Rabbit Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Rabbits

Here we’ll talk about rabbit pregnancy and what days are important. S faro you’ve been successful at breeding your rabbits and have worked through any problems that came up during that process – now what?

Here is a timeline for you to mark on your calendars to get ready for the big day:

28th Day After Mating: Nest Box Time

Give your doe a nest box so she can build her nest for her baby rabbits (also called kits). I like to fill my nest box 2/3rds of the way full with a soft, bendable hay like Timothy Hay or Bermuda Grass.

Place the nest box inside the doe’s cage within easy reach for you but NOT in the corner of her cage where she likes to poo (you don’t want her to use the nest box as a litter box instead).

At this phase in your rabbit pregnancy your rabbit should start to get busy building a cozy little nest in the hay for her new litter.

28th-34th Day After Mating: Baby Rabbits

Here come the babies! Most rabbits will kindle (techy term in the rabbit world for “giving birth”) on the 31st day after mating but they can kindle any time between the 28th-34th days. After the 35th day it’s almost certain that your doe is not pregnant so you can remove the nest box and try breeding her again.

The doe should have pulled a bunch of fur from her belly to line the nest before she kindled so you’ll have a nest box full of fluff. If you push it aside you’ll be able to pick-up and check out your new litter of baby rabbits! Get more details on those baby rabbits in our post on newborn baby rabbits.

Interested in learning all you need to know about breeding rabbits and raising the babies? To get a great book with all the details on raising baby rabbits check out our Ultimate Guide to How to Breed a Rabbit on Amazon!

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