Baby Rabbit Development: The Third Week

In their third week of life, baby rabbits are bigger, stronger, and much more alert. More curious babies are completely out of the nest box by the end of their third week, but cuddly kits are reluctant to leave the warm coziness of the only home they have ever explored and only go looking for their littermates when left behind by their more curious siblings.

Once all babies have left the nest box and continually climb out of it after we put them back in, the box is removed from the cage/pen space. In its place we add a cardboard box with a low entry and some fleece as a place for them to cuddle and sleep together safely, away from the playful bouncing of their litter mates and the heavy feet of their mother.

At this point they begin to nibble hay and may try to taste their mother's food pellets, with varying degrees of success and interest. We still need to make certain all babies are receiving enough milk for their proper growth and development, but a baby's activity level is usually a good indicator of his/her overall health. The babies are capable of waddling after their mama to sneak a snack from her while she eats, drinks, or rests. Any time she stops moving, she can expect an eager following to ambush her for a quick top-off of milk.

When we see a normally active kit sitting quietly, we give it a quick once-over to make sure it isn't underweight by feeling its spine, as it can sometimes be difficult to determine the health of a fluffy baby rabbit by observation alone. If the spine is too prominent, we try to place it in a covered laundry basket with its mother for about 30 minutes. If the kit still doesn't seem to be nursing, we will supplement its meals by syringe feeding with goat milk. Outside of it being a very messy process, the hand-fed kits typically perk up very quickly and soon catch up to their litter mates in size and weight. These babies tend to be quite spunky and fearless.

Their eyes are bright and inquisitive, and their now (mostly) upright ears can hear the sounds around them. Some kits' ears will begin to slowly lop by the end of the week. More sensitive babies are easily startled and exhibit timidity when it comes to new sounds, but bolder bunnies try to investigate after their initial shock. They begin to learn the joys of running and zooming around their play area. One of the most adorable things about this age is the babies learn to sit up on their hind legs. They are wobbly at first and often fall over after losing their balance, but they keep practicing until they are able to wash their wee faces with their tiny paws. They also groom their litter mates as a sign of affection or to clean up a drop of milk that missed the mark when their mother suddenly curtailed feeding time and hopped away unexpectedly.

We have to be very careful about handling them at this stage, as they twist, turn, and often try to fling themselves out of our hands with their now extremely strong little legs. For this reason we continue to work with them on a well-padded surface and, more often than not, on the floor.

They are curious about everything at this age! Even the shy little souls will inch their way towards something that interests them, even if only for a brief moment or two, before running back to mama bun's side. This curiosity can include interacting with some potentially dangerous hazards, so we need to be especially mindful of keeping them safe at all times. Most of our rabbits prefer to drink from a water bowl. Mother rabbits with young babies are given shallow bowls when the babies are active enough to accidentally fall into a bowl while playing. The bowl is shallow so the baby can get itself back out again, without any harm being done. We also need to be mindful of the presence of our pets when the babies are out for playtime, so the dogs don't accidentally step on them or mistake them for a play toy. Cats are also interested in them for the next week or so, after which time, they become too big and "exciting" for our elderly cats' delicate sensibilities.

One of our current kits escaped the pen she and her littermates inhabited with Henrietta when her curiosity about the bigger world got the better of her. Despite being well baby-proofed in the same manner we had set up up the pen for babies many times before, this little miss wiggled and struggled her way out. We imagine she ran around and played happily until she got too close to Francesca's pen. Frankie, being a rather territorial doe of mature years, defended her home as most rabbits would do and gave the baby a nip, just above her left eye. We discovered the little escapee, huddled up and miserable, when making a routine check on the Buns. After cleaning her up and reassuring her as best we could, we transferred the not-so-little family into an enclosed cage for their safety. There they will remain until all the kits are all too big to get themselves into trouble by climbing and squeezing through pens designed for their safety and well-being.

The babies' personalities continue to develop and the tendencies we saw the previous week are almost always still there. Active babies are very active and push boundaries. Cuddly babies are slower to try new things and are more reluctant to leave the nest box or a warm lap. Inquisitive babies sniff and explore every inch of something new in their lives, Sociable babies come right up to us for pets and attention, without any shyness towards we giants who enter their small environment. All enjoy active play time to stretch their legs and strengthen their muscles. Week three is a lot of fun!

Tune in for more changes in Week Four!