07/20/2025
Educational post:
I see so many people say when baby bunnies aren’t getting enough milk, to hold the mom upside down in your lap & put the babies on top. This is NOT natural for mom OR babies!! It also doesn’t teach the mom what she is supposed to do! When mom is feeding her babies on her own, she stands over them & babies go upside down to latch onto mama’s teet! When I’ve got a new mom who is reluctant to nurse my goal is to TEACH them what to do, so next time they know what to do & how to do it! I put mama on top of the babies in the nest box. I try to restrain as little as necessary to keep them there. I’ve had some that freak out & end up scratching babies. In these cases I’ve had to grab both sets of legs to hold them & keep them from hurting babies & themselves. Once babies start nursing I can usually loosen my grip & let them relax. To some first time moms the feeling of these little strangers with little teeth & nails scratching at their underbelly can be frightening at first! I had to restrain Skittles pretty hard with her first litter for almost a week. She learned well though & I haven’t had to do anything with this litter. With Dove, all I’ve had to do is gently hold her in the nest box, she is learning already, but this intervention is necessary to save the babies & teaches the moms so that they become the good moms I know they can be for subsequent litters. Holding them in unnatural positions might save the babies, but doesn’t teach the mom what she is supposed to do! Pic of me ‘holding’ Dove on her first litter to let them nurse! 💖
