Rabbit Breeding

For the inexperienced, the way a mother rabbit behaves around her kits may seem unusual, and they believe there is a problem. However, in most cases this is not true.

The concern usually arises from the fact that the mother rabbit is rarely to be seen with her babies, so the observer may conclude that she is rejecting them, and they are not being fed properly.

Unlike other animals, the mother rabbit does not naturally spend a lot of time with her offspring. This behavior can probably be attributed to the domestic mamma bunny’s genetic instincts. If she were in the wild with her brood, staying with them at all times would endanger them. Adult rabbits have a scent that can be tracked by predators, kits do not. By staying away except to provide necessities, the wild female rabbit is doing her babies a favor.

What is “normal” behavior for a new rabbit mother?

Rabbit mothers will not normally visit the nest box to check on her offspring during the day, but she does keep watch, just from a distance. Rabbits only need to be fed by their mother once or twice a day, and the mother will only allow the kits to nurse when she feels it is safe, usually just before dawn, and just after dusk. If there is a continual crowd of humans (especially children) around the cage, the rabbit mother may become too stressed to nurse, so make sure to give her plenty of privacy in the weeks after giving birth.

But how can you tell if the babies are well fed?

A well nourished baby bunny will have quite a distended tummy, looking a little like a “Pillsbury Dough Bunny” If the kits are not being fed well they will have tummies with a sunken appearance, their skin will be wrinkled, and their response to being handled will be weak or nonexistent.

If your baby bunnies are displaying these symptoms professional help is called for. If the baby seems very sick place a drop of honey or a fruit jelly in their mouth until you can get them to a vet.