When to hold baby bunnies

It is a controversial topic. Some say it is okay to hold baby bunnies as soon as they are born. Some say that you should wait. What do you say? I have a new litter and I am wanting to handle the youngsters. What are your opinions on the matter?

I haven't had baby bunnies since I was a teenager! But as I recall, a lot depends on the mother. If she is used to being handled, isn't aggressive, etc, you may be able to handle the babies when they're still young. But, if she's aggressive, or you're not sure, it's much better to wait.

I have been tring not to handle mine yet. I did have to put a couple back in the nest that she had or drug out on the wire. I think if you do handle them you should do it as little as possable.

You have to take your cue from the doe. If she is used to you and trusts you then you can probably handle them with no problems. If it is a new doe or a skittish one, then it is best to wait until they are older when she isn't quite so protective.

Welcome to our little corner of creation, paradox. Excellent advice.

Please take a moment and introduce yourself in the intro area.

We don't handle ours until they are older. The mother is liable to kill them if anything upsets her.

When I raised rabbits I used to inspect the nest to check for dead or deformed babies on the day after the doe kindled. I tried to use a little stick or something to just lift and peek under their fur blanket. Then I would check again after a couple of days again for problems and just the same way. I never handled the babies until their eyes were open and they had a good fur coat even with a good mama. It just seems to me that I didn't need to stress them.

After they were out of the nest and hopping around I began to handle them a bit each day. I like animals to be relaxed when I am around them even if I will eventually be eating them.

I agree FarmFresh, we keep our cows as calm and laid back as possible. It just makes things so much easier when you do need to handle them for some reason. Oh and we do not and have not in my lifetime owned nor used a cattle prod, they are just not needed when an animal is treated properly for its entire life.

I have another animal rule that follows the same idea. I believe that EVERY animal I own should be able to be lead on a halter and stand tied calmly. I don't have huge herds like some ranchers do to deal with, but a small farmer could do this with just a little time spent.

This stuff is extremely important if you ever have an injured animal. A few hours spent training and that life of good treatment and you will be able to LEAD them to a safe place to treat what ails them and tie them while the vet checks or you treat the problems.

that is a very good rule