Can Does Have Kits Together?

[Mini Lop Mama]

I have a bonded Mama and Baby who I would like to breed this coming spring. Could they have kits together, in the same cage? The cage is very large, and they both fit in it very well. The nesting box is large, and I could put a second one in there, no promises they'll use it, lol.

Or could I have them separated when they are about to kindle and have them inside cages where they can see each other, but they will have separate nesting boxes, and then once they have kindled, put them back together? I would hate to break their bond.

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Does get more territorial and aggressive when they have Kits

 

[Cosima]

I think you can keep them together.

 

[hotzcatz]

As with many things rabbit, I'm guessing the answer is 'it depends'. There were two does here who were determined to have their babies in the same nest. The big hutch has temporary separators between sections since it's all one gender in each of the big hutches so if the bunnies do manage to squirm through, it's usually not a big deal. There were two does due at pretty much the same time one on each side of a wire wall. One of them squirmed through the wall to get to the other nest. I figured the doe just really liked that nest so I switched them and put the other doe in the other nest. Next time I came out to the bunnies, the first doe had squirmed back to be with the other one. They both had their litter in one nest and both of them took turns feeding them all. It worked for them, but so far they've been the only ones.

Could you put them in one big area and give them several different nest areas and let them work out if they want to be all in one spot or two different spots?

Do you need to identify who's offspring is who's? Here we have pedigrees and need to keep track of who is related to whom. When all the babies are in one spot, it's impossible to tell which one belongs to which doe.