Mixing weaned litters to grow out - safe?

[dragonladyleanne]

I have one doe with 3 babies who are 5 weeks old, and eating her food, so I am about to wean them next week. Another doe's babies are only 2 days younger, but of her 4, 2 are as big as the 3, and 2 are smaller, with 1 of them being the 3 legged survivor of the rat attack on its litter. I want to wean only the 2 larger ones, but leave the 2 smaller with mama indoors for another 2 weeks. The 3 from Belle have been outside all along, but these other 2 have been indoors, and I worry that housing them alone outside might be too cold. Can I put all 5 of them in one new cage together, or are they prone to fight, even at 6 weeks?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I always mix my litters because I breed two or three does at the same time, and then separate the kits by sex. Provide a box with bedding so the house bunnies especially will have a warm place to snuggle while they adjust to the outside temps.

 

[Lady]

I've never had serious issues mixing kits.
I would start them in a large pen in the grass, put them all in at the same time and let them get used to each other in that new and spacious environment first, then place them into a grow out cage.
Sometimes, though, you will get one or two buns that start fights no matter what. You can attempt to keep them in the big pen longer, but if that bun keeps at it, best to just toss it into it's own pen.
The younger they are, the more accepting they will be of other buns.

 

[avdpas77]

I have a 4'x 6' grow-out cage I sometimes put 3 litters in it. I never have a problem except for a couple of bucks pulling each others fur on rare occasion if they are getting 11 or 12 weeks old. I never let them stay together longer than that. I only put rabbits in this cage that are to be processed. Any kits that I am keeping or considering keeping for breeders are kept in different cages and separated after about 8 or 10 weeks according to sex.

As long as they are healthy and more or less the same size they are fine. I wouldn't put a injured or runt rabbit with them though. Usually if runt kits are left with the doe another week they will catch up. I think I would keep the 3-legged rabbit in another cage.

Out side is fine if you keep the wind off of them If you are concerned give them a cardboard box on side to pile into to keep warm, then throw it away and replace if it gets soiled.

 

[dragonladyleanne]

As long as they are healthy and more or less the same size they are fine. I wouldn't put a injured or runt rabbit with them though. Usually if runt kits are left with the doe another week they will catch up. I think I would keep the 3-legged rabbit in another cage.

The indoors rabbits were brought in due to a rat attacking the babies through the floor wire, they were born outside right next to the other litter. 2 died a day or 2 later, but one suffered only a mangled front leg (which is withering up, but he gets around) and 3 were uninjured. 3 legs is understandably smaller than the others now, since it is harder for him to "belly up to the bar", but one of his sibs is not a lot bigger, so I am leaving both of them indoors with the mama until they are 8 weeks old. The other 2 uninjured kits are about 50% larger, so I wanted to remove them at 6 weeks, to allow the smaller ones to "catch up". If it is unlikely they'll fight, I will put those 2 plus the 3 from the other litter into a grow out cage. We have taken care of the rat problem I think, plus their feet don't fall through the wire any more (they were about 2 weeks old when attacked). Thanks for the replies, folks!