When Do Baby Rabbits Leave The Nest Box Tips To Keep Them Safe

If you are raising rabbits and this is your first litter you might be wondering when do baby rabbits leave the nest? When is it safe and when is it not?

First, here is the simplest answer: They should be about 2.5 weeks before climbing out IF you are raising your rabbits on a wire floor.

I have had plenty of litters that break the rules and get out much earlier. So with that said, let me run through the ages and the concerns with each phase and how you might be able to combat that problem.

​Rabbit Litters 1-10 Days Old

Hands down they should stay in the box. They are vulnerable to getting cold and damaged if they get out.

The main reason here is so they stay warm. BUT if they are feeling too hot, they will surface, and that’s ok. Let them lie on top of the fur. But they still should not come out on the wire where they could get stepped on or limbs damaged.

You might see them lying on top of the fur as cool as 75 degrees, but if the temperatures are 65 or less in the first week, they should stay under the fur. Humidity is another reason you might see them come to the surface, and if they are warm to the touch they will be fine. But if they are fiery hot like I talk about in this video. You may have to take some of the fur out and let them cool down.

Rabbit Kits 10-14 Days Old

At this point, you might have the occasional baby bunny wander around the nest area even though they can’t see much. Their eyes don’t open until 10-12 days of age. This is where you have to be careful.

It is VERY important that you have a nest box that is deep enough to keep the kits in the box. They are extremely wobbly and could be hurt easily if they get outside of the nest box.

After a few losses of kits getting out and wandering behind the nesting box and getting stuck, I covered up all of the U-shaped cutouts that are common for rabbit raisers to have in their box. The idea is for the doe to be able to get in and out of the box more easily to take care of their babies, but 99.999999% of the time, the doe never uses it anyway. For me, she jumps over everything but that side.

My nest boxes for French lops are 12 inches high on the sides, and with the straw, the kits should be at least 6 inches below the wall of the box until they are two weeks old for their own safety.

What Causes Kits To Leave The Nest

Most of the time baby rabbits they are leaving the nest to look for a food source. Your doe starts to feed them less and less after two weeks old, and the kits should be mostly weaned by 3 weeks old.

That is why around 2 weeks old I start to offer the kits small amounts of solid food. I will put rabbit pellets in a small bowl and hold it in front of the kits. They often will get w whiff of it and come to check it out. Some may come to try it and some may not.

DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT give young kits fresh hay, veggies, or anything that is wet and not a good solid pellet formula for rabbits. You could cause digestive upsets and ultimately kill the rabbits.

You are also training the kits at this age to eat what is good for them. You don’t want them to get something else they like more than their complete rabbit ration, and only want to eat the “doughnuts” before the meat and vegetables.

What To Do If You Can’t Keep Them In

If I have a group of babies that are getting out then I turn the nest box on its side and then put resting mats all over the floor of the cage to make the wire holes smaller. Then get as much straw in the main area as possible for 5-7 days until the kits seem to get the hang of it and are a bit bigger. This basically creates a solid floor effect. But it’s easier to clean and doesn’t hold bacteria like wood does.

I DO NOT promote solid floors on wood or dirt.

How To Know If Your Baby Rabbits Are Getting Out Of The Box

Sometimes the little buggers are sneaky and they get in and out without you knowing. The main way you are going to notice this happening is if your momma rabbit is acting hungrier than usual or she is running out of feed faster.

My french lop does always eat about 50% more feed around the time they give birth and start nursing. So it’s always a good idea to increase the amount you feed around the time your doe kindles. But if you have found her rhythm for a little while and all of the sudden she is hungry again, it’s likely her babies are sneaking out and eating her feed.

You can also replace the larger box with a small cardboard box if you want to give the rabbits more space. I like this option as well because it can be thrown out or burned depending on your farm situation.

If the kits start using the small box as a toilet just take the rabbit nest box out. After about 4 weeks old rabbits don’t tend to use the box.