How to Take Care of an Orphaned Bunny

Raising orphaned rabbits can be a challenging job. They are very fragile. The mother rabbit's milk is much richer than that of other species, so it is difficult to get proper nutrition into the babies. If the mother is around and healthy try to encourage her to at least feed the babies if at all possible. If you do need to care for orphaned baby rabbits, here is some basic advice on what you'll need and some directions on how to do it.

Things You'll Need

  • Cardboard box
  • Nesting material - towels, rabbit fur, store-bought nesting wool, soft grass or hay
  • Towels
  • Hot-water bottle or heating pad
  • Kitten milk replacer or goat's milk
  • Container with measurements on it
  • Rabbit-feeding bottle, small syringe or eyedropper
  • Acidophilus capsules
  • Cecotropes (night stool from a healthy bunny if available)
  • Cotton balls
  • Hay - oat or timothy
  • Commercial rabbit pellets
  • Alfalfa pellets
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Instructions

  1. Creating a Nest for the Orphans

    • 1
      You will need a cardboard box in which to build a nest for the bunnies.

      Place a cardboard box in a relatively dark, quiet area. Lay a towel in the bottom of the box.

    • 2

      Build a nest in the box about 3 inches deep, with soft material such as another towel bunched up, rabbit fur (if available), nesting wool or soft grasses or hay.

    • 3

      Place a hot-water bottle wrapped in a towel into the box, if the temperature in the nest is less than 70 degrees Fahrenheit. (An alternate choice would be a heating pad set on the very lowest setting.)

    • 4

      Cover the box with another towel, leaving a couple of inches open to allow air to circulate.

    Feeding Orphan Rabbits

    • 5

      Mix 1 can of kitten milk replacer (e.g., KMR) or an equivalent amount of goat's milk with a tablespoon of heavy cream and acidophilus (1/2 ml acidophilus for 5-15 ml of milk; 1 ml for any amount over that). If cecotropes (soft grape-like clusters of droppings often referred to as "night stool" that healthy rabbits eat to maintain healthy bacteria balance in their gut) are available, add one piece to formula daily for four or five days.

    • 6

      Place formula mixture into a container with units of measurement on it.

    • 7
      An eyedropper can be used to feed a baby rabbit.

      Calculate the amount of formula you need to feed your babies, based on the approximate age of the baby:

      Newborn : 5-7 ml twice daily

      2-3 weeks : 7-13 ml twice daily

      3-6 weeks: 13-15 ml twice daily

      (As per recommendations of the House Rabbit Society)

      Administer with a feeding bottle made for rabbits or squirrels, a small syringe or an eyedropper.

    • 8

      Hold baby bunnies on their backs and feed formula slowly so that the baby can swallow the formula naturally without inhaling it. Baby rabbits normally lay on their backs to nurse from the mother.

    • 9

      Take a cotton ball and moisten it with warm water. Then gently rub the baby rabbit's anal area to stimulate him to urinate and defecate. This needs to be done after each feeding.

    Weaning Your Orphan Babies

    • 10
      At 10 days of age you can begin to feed some hay to your orphan baby.

      Introduce oat or timothy hay and some commercial rabbit pellets when the baby bunny's eyes open at around 10 days. At about 2 weeks of age, you can begin to offer alfalfa pellets.

    • 11

      Make water available to your orphan when you begin to introduce solid food.

    • 12

      Dilute formula with water when bunnies are 6 to 8 weeks old. Continue to supplement with diluted formula until babies are around 8 weeks old, at which time they should be able to eat solid food.