Choosing Your Rabbit
Who Lives With Who?
Housing
Feeding
Handling
Breeding
Pregnancy
The New Litter
Surrogacy
Hand-Rearing
Health
Vets Bills
Pictures

Surrogacy 

I have had Doe’s who abandoned their young but I successfully 'rehoused them' with another Doe who had also recently had a litter, and they were raised as her own. Before doing this, rub your hands in the new mothers bedding and stroke her for several minutes and then rub this scent onto the young so the surrogate mother recognises the scent and believes the young are her own.

You have to decide carefully if the mother has actually abandoned the young or they are not getting fed enough before removing them from her. You will very rarely see the Doe feeding the young so don't assume that she isn't. They will usually call out for food if they are not getting any.

Of course, you now run the risk that the new mother will not accept the new litter either and then they may either die or you will be left to hand-rear then which is not ideal.