Adopted 2 rabbits and both have had babies! Urgent advice needed

[twinkle36]

Just looking for some advice on the best thing to do with my rabbits.
Adopted 2 female 11 month old rabbits a couple of weeks ago. They are strongly bonded and live together. Both have been settling in brilliantly and I am spending lots of time with them. Went down to the hutch one morning after a couple of days of having them and to my surprise one of them had given birth to 7 kits.
I went to check on them yesterday morning and my other female has also given birth to 8 kits.
My concern is that they have both had their kits in the same area just opposite each other and also seemed to have swapped babies.
Now I'm absolutely beside myself that not all of them will be being fed. There is around 5 in one nest at the front and the rest are just opposite them at the back. I am getting a new house for the Mother bunny 1 and their kits when their old enough to move without adding too much stress but not sure when I can do this as their eyes aren't open yet.
Sorry for the long post I just want to make sure I am doing everything I possibly can for them

Oh wow, that's actually wonderful lol. Baby bunnies are such a joy.

They'll be fine, you'll probably find they nurse the other ones kitts. I think by about 10 days you'll be fine to handle them a little without worry (just clean your hands and rub them on the bedding first).

By around 3 or 4 weeks you'll likely need a larger space as they'll be getting pretty active.

Tbh I think I'd look to start rehoming them from 7 weeks old. Just because 17 is a lot to find families for.

Good luck! And congrats!

Don’t separate and don’t panic too much about feeding. Keep an eye no one gets left out but each kit will only feed once a day. The thought of 17 buns is mind boggling. They’re big litters - they might unfortunately not all survive. ☹️

Thank you everybody for the replies and advice! I will most definitely be taking it on board. I will leave them be I haven't touched them just had a quick look in once a day to make sure they were all still together. They are big litters which makes me think they may have had previous litters before.
I totally agree about rabbits being bought for children's pets or people who dont realise how much time/money/space is needed to ensure they have a happy healthy life. This is why I asked about possibly adding another living area when they are older as I want to make sure when they are ready to be rehomed they will go to the best homes possible with people who have had experience/knowledge of rabbits. I am prepared to keep them for as long as this takes even if I need to get them neutered/spayed, I will get them their vaccinations I will do everything possible to make sure they go to a loving forever home!

@Mummyoflittledragon @coxesorangepippin @Adviceneeded234 I will definitely update with some pictures! They are gorgeous little things

17 extra rabbits is going to be a huge undertaking op. You'll need to separate them by about 9/10 weeks otherwise it's very likely the babies will reproduce again.

Rescues are full to bursting at the moment but I'd seek advice from a rabbit rescue if you can, it's not going to be a case of just adding an extra area you're doing to need to house them all properly while you wait to find new homes for them.

I foster for RSPCA and the last single bonded pair I had took 6 months to find a home, others have waited 9 months.

You're not going to be able to rehome them quickly, or at least not if you want them to go to homes where you know they will cared for properly.

Sorry, but this is not fun news it's bloody awful. 17 more rabbits to rehome when rescue is already in crisis.

Sorry just read op again so it's 15 babies.

That is a huge undertaking for rehoming. Spaying/neutering each rabbit plus vaccines will probably cost you 200-300 per rabbit so you're looking at about 4K before you factor in housing.

You need to speak to a rescue.

@Alongtimelonely it was very much a big shock I could not believe my eyes when I seen them!

I'm here for the photos!

tbh it is very unlikely that all babies survive for long. half at the best tbh.
rabbits are not very maternal (in the human sense).
make sure you get them sexed and separated as soon as possible. consider getting them spayed/neutered.

Most rescues are full but if you contact one they’ll put you on a waiting list. Hopefully there’ll be room for them by they reach the right age to leave mum.

@Whoopsmahoot @MonumentalLentil @Ginandrosemary I know they are all not guaranteed to survive but I would be absolutely heartbroken if I found any had passed away thank you for your replies it really means a lot

@70isaLimitNotaTarget thank you for your reply, I will absolutely try and get this moved to small pets. I bet it was a shock to find the baby guinea pigs!

@Pinkbonbon thank you so much! They are gorgeous. That's what I was hoping with them being so well bonded they will feed each others as didnt want to start moving them around. I haven't handled any yet as petrified that they may reject them the older ones are growing by the day so hopefully not long till I can properly check them

I'm struggling to reply to everyone individually but wanted to say that I have read every reply and really took on board what people have said. The advice has been really good!
I know that this isn't an ideal situation but there is nothing I can do about it but do everything I can for them. Unfortunately, I live in a rather small town where they aren't many rescues or rehoming places but I will contact ones in nearby towns and see if they can help.
I will make sure once old enough all males and females are separated to prevent any more future litters also my girls will be getting spayed. In regards to rehoming I will be keeping 2 of them myself and I will make sure I can do everything I can to find the others their forever homes.

Another quick question... I know people have said dont touch them but how do I have a look and check they are still alive as their all huddled together

Here for the bunny pictures .

No useful bunny baby advice op, my experience lies solely with kittens!

I had newborn bunnies a long time ago. We didn't touch them for at least 2 weeks and if one died the mum will push it out of the nest. She will not tolerate a sick or dead one as it endangers the others. Good luck with the bunny army! 😊

Have you contacted the rescue you adopted them from? It's unusual for a reputable rescue to rehome pregnant bunnies, it's more something pet shops tend to do.

They are lucky they landed up with someone prepared to care for them and give them all they need. I once fostered a pregnant hamster for a rescue and remember how cute they were - but hard work as they had to be separated very young and I was running out of space with all the cages. I did get lot of support from the rescue though as they had suspected the hammy was pregnant so it wasn't a shock. I managed to get them adopted by friends for a small fee which went straight to the rescue. I kept Mum and one female baby but had to separate them when the baby got older.

Baby furries are so cute but I found the responsibility of ensuring they went to good forever homes a bit daunting.

ah , the difference with guinea-pig pregnancy compared to rabbits is the time .
Rabbits are something like 30 days , big litters and small, hairless,closed eyed kits

Piggies are 63+days , the sows get very tubby and usually have 2-4 piglets (they are called 'pups' but piglets is nicer ) fully formed just tiny .

We had 2 sows but one wasn't . Then a new sow who sneaked in a surprise !

How old are your baby bunnies now ?

You clearly don't understand exponential growth 😁😁😁

Are the bunnies bonded to you, do they trust you yet? Do they trust you enought to eat treats or food from you by hand?

Rabbits kill their young if they are stressed or feel threatened. If they are bonded to you and you really have to touch the kits in an emergency (eg one falls out of the nest), they usually aren't bothered by it if they trust you. Wash your hands first, then cuddle mum so your hands smell of her.

Can you not see the kits without moving them? You just want to see that all they are all wriggling and are all huddled up. If one of them has fallen out of the nest, you will need to put it back as kits can die from getting cold very quickly. If one of them isn't moving, even if it feels cold, you might be able to revive it by gently warming it.

You can tell if mum is feeding them as they will have little round bellies and no wrinkly skin. Google "how to tell if rabbit is feeding babies" to see what to look out for.

If mum stops feeding them, you can feed them with special formula from the vet or pet store. Mum needs a good diet to help her produce milk, you might want to add some extra high in calcium foods like alfalfa hay, kale, parsley.

Once they start moving about and are weaned, you need to keep an eye out for eye infections and upset tummies. They get their gut microbiome from mum peeing and pooing in the nest but they can also get lethal infections from that.

Don't separate the 2 bonded bunnies. Rabbits can die of grief if they lose their bonded partner or are separated from them. If they need to go to the vet overnight, both rabbits should go together.

How big is the hutch? You know rabbits need a lot of space to be able to run and jump and binky? Most hutches on the market aren't big enough.

If you decide to keep 2, a male and female pair usually bond best. Just make sure they are neutered.

I imagine they’re like this! 🤣

Also here for the bunny pictures! Good luck op.

The mums will only feed them once or twice a day and ignore them the rest of the time (this is their instinct in the wild, so as not to draw predators’ attention to the kits). So don’t worry if they leave them alone a lot. The key is keeping them warm. They won’t survive if they fall out of the nest of fur. I would say if you put surgical gloves on you are fine to handle them (I have had rabbits previously from a breeder called Ross Rabbits - if you look on FB you’ll see her page. She handles them from birth without gloves, but the mums are very well socialised and used to her so that probably makes it a lot safer). With gloves on you can have a quick check for dead ones and make sure they’re all in the nest.

I forgot to say, please get your girls spayed, even if you aren't going to keep any of the boys so there is no risk of pregnancy. Uterine cancer is a huge risk for female rabbits. 40% of unneutered does will have tumours by the age of 2, 80% by the age of 6. A happy, healthy bunny can live to 12.