My bunny is acting strange with babies?

[Lilo]

When the babies were first born she used to stay on the other side of the cage and always want out. Now they’re fully mobile and she’s always sitting with them and eating with them.Did I do something to make her protect them? Also once when the babies got out I tried to put them down next to her and she snapped at me.

[SeeShmemilyPlay]

That’s totally normal behavior for a mama bun. In the wild, bunnies leave their babies alone except to feed them to keep any predators who might want to eat her away from her babies, so pet bunnies still stay away from their babies as a natural instinct. Since she’s getting friendly with them, it’s likely she’ll stop seeing them as her babies though, so I would get her spayed so she doesn’t inbreed with one of her sons and you end up with ANOTHER litter. Spaying also prevents uterine cancer, which almost all female bunnies get if they aren’t spayed.
But it sounds like mama’s raising her babies right

[SeeShmemilyPlay]

I just saw on your profile you’re a bunny breeder. I would probably stay away from doing that, especially since this is your first bun. You’ll likely have to deal with your bunny getting cancer if you keep breeding her and never get her spayed, and rabbits are the third most abandoned animal behind cats and dogs. There are so many homeless bunnies that need to be adopted!
I’m not judging– I honestly wish I could be a bunny breeder (but for the reasons mentioned above, am not. Plus, rabbits are extremely complex creatures and difficult to care for, so I’d have too hard of a time finding homes for them that I felt comfortable with.)
No judgements, and best of luck to you! But I would make sure you get your bun spayed before she turns 5 and, if you’re still breeding, use another young bunny for it but get her spayed, and continue that cycle. I’d also make sure that all of your customers know bunnies live 10-15 years, that at some point they need to get their buns fixed for behavior and health reasons (boy buns spray if they aren’t fixed, that’s not a fun house bunny to have), and they need to interact with their buns for at least six hours a day if they don’t get two– and the buns need to be let out of their cage, even if you’re not interacting with them, for that amount of time.
It sounds like a lot, but that’s because it is! Bunnies are abandoned in shelters or given away to a home that doesn’t care for them because most breeders don’t tell their customers how much work a bunny takes. I’d also give them the nearest exotic vet number/website for when they get their bun fixed and if it has any health issues. Please just make sure all of your customers are informed about how hard of work bunnies are so your babies don’t end up in a shelter or in a home with no love!

[sarahthegemini]

With all due respect, you don’t seem to have enough knowledge on the subject of rabbit care and breeding to actually be a rabbit breeder. It isn’t just a case of getting your female pregnant and selling the litter. You’ve made another thread saying you don’t know how to sell your rabbits and now this thread about what is (apparently) normal bun-mum behaviour. On top of that, your profile states that Lilo is your first bunny so you’re not sure on everything anyway. I really encourage you to stop breeding rabbits…

[Bam]

The subject of intentional breeding is prohibited on the Binky bunny forum. For this reason, I’m locking this thread now. For advice on baby bunny care and all other questions regarding breeding, you could try rabbitsonline, their breeding-section: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/forumdisplay.php?f=20

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