What do you give to baby rabbits who mom wont feed them??

Question

We have baby rabbits who there mom wont feed them is there anything to give them to keep them alive

Answer 1

Rabbits feed their babies only twice a day. If she is feeding them, their bellies will be round. Otherwise, they will be skinny and jumping around the nest when you check on them.

It is very hard to save a baby bunny.
If they they are under 2 weeks of age, can you give them to another doe to take care of?
If they have their eyes open, about 10 days old, or older, try giving them dry plain oatmeal, and a very shallow small pan of water. I have never gotten them to drink milk out of a pan. In desperation, try to give them a small amount of alfalfa or clover. Also keep dry hay in the nestbox for them.

If they are younger, try to get someone to help you hold the doe down. Let them drink as long as possible. After they are done, you need to get a damp warm paper towel to wipe their bellies and bottom. They can't go to the bathroom by themself until they get older. Generally the mother will lick them and take care of this.

If you can't get the doe to lie on her side, you can try bottle feeding them. The milk can be bought at the bigger stores that sell pet food. It will be made for small animals. You can also pick up a couple of bottles there too.

No matter how careful I was, the babies would always choke on a few drops of milk, and get pneumonia.

Check with your friends and neighbors to see if they have a doe that could take care of them.

Also make sure that no one including animals are bothering your doe. Something could be scaring her at night.

Unless your babies are skinny, you doe is feeding them. You just don't see her going in the nestbox to do this.

Answer 2

Are you sure mom isn't feeding them? When did she have the babies? It's not unusual for you not to see the doe feeding her young and ignoring them. Does only feed their litters once, maybe twice a day. Baby bunnies have no smell, so in nature the mother tries to stay away from the nest as much as possible so she doesn't attract predators to the nest.

Hand rearing babies can be very hard to do and has a low success rate. If you only suspect the mother isn't feeding them because she isn't with them, wait and see. The mother should be feeding them the night of having them, or the next morning. You can tell if they've been fed if it looks like they've swallowed a ping pong ball. If the tummies are wrinkley and shrunken, it means she is not feeding them.

I'm a mod at www.rabbitsonline.net. We have lots of experienced breeders that will be more than willing to help you more in depth.

Answer 3

Are you sure she isn't feeding them? Rabbit moms only feed their babies once a day...usually very early in the morning (right around dawn) and you rarely will see her do this. The rest of the day she will normally stay outside the nest. If and only if you are POSITIVE that the mother has abandoned them, read below.

Are they wild rabbits or pet rabbits? If they are wild, your best bet is to find a wild life rehab because wild rabbits don't do well in captivity. This website should help you find one local to you http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

If they are pet rabbits, go to your local pet store or Wal-mart and get kitten replacement milk and one of those tiny bottles that are usually found on the same shelf as the milk. You only need to feed them once per day (that's what the mothers normally do), early in the morning. The rest of the day, just keep them covered with a nice layer of straw and mom's fur (if she didn't pull any on her own, you can flip her over and pull some from her belly).

Feel free to contact me via email if you have any more questions. [e-mail]

Answer 4

Kitten formula. It's the closest match to rabbit's milk. You can find it at most pet stores.
It is very hard to keep the babies alive if mom won't take care of them. They need to be kept very warm.
If mom had a large litter and has rejected a few of the babies and thrown them out of the nest, it is because she is unable to produce enough milk to feed the whole litter. She will select the weakest kits and throw them out.

Answer 5

GENERAL FEEDING OF ORPHANS Age + Amount (This WILL vary depending on type of rabbit.) Use KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer) for domestics and Meyenberg Goat Milk, regular not low fat for wild ones,or KMR. Add a pinch of acidophilus (AKA Probiotic capsules) to all formula to promote healthy gut flora. Other formulas vary depending on the region of the country. Avoid using Esbilac or any puppy formulas or cow's milk. Do not add Karo syrup. FEED TWICE A DAY ONLY. Newborn to One Week: 2 - 2+1/2 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings). 1-2 weeks: 5-7 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings). (depending on bunny..may be much LESS if smaller rabbit). 2-3 weeks: 7-13 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings). Bunnies whose eyes are still CLOSED need to be stimulated to urinate and defecate before or after each feeding. Again, seek a professional on this. Domestic eyes open at about 10 days of age. Then start introducing them to timothy and oat hay, pellets and water (always add fresh greens for wild ones--dandelion greens, parsley, carrot tops, grated carrots, all fresh, watered down). See below for detail. 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--about half of this!.)

Answer 6

Mother's milk is necessary for baby rabbits, and the best substitutes that is closest to their milk is Goat milk. You might want to get a syringe and feed them like that.

Answer 7

Good answer nichole.

There is also a mix you can give them if they are old enough for things other than KMR called Critical Care for Herbivores this is like liquid hay, pellets, veggies, fruit, everything they need to be healthy.

You can try that too.

Answer 8

Evaporated milk diluted with just a touch of water. You can buy "pet bottles" at just about any pet store. And if you can't find a bottle, they'll drink out of a spoon .

Answer 9

How about... no, I've cancelled this answer because it's too cruel!
Milk maybe? Hope you get the help you need.

Answer 10

Milk if they take it, or lots of clover!