

[llerew49]

I caught 5 teenie tiny babies!! They are so little!! I'm guessing about 4 weeks old! There are still two more to catch and then that set is finished! What should I feed them?! Mama was eating all kinds for fresh vegetables and wild plants! Doesn't that mean she was feeding them some of the same too? I have been giving them kale and junior bunny food. They were just sitting in the water dish... and I don't think they have figured out how to use their waterer. The one that hangs on the Che and they drink through the straw. Are they getting enough water from the vegetables? I also have unlimited Timothy hay!

 

[Alaskan]

well...they are wild bunnies, and those are difficult to get to eat and drink when caught.

I would put the water in a bowl.

Is the cage in a very quiet place?