WHAT DO BABY RABBITS EAT

Like the rest of the mammals, the feeding of the newborn rabbits it starts out as only liquid and progressively adapts to solid food. Their diet must accommodate the needs of each stage of growth and the most important is, without a doubt, breastfeeding.

The best diet from birth and for a few weeks is breast milk. It provides the little kits with all the nutrients they need and a wide range of antibodies. The rabbit’s milk increases the defenses of the little ones, providing antibodies that protect them against diseases and conditions, such as possible infections. The lactation period of baby rabbits is approximately 3 weeks. In case the mother is not there, there are ways to substitute natural breast milk and administer it so that the kits grow healthy and shiny.

Newborn kits are very defenseless: their eyes remain closed, they barely have hair, and they measure a few centimeters. In the case of motherless baby rabbits, we must feed them with a preparation that is as close as possible to rabbit’s milk and administer it through a very small bottle or a syringe. Follow these directions for preparing and feeding a baby rabbit a bottle:

How to make milk for baby rabbits

Rabbit’s milk is especially rich in protein and fat and lower than usual in carbohydrates. Cow’s milk is not useful as a substitute because it is too strong for the delicate stomach of baby rabbits. One option is to feed them with formula for cats (which can be purchased in specialized stores and in some veterinary centers) but, it is best to make our own preparation.

For example, this is a very suitable recipe to prepare the baby rabbit’s bottle. For Make Rabbit Formula with this recipe follow these steps:

1. You need to buy baby or cat milk powder. You can find it in supermarkets, pharmacies or veterinary centers or animal product stores.
2. Mix equal parts of powdered milk and mineral water. For example, for 1 glass of water (200 ml) it will be approximately 6 tablespoons of powdered milk.
3. Add 1 fresh egg yolk, or 1 tablespoon of cream (equivalent to about 30 cc), to increase the protein and caloric intake. As soon as they open their eyes, we can include them both.
4. After the second week, you can add small amounts (one teaspoon = 5 cc) of vitamins for veterinary use.

Rabbit mothers feed their babies 1 time a day (at night). Since replacement milk may not be as nutrient-dense, you can add a second and even a third meal to its diet, but never feed the kitten more than 3 times a day. An overeating can be the cause of gastrointestinal problems and other complications, even leading to a risk of death, as well as a low or totally inadequate diet.

For give a rabbit formula with a bottle follow these tips:

• The correct way to feed the young is use a bottle. There are no bottles designed for babies as small as newborn kits’ mouths, but you can easily find some substitutes. During its first days of life, you can use a dropper, which will help you control the administration of the liquid easily and, thus, not give more than it can swallow. The dropper Any medicine works, as long as you clean and sterilize it previously. Like any bottle, you should also clean it after each use.
• As baby kits get older, they eat faster and faster. The rabbits’ own appetite will tell us when it is time to abandon the dropper and move on to other methods, such as using a syringe or syringe (without needle). The new bottle must be cared for with the same hygiene standards.
• Another important factor when feeding baby rabbits is the posture in which they are fed. You have to give it in horizontal posture, lying on your side or face down on something soft (a towel or blanket) and never on your back, as you can choke. This is the most natural position, as this is how they usually suckle from the doe.
• The first days you have to be patient so as not to force them to suck the milk. They have to get used to their new bottle, so you have to wait for them to suck and swallow on their own. Feed them until they are tired, and when they are done, wipe and wipe the milk residue from their snout.

How to help the baby rabbit to evacuate

The best way to know that you are doing well is to monitor that the pups evacuate correctly. Rabbits groom their babies after nursing and thus stimulate them to evacuate. You can do it with a cotton dipped in warm water, gently rubbing her genital and anal area. When they finish, we will leave the area very clean and dry.

After evacuating they will be ready to sleep until their next meal. Be careful !: not urinating or defecating for several hours or even a day is a serious alert and you should take it immediately to the vet. In this other post you can find out when to take my rabbit to the vet.

If you do all of this, your motherless baby rabbits will have a much better chance of continuing to grow well and thrive.

From the third week old you can start to introduce solid foods In the kitten’s diet, it must be done progressively, increasing the quantity and variety of food. Depending on the type of rabbit, complete weaning occurs between six and nine weeks of age.

The main food of rabbits is the hay (dried and cut grass, special for animal feed) which, in addition to providing them with the fiber necessary for optimal stomach and intestinal functioning, is very necessary to keep their teeth healthy. In the market you will find special mixtures of hay for rabbits: oats, alfalfa and different types of herbs (such as timothy grass or timothy grass or orchard grass or orchard grass); some even have pieces of apple, dandelion or rose petals to be more appetizing.

Hay accounts for 70% of food of adult rabbits, the remaining 30% are fresh vegetables, greens, fruits and herbs. A salad of green leafy greens and vegetables a day will keep your kittens healthy and nourished. Almost all of them are valid except potato, onion and garlic, which should be avoided. You can also give them fruits and, in fact, they like them so much that, depending on the activity they do, you will have to limit their intake to two or three times a week, so that they do not get too fat.

As hay is so basic and vital for them, we advise you to read this other post on Why does my rabbit not eat hay, since this is a sign that something is not right, either in the quality of the hay or in health of the animal.

If this article has been useful to you, in OneHOWTO you can find more detailed information about the care of newborn, young and adult rabbits. If you have kittens at home, we recommend these articles on How to care for a newborn rabbit, How rabbit hygiene should be and How to feed a domestic rabbit.

If you want to read more articles similar to What do baby rabbits eat, we recommend that you enter our category of Pets.