{"id":713,"date":"2021-02-01T16:14:42","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T16:14:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/?p=713"},"modified":"2021-08-21T05:27:25","modified_gmt":"2021-08-21T05:27:25","slug":"feeding-a-baby-rabbit-what-when-how-much","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/feeding-a-baby-rabbit-what-when-how-much\/","title":{"rendered":"Feeding a Baby Rabbit: What, When, and How Much"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Feeding newborn domesticated rabbits on your own may be a daunting task. Fortunately, you can find success if you’re careful, attentive, and knowledgeable about their needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baby rabbits can be fed kitten milk replacer or goat’s milk through a sterile oral syringe. Feed them twice a day until they are at least eight weeks old. The amount of formula they require depends on their age, but they can eventually be weaned after eight or nine weeks. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some more detailed instructions and suggestions for feeding baby bunnies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to Feed<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The best options for feeding baby rabbits are kitten milk replacer (KMR) or goat’s milk. <\/strong>KMR is commonly found in pet stores or your local veterinarian’s clinic. Goat’s milk may or may not be available in nearby stores, so KMR is often the go-to formula for baby rabbits. Simply follow the formula’s instructions to create the kit’s milk replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do not feed baby rabbits regular cow’s milk. It is toxic to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may also be a good idea to add at least a tablespoon of 100% sugar-free heavy whipping cream to the formula during feedings. Rabbit milk is high in calories, so supplementing the formula with heavy whipping cream can help the babies grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there is another healthy adult rabbit in your household, you can collect their cecotropes, the clumped, soft droppings rabbits usually eat, and mix a pellet with the formula. This will serve as a supplement for the normal bacteria baby rabbits will need in their intestinal tracts to promote a healthy digestive system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll only need one cecotrope per day for four to five days to mix with the replacer, and it’s especially important to supplement newborns that are less than a week old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as the baby rabbits’ eyes are open (about seven to ten days old), you can introduce them to food such as pellets and hay, <\/strong>such as oat hay or timothy hay. <\/strong>Even if they don’t eat it at the beginning, the presence of the food will allow them to grow accustomed to it. They will eventually munch on the pellets or hay, but be sure to still provide them with formula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rabbits three to four weeks old can be introduced to water. You may place a shallow bowl of water in their enclosure or allow them to use the water bottle in their mother’s pen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At eight to twelve weeks old, you may begin to feed them vegetables and fruit. But because you need to be cautious in your approach to introducing new foods to young rabbits, use the veggies and fruits sparingly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And remember, if you have a mother rabbit who has recently given birth to babies and you haven’t seen her feed them, this shouldn’t be a cause for panic. Mother rabbits often nurse their kits at night when it is quiet. Only intervene with additional feedings if you’re certain that the babies aren’t getting fed enough, which they may show in their:<\/p>\n\n\n\n