Care of orphaned rabbits

Rabbit mothers nurse their babies for approximately five 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. Mother rabbits do not "sit" on the babies to keep them warm as do some mammals and birds. They build a nest with fur and grasses which helps to keep the babies warm in between feedings.

Do not force a mother rabbit to sit in the nest box. You can pick up the babies and see if they are feeding by checking the size of their stomachs (should not be sunken in), the pinkness of their skin and activity level (they should not be blue in color or sluggish in movement) and the amount of time that you hear them crying (baby bunnies should be quiet most of the day. If they are crying constantly then they are not getting fed). If you come across a nest of bunnies in the wild and the mother is nowhere to be seen, please do not disturb them ... this is normal. By removing them from the nest, you are greatly reducing their chances of survival.

In the rare situation that you have an orphaned bunny, such as when a mother wild bunny is killed by another animal or a car, or when a domestic rabbit refuses to care for her young, you may try feeding with Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR). Remember to feed only twice a day. Overfeeding, which results in intestinal disease, is a leading cause of death in these youngsters.

Provide a soft nest area in a box with clean towels, and cover the babies so it is dark. Do not provide extra heat if the room temperature is at least 65 degrees to 70 degrees Farenheit because excessive heat can be fatal. If the room is cooler, then you may place a heating pad on a low setting under no more than half of the nest so the bunnies can move to a cooler area if it gets too warm. If these are wild rabbits, handle them only during feedings as excessive handling can be extremely stressful and potentially fatal.

You can use KMR (available at most pet stores) for the handfeeding formula. You can use cow or goat milk with a little Karo syrup for a few feedings until you get the KMR, which is a more complete formula. Do not add Karo syrup to the KMR.

The following is a guideline for the daily amount to feed a wild bunny or a domestic bunny that will be approximately five pounds as an adult. You can increase the amounts as needed for larger breeds: Take the daily amount listed and divide it into two feedings.

• Newborn: 5 cc KMR
• 1 week old: 10-15 cc KMR
• 2 weeks old: 26-30 cc KMR (eyes open at about 10 days of age. Start introducing them to hay and greens after eyes are open)
• 3 weeks old: until weaned 30 cc KMR (wean at 4 weeks of age)

If you have a healthy adult rabbit at home and you can collect cecotropes (the soft green droppings that the rabbit usually eats) then these can be mixed with the KMR to give the baby bunny normal bacteria for its intestinal tract. Only one cecotrope per day for 4-5 days is needed. This is particularly important for rabbits under one week of age.

After each feeding it is important to make the bunny defecate and urinate to keep the intestinal tract and urinary system running smoothly. Use a cotton ball moistened with warm water and gently stroke the anal area until the bunny starts producing stool and urine and keep stroking until the bunny stops. You are reproducing the behavior of the mother rabbit who would lick her young to stimulate them to go to the bathroom and to keep the nest clean. The stool will be soft and may be varying shades of green and yellow.

As soon their eyes are open, you may introduce the bunnies to hay, such as alfalfa or timothy, and dark leafy veggies such as dandelion, kale, romaine, collards, Swiss chard, etc. If this is a wild rabbit, you do not need to introduce them to pellets. If this is a domestic rabbit baby, then you may introduce them to pellets at four to six weeks of age. Wild rabbits should be released as soon as they are eating hay and greens and are approximately 5 inches in body length. They will be small, but the longer you keep them, the more agitated and difficult to handle they will become and the less likely their chances for survival in the wild.

Source:
Midwest Bird & Exotic Animal Hospital
1923 South Mannheim Road
Westchester, IL 60154
708-344-8166