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How do you care for newborn bunnies?

Serious answers only, please. I don't need anyone telling me to eat them.
I just rescued an adult rabbit from the animal shelter 2 weeks ago. I was told that the workers at the animal shelter didn't know whether it was a male or a female. I had planned on taking the rabbit to the vet, but before I could, she gave birth to 5 babies. It completely caught me off-guard and I was totally unprepared. She actually gave birth in my son's blanket on our sofa. As much as I didn't want to handle the babies, I had to get them off of the furniture and into a box I had filled with soft blankets. I did so about 5 minutes after they were born. All of this took place around 11 am on Monday morning. I have been watching the mother with the babies ever since, and I have yet to see her nurse the little ones. She protects them, but from far away. Occasionally she'll jump in the box with them, but she gets right back out. I went to the pet store and bought some K.M.R., but I don't want to use it...
Obviously, it would be best for the mother to feed the babies, but I'm just not sure if she is. Their tummies were fat when they were born, but now they are getting kind of skinny. They seem healthy, but I don't know if they've been fed. If not, how long can they go without food? I've ready several articles about this, and everything said not to worry and that the mother feeds them when no one's looking, but I've been keeping a close eye on her. Maybe she's feeding them when I'm asleep, but is that enough for the babies if so?

Asked By: georgia_mommy - 4/18/2007
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
You will need to help the Mom feed the babies, If need be hold her down so the the baby bunnies can feed, you may need to help them find the nips. Most bunnies only eat once in the wild but you can do this once in the morning and once at night. The Mom may be more than willing to nurse them once she understands it is natural. You can also offer the baby bunnies some pedialyte in an eye dropper once a day to help keep them hydrated and make them hungry.
Only rarely does a mother rabbit nurse her young right after giving birth. Most often the first nursing will occur the night after the kindling. The rabbit's rich milk sustains the babies for 24 hours at a time. The preferred mealtime is between midnight and 5:00 a.m.
A mother rabbit does not lie down in the nest, as a cat would do, but stands over the babies to nurse them. She does, however, clean them and lick their bellies and bottoms to stimulate elimination in much the same way as a cat.
Only rarely does a mother rabbit truly abandon or ignore her babies. This may occur when a very Immature rabbit gives birth, In which case, she usually does not build a nest or make any preparations. Her milk production Is also delayed. Sometimes the babies can be hand fed for short time until the mother rabbit can take over the job. Again, their daily weight gain is the test of adequate nourishment. (If you must hand feed.
Rabbit mothers nurse their babies for approximately 5 minutes a day. They will be in the nest or nest box early in the morning and then again in the evening. The milk is very rich and the babies "fill up" to capacity within minutes.
orphaned domestic bunny, such as when a domestic rabbit mom is sick or refuses to care for her young, you will need to feed the babies. Overfeeding is a leading cause of death in these youngsters which results in fatal intestinal disease.
Use Meyenberg Regular Goat milk (found at Safeway in the milk section or Whole Foods) or KMR KITTEN powder formula + follow directions on the can. (KMR better for domestics). It may be easiest to start with a 3 cc/ml syringe or an eyedropper. Some use pet nurser n*****s on the end of a luer lock syringe, or a teat cannula on the end of a syringe. Feed only with the bunny sitting UPRIGHT, and point syringe down towards bottom or side of mouth, so if too much comes out, the baby does not aspirate! For those who are slow to learn nursing.
Add a pinch of acidophilus (aka Probiotic) to the formula to promote healthy gut flora. Formulas vary depending on region. Avoid Esbilac. FEED TWICE A DAY ONLY.
Newborn to One Week: 2 - 2+1/2 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings per day).

1-2 weeks: 5-7 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings per day). (depending on bunny..may be much LESS if smaller rabbit!) Newborn babies (if eyes closed) all need to be stimulated to u*****e and defecate prior to or following feeding until their eyes open. (Except Jackrabbits do not). *See how to below.

2-3 weeks: 7-13 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings). Domestic eyes open at about 10 days of age. Start introducing them to timothy and oat hay, pellets and water (always add fresh greens for wild ones).

3-6 weeks: 13-15 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings--again, may be LESS depending on size of rabbit! A cottontail will take so much less!! Half this at most.) Domestics are weaned about 6 weeks.
Answered By: nadreptilesru - 4/18/2007
Additional Answers ()
I'm not sure but i would like you to know that male parents often eat their young or animals believed to be theirs, so be careful if you ever decide to mix them with a male rabbit
Answered By: ttbl - 4/18/2007
Its very hard to take care of baby bunnies. try not to touch them the mother will not want anything to do with them. if she is not nursing them then get a formula located at a pet store or goats milk and get an eye dropper to feed them.
I used a blanket or a towel when i fed mine. its real hard to tell if they will live or not good luck.
Answered By: bubbly - 4/18/2007
She should be fine. Just let her be. Touching the babies is fine. Contrary to popular belief, animals don't reject their babies because of that.
Source(s):
Dog Rescue Director
Answered By: sniffydogs - 4/18/2007
Leave them alone, if they are still alive today then she is taking care of them. she wont stay with them alot just to feed them. they get really hot even though they are hairless, my mother rabbits sit on top of the box most of the time. I never see her feed them, she just does. make sure mom has lots of water and give her about 1 to 1half cup of food pellets a day. in a couple of weeks make sure they are not getting out of the box all the time. you can separate them from mom in six weeks, and each other in 8 weeks. the males will fight each other in a couple of months and the females will get pregnant, the females can stay together though but the males all have to have their own cage in two months. I have 12 rabbits, new zelands and 1 cotton tail.
Answered By: gigi34 - 4/18/2007
Please ! you've to lend a hand. The mother will nurse the little bunnies, but the it's not enough. Here's what you can do. Get seated and place a cloth on your lap, and slowly rest the mother on it , with its tummy faced up. Now get the little bunnies and place them on its n*****s for them to feed. Do this twice a day, i.e morning and evening. You will have a higher survivor rate on the little ones. My mum and me have done this for years .
Answered By: stevlm - 4/18/2007
Really, when it comes to touching kits, it all depends on the mother. If she knows your sent and trusts you, she's not going to be bothered if you handle her young. If you're scared about handling the kits, you can always pet the doe(rub her sent on your hands), or do the same with timothy hay.

Give her time to try and take to them. Realistically a doe will feed her kits two times a day. If she's already fed them once when they were born, it may not be time for them to be fed again. If she's acknowledging them and getting in the box, this is a very good sign. If she doesn't feed them within a few hours, you can try and nurse them. Personally, I would let nature take it's course. Hand feeding kits is almost always disappointing.

You need to call up the animal shelter you got her from. Simply because this situation is ridiculous. They should have knows she was pregnant, and they should have defiantly known her sex. Having such inexperienced workers is inexcusable. A responsible shelter will even spay/neuter rabbits, plus equip them with a microchip.
Source(s):
Lionhead Rabbit Breeder
Answered By: aerosmithluvin - 4/18/2007
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