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Raising Bunny Orphans

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Author Topic: Raising Bunny Orphans  (Read 566 times)
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« on: October 15, 2008, 10:32:01 pm »

   
How to Care for Baby Rabbits 


Where to Put the Babies
Make the babies a soft nest area in a box with clean towels. We like to put one folded towl on the bottom and another bunched on top of that, so the babies can snuggle into it. You can also purchase soft nesting wool from a pet store and put that on top of the towel.
Cover the box with a towel so it is dark, making sure that there will be enough air so the babies do not suffocate. Leaving about a one inch gap at the top is usually sufficient.
Keep the babies in an out-of-the way, QUIET area, such as an adult's bedroom. If the room temperature is between 68-72 degrees you will not need to provide extra heat,  but if it's cooler than that you will need to provide extra warmth. Use a heating pad set on low and slip it under one half only of the bottom towel in the box. We do it this way so that the babies can move to a cooler area if it gets too warm. ALWAYS make sure that the heating pad is covered, as babies can burn themselves very badly on an exposed heating pad.
 
If the babies were with their mamma, but she is not caring for them (and you are
sure she is ignoring them), you will need to separate her from them so they will
not get hurt. If she has created a nest, use that material in the box that you have
made to hold the babies. Rabbits nurse only ONCE per day, so if you think that
she is not caring for them based only on the fact you don't see them feed...think
again. But if you are sure she is neglecting them, if they are dehydrated, cold,
obviously ignored, , of course, something must be done!
 
What to Feed the Babies
Baby rabbits should be fed Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR), which you can buy at pet stores,
or sometimes even a local veterinarian's office. Unless you are familiar with and skilled at tube feeding babies, use an eye dropper or sterile oral syringe, which can be purchased at most pharmacies. Feed baby rabbits no more than twice a day.
Baby rabbits normally feed only ONCE a day, but you're not mama and the KMR is not as caloric as rabbit milk---so if baby does not take in the total amount quoted below in one feeding, you may split the feedings in half, AM/PM - but no more frequently as it can cause severe gastrointestinal distress. Overfeeding is a
leading cause of death in infant rabbits.
 
Note: If this is a wild rabbit, handle it ONLY during feedings and make sure to
keep it in a quiet, safe, out-of-the-way area of your home, as excessive handling
and human interaction can be extremely stressful and potentially fatal, an will
almost certainly lessen its chance or survival once released back into the wild.
 
Following is a guideline for the daily amount to feed a domestic OR wild rabbit approximately 
5 pounds as an adult (average rabbit size). You can increase the
amounts as needed for larger breeds. Remember, if the rabbit does not eat the
full amount listed, feed the remainder later - but do not feed more than twice a day.
 
For the BEST results, go to your local health food store (GNC has this) and get
a bottle of ACIDOPHILUS. Ask for the capsules that have the "grainy stuff"
inside (they are easier to mix than the powdery stuff)--and add it to the KMR
at each feeding. ONE ACIDOPHILUS CAPSULE = 1 cc.
Using acidophilus will GREATLY increase the baby rabbit's chance of survival, because it helps keep the bacterial balance in a baby's tummy adequate.
 
Newborn:  5 cc KMR plus 1/2cc acidophilus
1 week old: 10-15 cc KMR plus 1/2cc acidophilus
2 week old: 26-30 cc KMR Plus 1 acidophilus
3-4weeks old until weaned:  30 cc KMR plus 1cc acidophilus
(You may wean at 4 weeks of age)
 
Baby rabbits feed from their mothers while lying on their backs. You may
loosely wrap baby in a soft face cloth or hand towel and lay it on your lap or in the crook of your arm. 
If bunny will NOT eat this way, of course, do the best you can.
It is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL to let the baby eat at its own pace---especially if
it is not suckling from you (i.e. if you are using a dropper or syringe to feed it...).
If you squirt the liquid in too quickly you can aspirate (get liquid in) the lungs
 and the rabbit will suffocate.

Other Details

 

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 soft cloth
or a cotton ball moistened with warm water and gently stroke from between the
bunny's front legs all the way down over the anal area until the bunny starts
producing stool and urine, and keep stroking until the bunny stops. You are
replicating the behavior of the mother rabbit who would lick her young to
stimulate them to go to the bathroom (as well as to keep the nest clean). The
stool will be soft and may be varying shades of green and yellow. Be sure to
clean baby's mouth with a damp cloth or paper towel, so that no milk dries in its hair.
 
Baby rabbit eyes open at about 10 days of age. You may start introducing them to hay and
pellets at this point, but no veggies or fruits yet. Just leave some hay and pellets in a
corner of the box  where the babies can easily get to them. Make sure it the pellets are plain,
high fiber and fresh, with no added "goodies" such as dried banana chips or seeds. Don't ever leave a deep water dish in which a baby could drown; instead, use something shallow and rinse and fill it frequently.
 
If Wild Bunnies
If these are wild rabbit babies: Start giving them small amounts of pesticide-free greens at
this point too (grass, dandelions, weeds, parsley...), but you do not need to introduce them to pellets, as the goal is to release them back into the wild where the food is not that high in protein. If they are eating pellets and then released into the wild, the change in diet could kill them.
 
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. Make sure to release them in a safe place,
where no pesticides are used--and where they will not run out into a street! It is
best to release them in the early morning so that they have the day to acclimate.
 
Community parks are NOT the place to release ANY rabbit, let alone a wild one.
Please contact ZOOH CORNER RABBIT RESCUE for important information of releasing wild rabbits - or how to tell IF the rabbit you have is wild (909) 868-BUNI


Once Grown

If you plan to keep this rabbit as a pet (as long as it is domestic), make sure that
you have the time and really want a House Rabbit. They are wonderful, affectionate, playful pets than can be litter box trained like cats and live 8-13 years if altered and properly cared for. If you just want to let it live in the back yard or a cage - contact us for more information, and for help placing it. Rabbits should not live outside, or in isolated cages. They are very social animals, love people, and the outside life is simply too dangerous (heat, cold, predators, bacteria) for a rabbit to live a long happy life.
Once grown, they MUST have a balanced diet and MUST be able to gnaw with the teeth. Even raw carrots and alfalfa pellets and stalks and mineral blocks (wheels) are helpful.
 

Page Contributed by Member Laura_R


 
On other thoughts, From GSD_Rule, She cautions against heating pads as baby bunnies can easily be burned. Her page is here
http://www.freewebs.com/cvrabbitry/caringforrabbits.htm
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