When Can You Separate Baby Rabbits From Mother And How?

When can you separate baby rabbits from mother? The right age is after eight weeks. It is to ensure a proper digestive and immune system from their mother’s milk.

Is your bunny ready to have them? Are you excited as I am?

If you are, stay on this page, and let’s find out all about baby bunnies.

Are you suspecting that your rabbit might be pregnant? Some signs could indicate whether your rabbit is expecting offspring or not.

If you see your rabbit pulling off fur and making a nest, I suggest getting yourself ready to take care of the new members of your family as this is a sign that your bunny is pregnant.

You can help with your bunny’s preparation for welcoming the baby coming your way.

Prepare an appropriate box as a nest for the mother to feel secure when the babies arrive.

A handful of premium quality hay straw should be placed in a corner. This will serve as her bathroom. The hays must be replaced 3 to 4 days after as they may be soaked in urine.

Replacing the beddings and cleaning must be done.

As much as the mother expects the babies to come, we can’t also help but expect them as the owner.

Let’s find out more about what to expect during these circumstances.

When To Separate The Baby Rabbit From Mother?

When can you separate baby rabbits from mother?

The baby rabbit or kit can be separated from its mother just a few weeks after its birth.

However, the gear must be weaned first before it is disconnected. Without weaning, the kit won’t survive on its own.

In separating the kit from the mother, there are a few things that should be considered.

#1. Weaning

As mentioned above, without weaning, the kit might not survive independently after being separated from its mother.

Weaning is necessary to get the kit ready to be mature enough to survive without its mother. The process takes about 4 to 6 weeks.

The owner must supervise the whole process. There are three different weaning stages, the time right after the birth, after two weeks, and the final weaning period.

• Right after birth

This is the most crucial moment for a kit, the time after birth. A kit’s size is barely as big as your pinky finger. It’s charming.

Sadly most death rates happen during the initial stage of delivery.

Baby kits are born hairless; their hair will grow in 5 to 7 days eventually. They require heat to protect them from the cold.

The more tackles in the litter, the better as they all hug and keep themselves warm and cozy.

• Around two weeks

During their second week, baby rabbits will start to open their eyes. They begin to hear and gain their fluffy fur.

Kits growing up needs a little extra care for the development of their eyesight and diet.

Any impurities, even just a little bit to the eyes of the rabbit, might harm the kit and could lead to the worst. To prevent this from happening, cleaning the nest often is a must.

Also, keep watch on their diet. The mother might lack milk supply for her kits, so it is also essential to manage its nutrition and diet.

Baby rabbits during this time are still unable to eat food on their own. The milk from their mothers is the only food source they have as of this moment.

So supplying food for the mother rabbit can ensure the kit’s supply of food too. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone!

Later, owners are also advised to give small pellets to the kits to have them switch from their milk-dependent stomachs to solid food.

• Final weaning period

In the final weaning period, it is the right time to separate the kits from their mother. The kits have aged eight weeks or so.

The solid foods you continuously feed them made them stronger and more resilient to the diseases that may come their way.

The kits are now ready to play outside their nest and feed on solid food without problem digestion.

But you still have to make sure that they get the right food for their diet or lead to different illnesses.

Be mindful of the food you feed them. Some may cause diarrhea or upset their stomach.

#2. Separation

Upon the completion of the initial weaning process, separation may be done. You should make sure to keep the weaned rabbits from 2 to 3 weeks.

Why this long?

Weaned rabbits are prone to stress; do not do anything that can trigger their stress.

Removing the kits all at once could reduce the incidents of mastitis in the doe. But during this time, rabbits turn aggressive.

If you don’t want the rabbits to multiply that fast, separating the male ones from the female ones must be done.

But do not separate them, so they don’t see each other.

I separated them with net fences or grills where they can still get the nozzle to relieve stress from one another.

Just make sure they cannot mate.

#3. How fast do rabbits grow?

Studies reveal that the growth of domestic rabbits is significantly linked to their birth rates and litter size.

The heavier the baby kits, the faster they will grow and vice versa.

Rabbit growth could also be affected by their breeds. Some breeds have fast growth abilities and some don’t.

#4. Any Problems

Some people are often concerned if the mother rabbit is feeding its kits properly.

This is only a natural behavior for rabbits to stay with their kids to lay on them, unlike other animals do.

Rabbits tend to feed their offspring once or twice a day. 

The mothers also shed their fur to provide a warm nest for their kits.

So there is no need to worry about the mother not taking good care of their kits because they are trying their best.

Do Rabbit Mothers Miss Their Babies When Separated?

Rabbit mothers and babies share a strong bond and get sad when separated. They may experience stress and anxiety.

However, wild rabbits are less likely to mourn the loss of their litter or partner as almost 85% of their babies die young before the age of one.

Conclusion

When can you separate baby rabbits from mother?

This is a tricky question as separation is never that happy.

But the separation of baby rabbits is a must to ensure the baby’s health and survival rate.

The age of 5-8 weeks is the right time to separate the babies from their mothers.

These are because of reasons like, to avoid overpopulation when the rabbits come to age, to help improve the baby’s immune system and strengthen digestion.

Separation doesn’t only mean that they are not able to see each other. It is only a way to help both the mother and the offspring.

Nevertheless, you can help the mother by preparing for welcoming the babies by setting up a box as a nest and placing premium quality hay in the corner to be used as a bathroom.

Be ready as you expect these little wonders that are coming. Thank you for reading!