Rabbit kits are born naked, blind, and deaf. They begin to show hair a few days after birth, and their eyes and ears are open by day 10. Newborn rabbits are unable to regulate their own body temperature until about day 7. Re-breeding can occur any time after giving birth. Most people raising rabbits for show or as pets re-breed 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. If a doe is unable to nurse all the kits effectively, kits may be fostered by removing them from the nest box during the first 3 days and giving them to a doe of about the same age with a smaller litter. If the fostered kits are mixed with the doe’s own kits and covered with hair of the doe, they are generally accepted. Moving the larger kits to the new litter instead of the smaller kits increases the chance of success. Does nurse only 1 to 2 times daily, and kits nurse for less than 3 minutes at a time. Kits are weaned around 4 to 5 weeks of age.
Kits can be reared by hand, but the death rate is high. They should be kept warm, dry, and quiet. Kitten milk replacer or a formula of ½ cup evaporated milk, ½ cup water, 1 egg yolk, and 1 tablespoon corn syrup can be used. Feedings vary from ½ teaspoon to 2 tablespoons, depending on the age of the kits. Kits start eating greens around day 15 to 18.
Young does may kill and eat their young for a number of reasons, including nervousness, neglect (failure to nurse), and severe cold. Dogs or predators entering a rabbitry often cause nervous does to kill and eat the young. Cannibalism of the dead young occurs as a natural, nest-cleaning instinct. If all management practices are proper and the doe kills 2 litters in a row, she should not be used for breeding.
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