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Caring for Rabbit Kits
(or to the layman-Caring for Baby Bunnies)
by
Pat Vanecek
When baby bunnies are born they do not have
any fur and their eyes are closed. The doe (Mom) will usually make a nest in
the box that you have provided for her. She will dig a hole in the pine
shavings and grass hay. Then she will line the hole with her fur. This helps
keep the bunnies warm.
The day the bunnies are born, I take the nestbox out and check to see how many
bunnies are in there. If there are any dead ones, I take them out. I put all
they babies back under the fur and put it back in with the Mom.
The next day I will check it again. Rabbits nurse generally once a day (usually
early morning between 2-6am). When I check the nestbox the next day, I make
sure that their tummies are full. If not, then I'll hold the doe in the nestbox
for 5 minute and see if she will nurse then. If not, I'll wait another 24
hours--check the nestbox again. If they haven't been fed, then I will remove
them and foster them to another doe (Mom). I have also included a substitute
milk recipe below.
Bunnies need to nurse until they are 4-6 weeks old. Some will wean themselves.
It is good policy to move the doe into a new cage and leave the babies in the
cage they were raised in. This creates less stress for the bunnies. They can
usually be sold between 6-8 weeks old.
Substitute Milk recipe:
1 cup whole milk, 1 egg yolk, 1 tsp. of SULFERED molasses (NEVER use HONEY)
and a couple drops of liquid vitamins. The hardest part is getting it into them
the first few days without choking or drowning them. Use a q-tip &
replenish with an eyedropper. The q-tip dispenses the milk in a seeping sort of
pattern much more like the nipple of the doe normally would. Allow them to
drink until they are full and have stopped nursing. After hand feeding be sure
to rub the genitalia till the bunny urinates (the mother licks them while they
are nursing). Bunnies need to be fed this substitute every 4-8 hours. (milk
replacer, milk substitute)
From: CJTGregory@aol.com
[mailto:CJTGregory@xxx.com] Sent: February 03, 2010
To: bunnies@bunnyrabbit.com Subject:
Recipe Requested
Homemade Critical Care
1/4 of a banana
1/8 cup regular rabbit food pellets
1/4 cup unflavored Pedialyte
1/8 cup canned pumpkin
options: rabbit vitamins, hay (can clog syringe) , calf manna, uncooked oatmeal
(not quick), molasses
Blend in blender until smooth and thin enough to syringe feed. Additional
Pedialyte added will thin to a baby food paste consistency. Place syringe
behind front teeth and squeeze a pea-sized portion into rabbit’s mouth. Allow
to chew and swallow between bites. Feed 1 cc, 2 to 3 times per day until rabbit
begins to eat normally. Keep ingredients on hand at all times. From
Bunnybees.com Thanks again, Carolyn
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this page last updated 2/8/10 |