Pregnancy is tricky for all living things. Some of us carry one kid, others many, and some eggs. Nonetheless, pregnancy time is the toughest on the mother’s mental and physical health. All humans can get impregnated again after some time after giving birth. Some beings even give birth divided into sections! So, can rabbits give birth days apart?
Yes, rabbits can give multiple births days apart. However, it is not a couple of days or a week unless it is a case of dual pregnancy. A healthy time for a doe is to give birth 33-35 days after expelling its litter.
Rabbits are champions of reproductions, but they are also fragile. Your furry bunny can get pregnant within 24 hours after its litter’s birth, but that could harm the mother rabbit and the babies.
If you like having baby bunnies around or thinking from a business point of view, there are things to consider. Keep on reading to know more about your precious bunny’s pregnancy!
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How Can You Assure Your Bunny Is Pregnant?
Rabbits are naturally sneaky when it comes to pregnancy. Their bodies do not show the bump like humans. Chances are you will not notice your bunny is pregnant unless it starts preparing a nest for her soon-to-be-born litter.
Once your notice this, separate the bunny couple to prevent another pregnancy. However, keep both bunnies close enough not to sabotage their precious love bond.
How Long Does A Rabbit Pregnancy Last?
Rabbits’ evolution through time has made their reproduction speed fast. Their pregnancies last only a month. A rabbit can produce, on average, 5-8 kits. In extraordinary cases, this number can increase up to 12 kits in a litter.
The Birthing Process
Your bunny will know when her delivery time is coming near. Observe her closely, and you will notice it too. When there is a week or few days left till the litter arrives, your precious bunny will start nesting.
Provide your mama bunny with a nice box to create the nest. It will add some hay and grass in it as a base. Your grown-up bunny will take her fur off her belly and add that to the nest to soften it further.
Do not panic! It is a natural process and does not hurt your furry friend. Due to the hormonal changes during its pregnancy, the female bunny’s fur gets loose around the belly. It then uses it to create a cozy little nest for her newborns. Such a good mom, won’t you agree?
Bunnies give birth to one litter at once, with no breaks. It will sit on the opening of its paw-made nest when it is time. Your bunny will shake a little, and its babies will start popping out!
However, there is one condition where a mother rabbit can give birth to two litters just a few days apart!
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Dual Pregnancy In A Bunny Through Separate Conception
As mentioned earlier, it is wise to separate the bunny couple when your doe is pregnant. The reason behind this is your mama bunny can conceive while pregnant. It is called a dual pregnancy.
If the male bunny sexually interacts with the soon-to-be-mother bunny, she can have a second separate conception. While producing the first litter, the second litter will start growing separately in your precious doe’s belly.
At birth, as the first litter will be ready to join us in the world, your furry friend will expel it first. Depending on the days between the two pregnancies, the second litter can come a couple of days later or a week.
This is the only condition rabbits can give births days apart from one another. It is also harmful to the mother and the kits.
Too Many Pregnancies Or Days Apart Births Can Harm Your Bunny
Every mother needs a recovery time for her body to return to its normal state. During pregnancy, the body changes physically and emotionally. It is too much stress. Putting your bunny through that again before giving her the time to heal is inhumane.
Many things are affected by a bunny’s frequent pregnancies or births:
The Litter Can Be Malnourished
An adult female bunny has 8-10 nipples, shared among 8-12 baby bunnies. In case of dual pregnancy, your bunny would have to feed 16-24 babies at a time.
It will exhaust your bunny as lactating takes your furry friend’s nutrients. It will also harm the baby bunnies as the milk will not be fruitful enough for them. So many babies at once can trigger the Darwinian in your mama bunny, and it can starve the weakest kits, leaving them to die.
Deficiencies In Your Precious Pet
Your new mama bunny would require a lot of nourishment, care, and attention after giving birth. If it has no time to heal, it will leave her deficient in essential nutrients required for better health.
A lack of nutrients can make your little furry pet sick. Getting better will need extra strength that will not be there. It could be fatal for your pet to have so much stress on its body.
Unwanted Stress
Giving birth is a stressful situation for your bunny. Going through it twice in such a short time can overstress your bunny to sickness. Bunnies are fragile and sensitive creatures prone to depression.
If your bunny is under constant stress it can get depressed and lose its appetite. As a new mother, your bunny will require all the food it can eat. Being anorexic or depressed would be unfortunate for your furry baby’s health.
Aggression
With so many babies around it, your bunny can panic. It is advised to ease the bunny into caring for one litter. These are two litters, meaning double anxiety in your bunny.
The bunny can get violent towards its babies in this chaotic time and eat them. The rabbit might eat only the weakest of its kit, but it can harm them by biting, scratching, or ignoring their needs.
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How To Care For Your Bunny During And After Birthing
The birthing process in rabbits is kindling. When your bunny is kindling, there are a few things you can do to make its process easy:
Give Her Space
It is a curious process, rabbits giving birth. No matter how much you itch to see, do not. It is a reflex to pet your furry baby when it is under stress, but that is not what it will want at that moment. Rabbits are prey animals.
Hovering over the cage or touching your bunny during birthing can make your rabbit feel threatened. It can lead your bunny to abort or kill its litter. So, patiently wait for when your furry friend finishes their business.
Give Your Tired Bunny A Treat
Once it has jumped off the nest and cleaned itself, give your furry baby a treat. It has earned it! The best would be kale, spinach, or a slice of apple. These fresh foods are full of nutrients that will help your bunny feel a boost of energy.
You can then carry on to pet your brave mama bunny and show it how proud you are.
Check The Litter
It is crucial to check on the babies every day after birth. There is always a chance for a kit to die or be stillborn. Bunny babies need warmth, and a dead kit can chill the litter.
You can wet a soft cloth with warm water to count the litter every day for a week. Place them back when done, and cover them with the fur. The babies must stay warm because they are not born with fur.
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Final Word
Exerting any living being for reproduction is a cruel thing. It is even meaner to be harsh on voiceless animals, especially cute little bunnies. For your female rabbit’s long life, give it time to heal from pregnancy.
Separate it from the male when you notice your female bunny is pregnant. You can keep them apart to delay the chance of a new pregnancy. If your doe has had many litters and is unfit to conceive again, get the couple neutered. Your bunnies’ health should be your top priority.