If you have a rabbit that just gave birth come a litter that kits, girlfriend probably have actually received dozens of adoption requests.

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However, most owners come to be confused about the right time to different the kits from their mother.

So, when need to you different kits from their mother?Normally, you separate baby rabbits from their mom at between 6-8 weeks old. Throughout this time, the babies are being weaned and are discovering to endure on their own. ~ separation, you need to still wait because that at least two much more weeks prior to lending the babies turn off to one more owner.

But why do not do it you separate the babies before six weeks? and how execute you treatment for lock after separation?

When need to you separate baby rabbit from your mother?

According come experts, the best time to separate baby hare (also referred to as a kit) indigenous their mommy is when they’re 6 come 8 mainly old. At the 6thweek mark, many kits deserve to survive by themselves and feed top top adult food.

But what does weaning mean? do baby rabbits tho need care after separation? and why shouldn’t you different the babies from your mothers before six weeks?

Let’s price these questions below:

What is weaning?

Before we get into detail, let’s understand what weaning means. Weaning is a procedure that involves introducing the baby rabbits come an adult diet while reducing their dependency on your mother’s milk.

Weaning starts appropriate after their birth because that rabbits and continues also after gift separated from their mother. However, the 6thto 8th-week mark is ideal for fully withdrawing milk indigenous a baby rabbit’s diet together they have occurred enough gut flora come digest adult food.

But before we learn how to separate the kits, let’s uncover out what goes down in between these 6-8 mainly of weaning:

Birth Stage: 0-3 weeks

At birth, the kits will be no bigger 보다 your pinky finger. They’re at the highest risk of dying either as result of weakness or malnutrition during the first few days. The mommy will be feeding the kits twice a day, most more than likely at dawn and dusk.After two weeks, the kits will have actually grown rather a bit of fur and will have actually open eyes and also ears. While they’ll still mostly survive ~ above milk, castle will likewise begin nibbling on hay and pellets.

Growth Stage: 3-6 weeks

At this stage, you’ll find the kits hopping roughly quite frequently. In addition to milk, lock will likewise be spend hay pellets throughout this time. Since they’re transitioning come solid food, it’s best to save an out for any kind of signs of diarrhea.

During the 5thand 6thweeks, the kits will start drinking water from their mother’s bowl. This duration is additionally a great time to eliminate their swarm box to protect against eye infections. The 6thweek is the last phase of weaning, wherein the kits will be obtaining their final share the gut flora.

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How to separate a infant rabbit from its mother

Separating baby rabbits native their mom is a very delicate process. Throughout this time, the kit will likely go through a the majority of stress which could price them your life.

Once the kits have actually reached 6-8 mainly of age, you have to take a few measures to make the separation procedure as smooth together possible. Yet first, you should be conscious of a few signs the will help you identify whether the kit are prepared to be separated or not:

Identifying if your kits are prepared for separation

1. The kits look physical healthy:

Inspect the in its entirety appearance of every kit. They should have occurred quite a many of fur when they’re 6 weeks old. Your ears, eyes, and teeth should likewise look healthy with no authorize of epidemic or bleeding.

More so, inspect the actions of each kit. They have to be energetic and jumping approximately their cage. If any kit seems inactive or lethargic, that probably finest to leave them with their mother.

2. The kits room eating adult food:

Most kits room weaned sufficient at six weeks old that they start nibbling on adult food. You’ll uncover them nibbling ~ above the hay and also alfalfa quite frequently, and also they’ll also begin drinking water, i beg your pardon is one more sign that the kits no longer need their mother’s milk and are prepared to be separated.

3. The mother has started continuing to be away from she kits: 

Before the 6th week mark, the mother will be feeding she kits on regular basis twice a day. But because her instincts encourage she to each other frequently, she’ll start keeping a distance from the kits and will be attracted toward males.

Separating the kits from their mother

If the kits are showing the discussed signs, it means they’re ready to be separated. However, this is a very delicate process, so you should take extra precautions to ensure that each kit survives. 

Here space the actions you must take to ensure a smooth separation:

1. Determine the weak kits that aren’t ready for separation

There will always be a few fragile kit that i can not use weaned fully. A an excellent way to recognize them is come look for the smallest and most inactive ones. It’s finest to leaving these weak kits with their mother for a few days. Throughout this time, they have the right to extract every the nutrition from she milk and also complete the weaning process required to survive alone.

2. Change the mother and weaker kits to a new cage

In the wild, it’s the mother who abandons her kits so she can acquire pregnant again. Similarly, you should additionally remove the mother and weaker kit and shift them to a brand-new cage with fresh bedding, food, and water.

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The goal below is to store the anxiety level the the newly separated kits to a minimum. If you manage them as well much and also move them come a brand-new environment, the possibilities are that they’ll come to be frightened and also overly stressed. This stress can an outcome in Enterotoxemia, a condition that could prove fatal come the young kits. 

3. Take treatment of the brand-new kits

Once the kits are living on your own, the real challenge begins. Newly separated kits are extremely susceptible to stress and also diseases. Therefore, they need extra care in terms of hygiene, protection, and nutrition. There are also many small nuances the you should pay attention to throughout this time for this reason you can increase the chances of her kits’ survival. Let’s talk about them in information below.