How to Remove a Male Rabbit From a Cage When the Kits Are Born

Rabbits are known for being easy animals to breed, hence the expression "breeding like rabbits." Approximately one month after a successful mating, the female rabbit will give birth to a litter of rabbit "kits" or kittens. Ideally, you should remove the male rabbit from the cage so he is not near the newborn kits. Some male rabbits will kill or eat their own young.

  1. Removing the Male Before Birth

    • To err on the side of caution, it is best to remove the male rabbit from a shared cage before the female gives birth to kits. This way, there is no chance that the male will harm the newborn kits, and the female rabbit can have a peaceful and private pregnancy without additional mating attempts by the male. To be sure, you can separate the male and female rabbits immediately after their first mating, or two to three weeks after you have first seen the rabbits mate.

    Signs of Impending Birth

    • If you choose to leave the male and female rabbits together during the pregnancy, pay attention to signs and signals that the female rabbit is preparing to give birth. A few days before giving birth, the female typically will start building a nest for the rabbit kittens. She'll use available materials to construct a soft nest, usually at the rear corner of the cage where the space is most private. The female rabbit will pull out her own soft fur to line the nest. When you see this happening, it's a good time to remove the male rabbit from the cage.

    Removing the Male After Birth

    • If you haven't managed to remove the male from the cage before the rabbit kittens are born, you can get him out of there as soon as possible after the birth. The female rabbit likely will have built her nest at the rear of the cage, and will be sitting with, or over, the kittens in their nest. Before a regular feeding time, present the male rabbit's favorite food at the front of the cage or near the cage door. When he comes forward for this tasty treat, quickly and securely grasp him behind the shoulders and around his torso, lifting him out of the cage.

    Reintroducing the Male

    • If you have enough separate cages, it usually is worth keeping male and female rabbits separately. Although some rabbits enjoy living together as couples, and not all males will eat their young, by keeping adult rabbits in pairs you are subjecting the female to being pregnant almost constantly. When one litter of kits has matured and the baby rabbits are weaned, the male rabbits can live together while the females either stay with their mother or live separately. In some cases, the male baby rabbits can live in a cage with their father. However, when introducing any rabbits to a new living situation, it is important to watch out for fighting or aggressive behavior.