06/05/2026
What’s Involved in Taking in Baby Bunnies, Litters, and Moms with Litters?
We receive calls every day asking us to help baby bunnies, litters, and mothers with babies. Unfortunately, we are overwhelmed with requests and simply cannot keep up with the demand. We wish we could help every single rabbit, but the reality is that our resources, space, and foster homes are limited.
A great deal of planning and triaging goes into every decision we make about which rabbits we are able to take in.
When we take in a mother with a litter, the mother is often already pregnant again. Momma may have a 4-week-old litter, newborn babies, and another litter on the way, all at the same time. What starts as one mom and a litter can quickly become 10–20+ rabbits, depending on litter size.
Finding fosters willing and able to care for litters or moms with litters is a challange. While many people generously offer to help, they often underestimate the time, space, and commitment involved. Sometimes foster placements become overwhelmed, and we need to have space available at our main location or with experienced foster homes in case they need to be returned because its not working out.
Mother rabbits need a calm, stress-free environment where they feel safe. They also need enough space to take breaks from their babies. As the babies grow, they require adequate room, enrichment, and socialization so they develop into confident, adoptable rabbits. Sadly, shy rabbits are often overlooked by adopters, making socialization an important part of their care.
At around 3–4 months of age, baby rabbits must be separated by gender because they can have babies as young as 4 months. Between 3–6 months, it is also very common for rabbits of the same gender to begin fighting, chasing, or becoming unbonded as hormones develop.
This means we need additional foster homes, resources and space ready to accommodate these separations.
Baby rabbits typically remain in rescue care for anywhere from 4 months to over a year before finding homes. Some rabbits stay even longer, particularly those with less popular colours, markings, or breeds.
The reality is that adopters are often drawn to rabbits they perceive as especially cute, unique, or attractive. For rescues that are already operating at capacity, the decision to take in a litter can have a significant impact on available space and resources. A litter of rabbits that may take longer to adopt can occupy foster homes and rescue space for months or even years, affecting how many other rabbits we are able to help.
These are some of the difficult factors we must consider every time we receive a request for assistance. Our goal is always to help as many rabbits as possible while ensuring that every rabbit already in our care continues to receive the time, space, and support they deserve.
