Can Male Rabbit Stay with Babies?

It’s understandably concerning when a new father rabbit remains close to the nest after the kits are born. Will his presence stress out or endanger the baby bunnies? Or is it safe for him to stay nearby? Male rabbits have minimal involvement with their young, so many owners automatically separate them post-birth. However, as long as proper precautions are taken, the buck can remain peacefully close to his offspring. With some adjustments, the male can be present during these special first weeks.

Anyway, keep reading to learn more about what should you do after the delivery.

Why Should You Separate the Buck from the Doe?

To ensure the health of both mother and kits, the father rabbit (buck) should be separated from the mother rabbit (doe) once she has given birth. The presence of the buck can cause the doe stress and prompt aggressive behavior from the buck, which may injure or even kill the kits. Separation prevents fighting and mating attempts while the doe recovers and bonds with her young. Reintroduce the pair once the kits are older and weaned.

Preventing repeated pregnancy is the major reason for separating the Buck from the doe. Rabbits are prey animals.

In nature, they can not survive long. The average surviving period of the wild bunny is 6 to 8 months in nature. Although the lifespan of a rabbit is 5 to 10 years.

So, naturally, the fertility of rabbits is very high. We domesticated rabbits for more than hundreds of years. If the domestic bunny becomes pregnant repeatedly without a passage of time, there is a high chance of death of the female bunny.

Repeated pregnancy is disastrous for the female bunny. To keep your female bunny safe and sound, you should separate the male and female bunny a couple of weeks before the delivery time.

Do Male Rabbits Kill the Babies?

No, the male rabbits will not kill the baby bunnies. But some specific breeds like the Lionhead male can not tolerate their offspring. Because they consider the offspring as the mating competitor. In some rare cases, the particular breed can attack the baby bunnies.

The best practice is to keep the baby bunnies separate from the male rabbits. As a result, the momma bunny will take care of the baby bunny properly in their nesting box.

Do Male Rabbits Eat Their Babies?

No, the male rabbits eat their babies. It is against nature. Usually, the male rabbits are good dads but we should not keep them in the same cage to prevent repeated pregnancy.

The male rabbit doesn’t eat their babies. But the momma bunny eats their dead babies in the nest. It is an astonishing fact. The momma bunny doesn’t take the dead baby (less than 1 week) out of the nest (in the wild). This is a miracle of nature.

Do Wild Male Rabbits Stay with Their Babies?

No, the wild male rabbits don’t stay with their babies. Because the mamma rabbits make a different nest for their babies. The presence of Buck and Doe attracts the predators.

To save the offspring from the predators both the male and female rabbits don’t stay with their babies.

When to Separate Male and Female Baby Rabbits?

You should separate the male and female baby rabbits when they are 4 months old. Because the baby bunnies become mature at the age of 5 months.

If you keep them, the female bunny will be pregnant. Early pregnancy is dangerous for any animal. So, to keep the baby bunnies healthy and safe you should separate the baby bunnies at the age of 4 months.

Final Thoughts

Usually, the dad rabbit cares for their offspring. In nature, if the baby bunnies go away from their territory, the dad bunny takes back the baby bunnies in their territory.

However, for the maximum safety of the domestic baby bunny and mamma bunny, you should keep the Buck and Doe separately.

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