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The First Few Weeks of a Bunny's Life

Mother: Lily - Standard Cashmere Lop (Light Siamese Sable in colour)

Father: Charlie - Mini Cashmere Lop (Siamese Sable Butterfly in colour)

Lily and Charlie

1 week before Lily was due to give birth she started plucking fur from her stomach to make a nest in the box we had given her. Lily also shredded paper and collected straw/hay we gave her to add to the nest.

Lily nesting and preparing to give birth

First photo of litter taken at 0554hrs.

Day by day you can see the fur growing and the colour coming out. In this particular litter there are 2 white babies, 1 seal point, and 3 black and white butterflies.

Kittens at day 4.

Unfortunately within the first few days the smallest of the litter passed away, leaving 5 kittens.

Kittens at day 8.

Between 10-11 days the kittens start opening their eyes and are able to hear for the first time, as all rabbits are born deaf and blind.

Kittens at day 13.

By day 15 the kittens were more active as they could see where they were going. At this stage they were playing with each other and toys they had been given.

Kittens at day 15.

Kitten at day 18.

At day 22 the kittens come and go from the nest box as they please, spending most of their time apart from feeding from mum (which they do in their nest box) outside in the normal part of the hutch.

Kittens at day 22.

After 25 days the kittens had free range of 1 room in the house. This allowed them to come and go as they please and learn from their mum the routines of daily life.

Kittens at day 27.

From here on the kittens continue to grow and develop learning and feeding from their mum for the first 6-8 weeks. After this time the kittens are then separated from mum and start on their own journey of life.