Newborn rabbits are active, does this mean they're not eating?

Question

My rabbit surprisingly gave birth early Monday morning (not only did I not know she’s pregnant I didn’t know she was a female) the runts of the litter have passed away and the remaining 5 (she had 8 total) seem to be thriving have the nice round belly’s after feeding and feel warm to the touch . It’s confusing though because they are sometimes highly active practically hoping around the cage already. I was told this means they aren’t being fed (sleeping in the pic)

Miranda Sadar, DVM, DACZM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for your question about your bunnies, and I am sorry to hear that you have lost a few of them. Also, thanks for the photo - it was very helpful. From what I can see in the picture, these bunnies are doing well. The things you are looking for are great - they have round bellies, they are warm, and they are clean. You can see in the photo that there is a more pale area visible on the belly - this is the stomach and it is full of milk! It is referred to as the milk line. This is a good thing to see on the bunnies, and when this is present it indicates that mom is doing a good job with the feeding. Please keep in mind that it is not uncommon for mother rabbits to only visit their babies once to twice per day. After the babies are weaned, I would recommend having the mother spayed as uterine cancers are very common in female rabbits. I hope this answers your question, and good luck with the new babies!

Newborn rabbits are active, does this mean they're not eating?

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