Our first rabbit mummy had her litter about a month ago, we separated her from the boys and other girl into a hutch of her own, as she was looking a little plumper. She promptly buildt a nest, dressed it with her fur and had a litter of 7 a couple of days later. Unfortunately as we were beset by some huge storms that same week, and the temperature plummeted, they all died over the space of the next 7 days, we tried adding bedding, we tried warming them, in the end we tried to hand rear them, when she pushed the last three out of the nest and up against the wire netting exposing them to the cold, but to no avail.
We have left her a month and put the buck back to her, but she won't let him near her and he's exhausted chasing her around.
The second girl, we separated a week later again when she showed a distinctly rounder belly and pronounced nipples, she built a nest and then over the next week got sleeker and just pulled the nest apart, do rabbits absorb babies? I know some mammals do, but not sure in rabbits?
We tried to put the girls back in together and they tried to rip each others fur out, so now the boys are living together, and the girls have a cage apiece and the bucks just go courting.
Our rabbits are all livestock, apart from a male, who is our daughter's pet.
So we were hoping for stock of meat for next year, but we'll have to wait till next month to see if the guys have been up to the job.
Monika