Baby rabbits are born in a state of extreme vulnerability that most new rabbit keepers are not prepared for. Newborn kits arrive hairless, blind, deaf, and completely dependent on the doe for warmth and nutrition. Unlike chicks or ducklings that are up and moving within hours, baby rabbits spend their first two weeks entirely in the nest, invisible to the keeper and accessible only to the doe. This means that most of what determines whether a litter lives or dies happens in the 24 to 72 hours after birth, and most of it depends on setup decisions you make before kindling ever begins.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Before Kindling: Nest Box Setup
The nest box is the most important piece of equipment in managing baby rabbits successfully. Place it in the doe’s hutch 3 to 4 days before her expected kindle date. Does typically kindle on days 28 to 32 of gestation, with day 31 being most common. Placing the nest box at day 28 gives a margin for early kindling without giving the doe so much time that she begins using the box as a toilet.
The nest box should be large enough for the doe to enter, turn around, and exit comfortably, but small enough that she is not spending extended time inside. For a 10-pound doe, a box of approximately 12 by 18 inches by 10 inches tall is appropriate. Solid wood nest boxes provide better insulation than wire. The entry should be at one end, at a height of 4 to 6 inches, which allows the doe to jump in and out while containing the kits.
Fill the nest box with clean, dry straw bedding to a depth of 3 to 4 inches. The doe will rearrange the straw and pull fur from her dewlap and flanks to line the nest in the days before kindling. This fur pulling is normal and produces a dense, insulating layer that keeps baby rabbits warm between nursing sessions. Do not remove or disturb the fur lining once the doe has created it.
What Happens When Baby Rabbits Are Born
Does typically kindle in the early morning hours and complete the entire birth process in 15 to 30 minutes. A litter of 8 to 10 kits is born in rapid succession, after which the doe immediately cleans the kits and herself and leaves the nest. Normal doe behavior is to nurse once or twice daily for only a few minutes at a time and otherwise have minimal contact with the nest. This is not abandonment. It is normal rabbit maternal behavior.
Newborn baby rabbits are approximately 2 to 3 inches long, pink-skinned, hairless, and completely helpless. They cluster together in the nest fur for warmth between the doe’s brief nursing visits. At ambient temperatures above 60 degrees F, the fur nest provides adequate warmth. In cold conditions, adding additional straw around the outside of the nest box and positioning it away from drafts protects kits from temperature loss.
Check the nest within 24 hours of kindling. Part the fur gently with one hand to view the kits. Look for warm, rounded bellies indicating successful nursing. Check for any stillborn kits and remove them immediately. Count the litter. A first-time doe or a doe with a very large litter may have kits scattered outside the nest on the wire floor. Gather any live out-of-nest kits, warm them in your cupped hands or a pocket until they are responsive, and return them to the center of the fur nest.
Baby Rabbit Development Week by Week
Understanding the developmental milestones of baby rabbits helps you know what is normal, what needs intervention, and when to take action.
Days 1 to 7: Kits are hairless, eyes and ears sealed, and completely dependent on doe’s milk. They should feel warm and have round, full bellies. Thin, cold, or wrinkled kits have not been nursed adequately. Check once daily by briefly parting the nest fur.
Days 7 to 10: Fine fur coat appears across the body. Kits begin to look less like pink blobs and more like recognizable rabbits. Eyes remain sealed.
Days 10 to 12: Eyes open. This is a milestone that indicates the litter is progressing normally. Kits with eyes that remain sealed past day 14 may have an infection behind the eyelid. Gently wipe the sealed eye with a warm, damp cloth to help open it, and monitor for discharge.
Days 14 to 21: Baby rabbits begin exploring outside the nest box. They will start nibbling at hay and pellets within reach of the cage floor. Begin supplementing the doe’s food and hay intake, as the litter’s nutritional demands increase significantly during this period.
Days 21 to 35: Kits become increasingly active and begin consuming significant amounts of hay and pellets alongside continued nursing. The litter should be kept together with the doe during this period.
Weeks 6 to 8: Baby rabbits are weaned. Remove the doe from the litter cage rather than removing the kits, which reduces stress on the kits who remain in familiar surroundings. Keep the litter together for one to two additional weeks after weaning before separating by sex.
When Baby Rabbits Are Not Thriving
The most common cause of baby rabbit death in the first week is hypothermia from inadequate nursing combined with cold. A doe that is not nursing her litter reliably requires intervention. Place a few drops of fresh milk or kitten milk replacer on each kit’s mouth to stimulate nursing instinct, and ensure the doe has adequate food and water, as undernourished does reduce nursing frequency.
Kits that are thin, cold, and wrinkled but still alive can sometimes be saved by warming them gradually in a container with a warm, not hot, heat source and then returning them to the nest. Do not attempt to force-feed cold kits. Warm them first, then allow the doe to nurse.
Scattered kits on the wire floor after kindling are common with first-time does and does with very large litters. Returning kits promptly and ensuring the nest box is positioned close to the warmest area of the cage reduces this problem in subsequent litters.
Does that consistently scatter their litters, kindle outside the nest box, or refuse to nurse are culled from the breeding program in well-managed meat rabbit operations. Maternal behavior is heritable, and retaining poor mothers as breeding stock perpetuates the problem in subsequent generations.
Weaning Baby Rabbits
Baby rabbits are weaned at 6 to 8 weeks of age for meat operations and at 8 weeks for breeding replacement animals. Weaning before 6 weeks produces kits with immature digestive systems that are vulnerable to enteritis, an often-fatal intestinal infection that is the leading cause of mortality in recently weaned rabbits.
Remove the doe from the litter at weaning rather than moving the kits, which allows the kits to remain in their familiar environment with their siblings. The doe returns to her own cage, where her milk production naturally decreases over 3 to 5 days. Monitor the weaned litter closely for the first two weeks post-weaning, as this is the peak vulnerability period for enteritis. Watch for soft or liquid droppings, reduced appetite, and lethargy.
Continue feeding the weaned litter unlimited hay, which is the primary protection against digestive problems in newly weaned rabbits. Limit pellets to 1 to 2 ounces per kit per day during the first two weeks post-weaning and increase gradually as the kits develop. Introduce any new foods very slowly.
According to the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, the period from kindling through the first two weeks post-weaning represents the highest mortality risk in a meat rabbit operation, and most losses can be prevented through consistent nest box management, attentive monitoring, and controlled weaning age.
For a complete guide to setting up the hutch your does will kindle in, see our rabbit hutch guide. Once they wean, see what rabbits eat.
Frequently Asked Questions About Baby Rabbits
When do baby rabbits open their eyes?
Baby rabbits open their eyes at 10 to 12 days of age. This is a reliable developmental milestone. Kits whose eyes remain sealed past day 14 may have an eye infection developing behind the sealed lid. Gently wipe the sealed eye with a warm, damp cloth twice daily and monitor for discharge. If the eye does not open within a day or two of gentle treatment, contact a veterinarian.
When can you handle baby rabbits?
Brief handling of baby rabbits during the daily nest check is safe from birth onward. Despite the common belief that does will abandon kits that smell of human handling, rabbits have a limited sense of smell relative to their maternal instincts and do not typically reject kits that have been briefly handled by familiar caregivers. Keep handling sessions short, warm your hands first, and return kits to the nest promptly.
Why did the doe kindle outside the nest box
Kindling outside the nest box happens most often when the nest box was added too late, when the nest box is positioned in a location the doe finds stressful, or when a first-time doe has not yet developed reliable kindling behavior. Add the nest box 3 to 4 days before the due date. Ensure it is positioned in a low-traffic corner of the cage. First-time does often improve in subsequent litters.
How long do baby rabbits nurse?
Baby rabbits nurse from birth through 6 to 8 weeks of age, with nursing frequency and duration decreasing as kits begin eating solid food at 2 to 3 weeks. The doe nurses briefly once or twice daily, typically at dawn and dusk. The nursing sessions last only a few minutes. Normal doe behavior is to spend minimal time in the nest outside of nursing.
What do you do if baby rabbits are cold?
Warm cold kits by placing them in a container against your body or near a gentle heat source such as a heating pad set on low under half the container. Do not use direct heat that can overheat or burn the kits. Once the kits are warm and moving, return them to the nest. Identify why they became cold by checking nest insulation, ambient temperature, and whether the doe has been nursing.
