earliest weaning age

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akane

akane

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What's the earliest you can separate kits from their mom? I want to try getting demon rabbit's kits away from her as early as possible and raise them where they can be handled a lot. Hopefully they won't learn from their mom and turn in to psycho rabbits. If they do that will also prove it's genetic and if that happens I'm culling the whole line.
 
The earliest I will wean is 4 weeks and I will only wean 1/3 of the litter at a time. I did have a doe die in December that had a litter that wasn't quite 3 1/2 weeks. The litter survived, but they didn't have the benefits of learning much from their mom. They aren't clean, it took a while to get them to drink out of a water bottle (I had to make the switch back), and they are very unruly with eachother (like they don't know how to find a pecking order). They are all extremely sweet, but it is definitely nothing I would do intentionally. This weekend, they will be butchered.

Now, if I think that I'm going to want some out of a particular doe for showing or breeding, sometimes I will leave them with the doe for 5-6 weeks so that they will learn her mothering skills. There are only 2 does in my herd I've done this with and it is because the does are, IMO, exceptional at what they do.
 
I'd wean them at 3.5 weeks (this supposing that you have kicked them out of the box at 2 weeks and they are well started on feed) and if you have a doll of a rabbit who can be "auntie" to them, or a really nice buck you can put them with I'd do that. :)

Give them tons of hay, have some probiotics on hand if you can, and watch them close.
 
I have a champagne doe with 5 kits the same age and a mini rex doe who is very laid back with a single kit a week older than them.
 
I would try the minirex, if I was you. Is she laid back with rabbits or people? y sweetheart rabbit is a turd with others of her species...
 
The mini rex doe has been housed with another rabbit since I got her because she mostly gets along with everyone. Right now she and her 2 daughters (one 3months and one 3 weeks) are in a 3x6 cage.
 
Well they definitely aren't going in with Miyuki the champagne doe. She's charging her own kits if they run around too fast. She isn't hurting them and when she actually gets near them she pauses to sniff them and then hops away to eat hay. I'm hoping she's just a bit confused about her first litter being mobile and will stop it before anyone gets hurt.
 

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