Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: Feeding the rabbits with milk formula
• Part 2 of 2: Introducing Solid Foods to Baby Rabbits
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

Little rabbits are cute, fluffy, touching creatures that sometimes require a lot of care. If you find orphaned wild bunnies or your domestic bunny abandoned her cubs, you will have to feed helpless babies to save them from death. If you feed the babies at the right time of day and give them the right amount of food that suits their needs, small, helpless creatures will grow into fluffy, healthy rabbits.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Feeding the rabbits with milk formula

1. 1 Make sure the bunny is not feeding any bunnies. Before you take the babies away from the bunny or conclude that the bunnies are left without a mother, make sure that the bunny is not feeding the cubs or is a danger to them. Normally, the rabbit feeds the cubs twice a day, and feeding lasts only five minutes. Consider also that the bunny, unlike many other mammals, does not keep the babies warm all the time. If the rabbits do not look emaciated, even if the mother is not around for a long time, most likely, the rabbit left the cubs only temporarily, and you had better not touch them.
   • Here are some signs by which you can distinguish abandoned rabbits: the skin of the babies is blue and cold to the touch, they squeak plaintively for a long time (more than five minutes) when it is time to feed, but the mother does not come. In some cases, baby rabbits' skin looks wrinkled due to dehydration.
   • In some cases, the rabbit rejects her cubs, in which case you must take the cubs away from the mother before she harms them.
   • If you find a burrow with wild rabbits, next to which there is no mother, do not rush to take them home. Monitor the condition of the cubs for a while. If the rabbits look well-fed, most likely, the mother left them only for a while and continues to take care of them.
   • With artificial feeding, only 10% of the rabbits survive, so it is much better to leave the cubs in their natural habitat, and take them only as a last resort.
2. 2 Purchase a breast milk replacer for feeding rabbits. If you decide to feed the young, you will need formula milk to replace breast milk. Rabbit milk is higher in calories than milk from other mammals, so you need to make sure that you find the right substitute for it and correctly calculate the amount of food.
   • Buy a cat milk replacer (infant formula for kittens) or goat milk to feed the baby rabbits. These products are sold in pet stores and pharmacies at some veterinary clinics.
   • For each can of kitten formula milk, you need to add one tablespoon of whole 30% cream without sugar. This will help increase the calorie content of the mixture so that it looks like natural rabbit milk.
   • You can also add the probiotic Acidophilus to the milk sweep - this will allow you to populate the digestive tract of the rabbits with beneficial bacteria. Acidophilus is available at pharmacies and health food stores.
3. 3 Purchase feeding syringes or eyedroppers. In most cases, baby rabbits cannot suck milk from a bottle, so you will need sterile syringes (no needles) or eyedroppers to feed. With these devices, you can control how much formula each rabbit eats, and the syringe tips and pipettes are the size of a rabbit's nipples.
   • Syringes and pipettes are available at any pharmacy. Veterinary pharmacies and pet supply stores often have in their assortment special devices for feeding newborn babies.
4. 4 Prepare milk mixture. The female rabbit feeds the young with milk from birth to 6 weeks of age, so you will need to prepare enough formula to feed the babies of different ages. The daily norm of the mixture must be divided into two feedings - in this case, the rabbits will receive the amount of nutrients they need.
   • Remember, for every can of cat milk replacer you need to add one tablespoon of 30% sugar-free cream. You can also add one pinch of Acidophilus to this mixture.
   • A newborn baby rabbit less than 7 days old eats 4–5 ml of milk formula.
   • A baby rabbit at the age of 1-2 weeks eats 10-15 ml of the mixture.
   • A baby rabbit at the age of 2-3 weeks eats 15-30 ml of the mixture.
   • A rabbit at the age of 3–6 weeks and until the end of feeding eats about 30 ml of the mixture.
5. 5 Feed the baby bunnies with formula. When you have prepared the formula, start feeding the babies. It is very important to give the pups the formula that matches the normal feeding of the young rabbit. Eating the right diet will help your little ones stay healthy and develop.
   • Usually, the rabbit feeds the cubs twice a day - in the morning and in the evening.
6. 6 Give the bunny the opportunity to eat at the pace he wants. It is imperative that the rabbits consume the formula at their natural rate. If you force the bunny to swallow too quickly, it can choke and even die.
   • If the bunny is sucking on the tip of the syringe, gently push the plunger down to gradually squeeze the formula into your baby's mouth.
   • If the bunny is reluctant to suck milk from a syringe, give him time to adjust. Try to stimulate the baby's sucking reflex by injecting a small amount of formula from a syringe into its mouth.
   • You can gently stroke the bunny while feeding to help him feel calmer.
7. 7 Stimulate bowel movements and urination. It is imperative that bowel and bladder emptying occurs regularly, either before or after a feed. This is necessary for the proper functioning of the baby's digestive and excretory systems.
   • You need to stimulate bowel and bladder emptying during the first ten days of babies' life or until their eyes open.
   • Take a cotton ball or disk, moisten it with warm water, and gently rub the bunny's tummy from the anus and genitals with it until urination and bowel movements begin. Continue massaging your tummy until the emptying process is complete.
   • Do not worry about doing something wrong: this massage replaces the natural care that the rabbit would provide.
8. 8 Finish breastfeeding. Continue feeding the rabbits formula and solid foods until they are old enough to be without milk. The duration of milk feeding depends on the type of rabbits. Usually mothers feed their babies for 3-4 weeks after birth, but some babies need to be milked for longer, up to 9 weeks.
   • The female domestic rabbit feeds the cubs with milk for 6 weeks.
   • In wild rabbits, the duration of feeding with milk depends on the type of animal: the female European rabbit feeds the cubs for up to 4 weeks, the female American rabbit - 3-4 weeks. The female white-tailed hare living in America feeds the hares for almost 9 weeks.

Part 2 of 2: Introducing Solid Foods to Baby Rabbits

1. 1 Wait for the rabbits to open their eyes. Rabbits begin to eat solid food when their eyes open, about 10 days after birth. You will need to gradually add solid foods to the milk feed and completely transition to solid foods at 6 weeks of age. Never try to feed the rabbits solid food until their eyes open. Until this moment, the rabbit's digestive system is able to digest only milk mixture.
2. 2 Offer solid food to the rabbits. When the rabbits' eyes open, start introducing solid foods into their diet. Keep in mind that wild and domestic rabbits eat differently, so you need to know exactly what kind of rabbits you are feeding. Both of these rabbits can eat oats, as well as hay from timothy and alfalfa. Domestic rabbits willingly eat pelleted food, while wild ones need fresh vegetables.
   • Domestic rabbits: oats, timothy and alfalfa hay, pellets. DO NOT give them fresh vegetables.
   • Wild rabbits: oats, timothy and alfalfa hay; fresh vegetables: dark leafy vegetables, carrot tops, parsley. DO NOT give them pellets.
   • Place solid food in the corner of the box where the rabbits live so they can eat it whenever they want.
   • Replace hay, pellets and vegetables regularly with fresh ones, otherwise they will deteriorate and become a source of pathogenic bacteria. Vegetables should always be fresh and juicy.
   • Hay and pellets are sold at pet supply stores and veterinary centers. Fresh vegetables can be purchased at the grocery store or market.
3. 3 Provide the babies with drinking water. In addition to formula and solid foods, rabbits will need drinking water. It helps to maintain water balance in the baby's body and promotes proper digestion.
   • Do not place a deep bowl of water in the box. Small rabbits can fall into a large container filled with water and drown.
   • Pour some water into a shallow bowl and place in the corner of the box.
   • Wash the bowl often and change the water in it. This will not only help maintain the water balance in the baby's body, but also prevent the development of pathogenic bacteria in the drinker.

Tips

• Wild rabbits can only be handled during feeding. At other times, it can give them a shock that could potentially be fatal to them.
• For feeding rabbits, choose a syringe from which liquid flows easily.
• Squeeze the contents of the syringe into the rabbit's mouth very slowly, otherwise it may choke.
• When you feed your bunny, wrap it in a towel to help your baby feel more relaxed.
• Check with your veterinarian if you are unsure of how to properly feed your rabbits.

Warnings

• When you are feeding the bunny with a syringe, do not push too hard on the plunger, otherwise the liquid will flow too quickly and the baby will not have time to swallow it.
• Both insufficient and excess nutrition are harmful to the health of the rabbits.

What do you need

• Syringe or eyedropper
• Veterinarian Recommended Rabbit Food
• Cat milk substitute or goat milk
• Fresh cream (optional)