Community post
Our First Rabbit Litter
Welcome to the world, little ones!
It's nearly a year since we got our first rabbit, Devon. For some reason, he failed to help nature run its course with the does, so in July we went ahead and bought a proven buck named Jack.
Jackrabbit is insanely friendly, and currently has the run of the house.
Once the heat of summer gave way to the fall, Jackrabbit quickly impregnated our Champagne D'argent, Violet Hunter. She gave birth three weeks ago. Six kits were born, but only 3 survived. That happens a lot with a doe's first litter, I am told. In a way, it's positive because Violet is not overwhelmed by a crowd of hungry infants, plus she can really fatten these three up.
Here are some short clips of life in the bunny nursery.
https://youtu.be/y15n49DxEnk
As you can see, these tiny babies sure grow quickly!
Just a few days old
Two weeks old
Three weeks old, out of the nest with mama.
Three weeks old
Getting weighed at three weeks old: 13.4 oz.
The kits are already nibbling on timothy hay and sampling mom's pellets. It's time to introduce some fresh grass to them, because soon they will be hopping around on the pasture in their grow-out tractor!
Snow Day, "Daisy", is also pregnant. We are expecting a litter from her this weekend!
Love,cat
@creationofcare
Replies (16)
Aww. Wanna play with them! The first one has human eyes
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I love that you say that about their eyes. Mama Violet has the most expressive, humanoid eyes. I used to have a beautiful coffeetable book of folktales from around the world full of lavish art prints. One was an illustration of a man trapped in the body of a jackass, and his human face combined with a long donkey's etched itself into my heart permanently. Violet Hunter is renowned as a very grumpy bunny with resting bitch face, yet I see her as a person with a form of "locked in syndrome", like the man trapped inside the donkey. It is my honor and responsibility to give these amazing animals their best life possible. And yes, those babies come preprogrammed to turn towards kindness and gentle cuddling <3
Blessings
Awwww. Those babies are absolutely adorable!!
What do you do with the rabbits? Are they pets or otherwise? I had a rabbit as a pet when I was a kid...Called the little guy twitcher probably because his actively twitching nose I guess - I was a little kid so can't really recall. I've heard that they make good house pets and know a few who have them. Anyway, I curate for curangel so sent this post for some vote-love. Keep it coming. 😁
Aww I’d love to cuddle with bunnies!!! <3
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They are, aren't they? Hehe
Twitcher sounds like a great pet <3
These rabbits are pets as well as farm animals. Jackrabbit lives indoors because we weren't prepared for another buck in summer, and he has bonded with us so much I wouldn't want to stick him back in a hutch. His babies with Daisy will be purebred and can be shown or sold as pets and breeders. We will keep our breeders for life, including a relaxing retirement of playing in the yard. Rabbits have dramatically increased our soil regeneration efforts, and, well, they are also intended to feed the family. I am finally putting my ethics regarding being an omnivore into our own cruelty-free hands. It's a huge step and it won't be easy. I really appreciate your curation and your comment! Thanks so much.
I like the idea of rabbits as pets. A little less work than cats maybe? We have two cats and love them so much.
It seems you have a mixed use for the rabbits which is good. Also, using them as a food source...In this day and age taking this aspect into your own hands isn't a bad idea at all; At least you'll know how they were raised and treated.
Glad to have come across your post and will do so again.
Rabbits can be friendly or timid. They are pretty messy to keep indoors. Hanging wire hutches outdoors make for best hygiene. Jack uses puppy pads in a dog crate for now. He has a carpet area and strews hay and rabbit raisins in his main area. Most buns chew electric cords so rooms have to have all cords out of reach. Rabbits piss like racehorses and soak 3 puppy pads a day. They are more like micro horses than cats in worldview, maybe even more like deer than horses come to think of it.
If you have a rabbit who's been hand raised and has an outgoing temperament, like Jack, they are really endearing. They are prey animals who show affection with head rubs and side cuddles, leaning into the scritch. To be honest, their silence compared to cat purrs and meows can be a bit unnerving. Rabbits cannot be left unattended for a weekend, either. They need an am/pm feeding and water checking routine 7 days a week. They're vulnerable to all wildlife and feral cats. All domestic rabbits descend from the European Rabbit so they burrow, too.
Sorry to go wild with rabbit info!!! Thanks so much
Me: Read this comment
Also me: Scratches rabbit off my list of pets to have
😃
I'll stick with cats I think.
Hehe, that's probably best. Many people buy rabbits for pets before they know all this, and then the discarded animals overpopulate rabbit rescue organizations.
They are more of an exotic or farm animal than housepets unless you dedicate tons of time and space for them. Cheers!
We have a rabbit problem here in Australia, feral rabbits over run many areas...So, no point adding one more right? :)
Thanks for responding.
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