How to Take Care of Rabbit Litters

Caring for newborn rabbits requires a caretaker to act as the litter's mother -- replicating the nest, and then feeding and cleaning each rabbit daily. This article covers newborn domestic rabbit care only after the litter has been abandoned by its mother -- indicated when newborns seem dehydrated or cold, or when the mother obviously is disinterested. You can also care for wild rabbits using these steps, but they must be handled as little as possible and released as soon as they are weaned.

Things You'll Need

  • Box
  • Three clean towels
  • Kitten milk replacer (available at pet stores)
  • Cream
  • Eyedropper (or hand-feeding syringe, available at pet stores)
  • Acidophilus capsules
  • Two washcloths
  • Hay
  • Pellets
  • Shallow water dish
  • Cotton ball
  • Warm water
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Instructions

  1. Building a Nest

    • 1

      Place one folded towel on the bottom of a box and another loosely bunched on top, to create a nest. Carefully place the rabbit litter onto the top towel.

    • 2

      Cover the box with the third towel so it is dark. Leave a 1-inch gap at the top, so the litter does not suffocate the rabbits.

    • 3

      Keep the box in a quiet area where the litter is unlikely to be disturbed.

    Feeding

    • 4

      Add 1 tbsp. of cream to each can of kitten milk replacer.

    • 5

      Combine the kitten milk replacer and cream mixture with acidophilus. One capsule of acidophilus equals approximately 1 cubic centimeter (cc). Measure the milk replacer mixture using the eyedropper. For each newborn newborn rabbit, mix 5 cc of the kitten milk replacer mixture with 1/2 cc of acidophilus; for each 1-week-old rabbit, mix 10 to 15 cc of the mixture with 1/2 cc of acidophilus; for each 2-week-old rabbit, mix 26 to 30 cc of the mixture with 1 cc of acidophilus; for each 3- and 4-week-old rabbit, mix 30 cc of the mixture with 1 cc of acidophilus.

    • 6

      Fill the eyedropper with the kitten milk replacer, cream and acidophilus mixture. Wrap each rabbit, one at a time, in a washcloth. Every morning, place the rabbit on its back, and feed it using the eyedropper.

    • 7

      Feed the rabbit the remaining portion of the mixture later in the day, if it doesn't finish the morning feeding. Do not feed the rabbits more than the recommended amounts.

    • 8

      Leave hay, pellets and a shallow dish of water in a corner of the box, starting after the rabbits begin opening their eyes. Refill the water frequently. Rabbit litters can be weaned entirely after four weeks.

    Cleaning

    • 9

      Moisten a cotton ball with warm water. Stroke from between each rabbit's front legs past the anus, until the rabbit starts producing stool and urine. Keep stroking until the rabbit stops. Repeat after every feeding.

    • 10

      Clean each rabbit's mouth with a damp washcloth after each feeding.

    • 11

      Wipe each rabbit's coats with the damp washcloth after each feeding, simulating the mother's natural tongue bath.