How soon do you (Personally) handle baby rabbits?

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

always start handling Kits from the day they're born, and do it every day after that. (I do, of course, wash my hands before and after touching the newborns) I only get them out for 3-10 minutes until they're older, usually around the time they have good fur.
The reason I handle them so much and so early is because I breed for show, and they need to be able to handle being touched and stacked so much. And, if they aren't being for show, they live as a pet (Whether mine or sold) and need to be able to withstand that too.

I've seen people waiting for so long, like three weeks or a month, and it always confuses me why. Yes, they're very young, by if you're smart and are gentle, I don't see the reason why you don't handle them sooner (Not to mention that the myth of the mother eating the kits because of human scent is... Well, a myth in domestic rabbits, except for rare occasions)

 

[Preitler]

I don't see a reason to not handle them form the start, starting small and taking weather etc. into account (I don't open up a nest when it's freezing cold). Human, dog, cat, other rabbit or whatever scent - I've never seen any reaction to it.

Mine are meat mutts, and in the last years it became almost impossible to sell or rehome rabbits privatly (no problem for companies, what a FUBAR of what was meant to protect animals, if it's out of public sight everything is fine...), I mostly socialised them in the hope to sell at least the nicest ones. By now that backfires when it's time to put them into the freezer.

 

[rockyhillrabbits]

I handle mine from birth, at first just enough to make sure they are all being fed and then when they are about 2 weeks old and coming out of the box I hold them and handle them more. My first litter I have, my favorite is my blue buck, Moxie. He has been handled a bit more than the white ones and it shows. They run and hide in corners, try to get away once I have them. Moxie comes up to my hand in the cage and is completely fine with being picked up. I need to do more work with his sisters.

 

[hotzcatz]

The buns here are angoras, they get picked up and messed with from the moment of birth. They have to be handled a lot for grooming, so it's a necessity. Some of them are really friendly, almost to the point of being 'needy' when it comes to petting. Those are usually the bucks since they live in their own space and don't get as many friends as the doe herd who live in large groups. Some of the does are not all that happy with being held, they'll put up with it but it's not their favorite. Other does don't mind, there's quite a variation between them all.