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How do you know if your rabbit is pregnant? Its not as easy as you may think. Even experienced vets can sometimes find it difficult to tell when a rabbit is pregnant. However, some signs certainly suggest the possibility. For example, when she is pregnant the female rejects the attention of males. If you then feel little lumps in her stomach a lot like marbles, theres a good chance she is pregnant and you are actually feeling her babies (kits). Once you know your bunny is pregnant, you will need to know how to take care of her during her pregnancy and her litter after she has given birth.

Another clue that your bunny could be pregnant is if you feel small, marble like lumps when you run your fingers over her tummy. What you are feeling are her kits or babies. Once you are sure your rabbit is pregnant, its time to learn what to expect and what you need to do to take care of her and her litter.

You dont need to change the type or amount of food you feed your pregnant rabbit, as long as you have been feeding her a nutritious and adequate diet before pregnancy.

When the time has come to have her litter, the whole process generally takes up to ten minutes after which you will find yourself with between seven and thirteen new kits. After the birth, dont be surprised if your rabbit distances herself from her litter. This is quite normal.

The time it takes to give birth to the whole litter is surprisingly short, taking only about ten minutes. Then you will suddenly be presented seven to thirteen newborn kits. Once she has given birth, your rabbit will probably move to another part of the cage away from her kits. Thats to be expected. As soon as they are all born, make sure the babies are warm. If the kits do not feel warm, it is important to quickly warm them up. One of the quickest and easiest ways to do this is to put a hot water bottle in the nest and cover it with a thick towel. The bottle needs to be warm, not hot. When you are happy with the temperature, place the babies gently on the towel.

By this time, the male rabbit should not be in the cage, but if he is separate him from the mother and kits. This will enhance the likelihood that the kits will survive and protect the mother from any further pregnancies. It is also a good time to get the male spayed.

As for the feeding of the kits goes, the mother will feed them mainly at night when she thinks it is safe. Always leave the kits alone when it is feeding time or else the mother may feel unsafe, resulting in not feeding her litter. If you see that one or more of the kits are not very plump and warm, they may not be getting enough milk.

You may feed the kits with formulated cat milk which can be found at many pet stores. Do not even mess with bottles as they are too big for their mouths. Instead you can use medicine droppers or syringes. The milk should be warmed to the likes of the mothers milk and they kits should be fed two times a day. This may take up to an hour at first but as you and the kits get used to feeding that way, it should take no longer than thirty minutes.

Your new kits will open their eyes when they are about ten days old and will already be growing some fur. You can begin to give them a little bit of natural food when they are only a month old. When they begin to wean at around ten weeks, they are ready to eat a normal adult rabbit diet. At this time, it is safe to let the male rabbit back into the cage if he is spayed.

Now that you know some tips about pregnant rabbits and their litter you should be able to decide if that is something you want to deal with. Overall enjoy your rabbits, especially the kits!