Two females kitting together?

[Lauren'sBunnies]

I’ve read you aren’t really supposed to keep females together but it is possible with early introductions. I have a mother and her baby but they are both adults now. Is it possible to have them kit with different nesting boxes in the same cage? I read somewhere it you can but it’s risky, I am always checking them for bite marks or any fighting but they are none and have been living together since she was little. Will they even be receptive to a male if they are together

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Do you mean you're keeping the kits together?

 

[Lauren'sBunnies]

Do you mean you're keeping the kits together?

I haven’t bred the rabbits but yes, is it possible? I’m worried about keeping my rabbits away for months while raising their kits if they won’t be bonded anymore

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

I haven’t bred the rabbits but yes, is it possible? I’m worried about keeping my rabbits away for months while raising their kits if they won’t be bonded anymore

The kits need to stay with the mom for 6-8 weeks depending on the breed. Everyday I always get the kits out to hold or play with and when they're at least a week old (If there's more than one litter) I take them out with the other litter(s). They're not together for long, 10-20 minutes when they're younger and maybe even an hour when they're closer to 8 weeks.

When they move out to their own cages, I merge the two litters together (Never had three litters at the same time :[ ) and they stay in their own cage. The only reasons why they would be separated after that would be when we found out if they were Bucks or Does or if fights started breaking out.

If one out of the two Does gets sick or can't nurse for some reason (Once my Doe Taffy had been paralyzed/didn't move soon after having her litter, so her mom took care of them) then you should be able to transfer a litter over, but the hard part would be trying to tell all the kits apart (I don't know how people that have florida whites do it, I swear they all look the same)

 

[Mariah's Meadows]

Possible? Absolutely. Always successful? Not exactly. Some does just don't get along.

For higher success, they need to have enough space to avoid each other as needed. Colonies work well because of how much space each rabbit has.

The hormones during pregnancy could trigger them suddenly not getting along with each other. The stress of kindling may trigger that. Introducing the buck may also trigger that. Basically, continue monitoring them as you are doing but have a second area/cage/enclosure/whatever at the ready in case you need to separate them.

They should still be receptive to the buck even when cohabitating with another doe, although the daughter may be less receptive as it sounds like it would be her first breeding.

I've tried it how you did by keeping a daughter doe with the mother doe. As soon as the mother got pregnant again, she decided she no longer wanted to share a space with her daughter. I had better luck with two does of separate litters who had been together since being weaned from their mother. Probably because they're used to their entire life with another rabbit vs. living alone and then cohabitating from the first scenario.

I'm very curious for how it works out for you!

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

Possible? Absolutely. Always successful? Not exactly. Some does just don't get along.

For higher success, they need to have enough space to avoid each other as needed. Colonies work well because of how much space each rabbit has.

The hormones during pregnancy could trigger them suddenly not getting along with each other. The stress of kindling may trigger that. Introducing the buck may also trigger that. Basically, continue monitoring them as you are doing but have a second area/cage/enclosure/whatever at the ready in case you need to separate them.

They should still be receptive to the buck even when cohabitating with another doe, although the daughter may be less receptive as it sounds like it would be her first breeding.

I've tried it how you did by keeping a daughter doe with the mother doe. As soon as the mother got pregnant again, she decided she no longer wanted to share a space with her daughter. I had better luck with two does of separate litters who had been together since being weaned from their mother. Probably because they're used to their entire life with another rabbit vs. living alone and then cohabitating from the first scenario.

I'm very curious for how it works out for you!

Gee I wish my does got along that well

 

[Mariah's Meadows]

Gee I wish my does got along that well

My cohabitating does have a significantly larger enclosure than the does that are alone. More than double the size of single enclosures; maybe closer to 5x larger. Caged does are usually less willing to cohabitate, I've found.

 

[Albert]

This is fascinating and could be a game changer for us. If we were to add an additional nesting box the other end could this work in one of our tractors? The run alone is 2x1 yards.

 

[Mariah's Meadows]

This is fascinating and could be a game changer for us. If we were to add an additional nesting box the other end could this work in one of our tractors? The run alone is 2x1 yards.

I think it would definitely be worth a shot! Adding a second hutch nest box will give them even more space and places to hide away from each other as needed. Perhaps you could add some shelves at the sides of the tractor, too, to let them hop up off the ground. One of my cohabitating does has claimed a shelf for her own and uses it more than her hutch to take a break from her roommate. Just an idea! Please let us know how it goes for you!

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

Love your set up. I would think you could just put a divider in the existing nest box and a door on each end and not have to add a second one. Even large nest boxes are only 20" and your would be 18". The does don't stay in them except about 2x a day for 5 minutes to nurse. I never see a mother rabbit in the nest box when she has kits. When there are no kits, they do go in more often LOL . . . .