How to Feed a Newborn Baby Bunny

If your rabbit dies after giving birth or isn't feeding her babies, it's time to step in and care for them yourself. The surest sign that the mother rabbit isn't feeding the newborn kits is noise in the nest box. The hungry babies make a sound similar to a kitten's meow. Another indication that the mother is neglecting her newborns is if the babies are cold with flat bellies the morning after the birth. With the proper care the abandoned or orphaned bunnies can still grow into healthy adult rabbits.

Things You'll Need

  • Kitten feeding bottles
  • Scissors
  • Kitten formula
  • Liquid L. acidophilus
  • 1-cc syringe
  • 5-cc syringe
  • 10-cc syringe
  • Warm water
  • Soft rag
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Instructions

    • 1

      Trim the hole in the nipple of the kitten baby bottle with scissors so when you squeeze the bottle a fine spray comes out.

    • 2

      Mix the kitten formula according to the package directions if you have purchased a dry formula.

    • 3

      Fill the kitten bottle with 5 cubic centimeters (cc) of formula and 0.5 cc of liquid acidophilus. Use the syringes to make accurate measurements.

    • 4

      Place one rabbit on a soft towel so the rabbit is sitting normally. Don't turn the rabbit over to feed it. Present the bottle and hold it upright so when the rabbit begins to suckle, it won't suck in air. Feed the rabbit about half the formula, or whatever it will take, and then feed it the rest later.

    • 5

      Feed the other rabbits with the 5 cc of formula and 0.5 cc of acidophilus. After each feeding, wipe the rabbit's bottom with a towel moistened with warm water to stimulate the rabbit to relieve itself.

    • 6

      Follow this feeding schedule:

      Week 1: 5 cc formula and 0.5 cc acidophilus

      Week 2: 15 to 25 cc formula and 1 cc acidophilus

      Weeks 3 and 4: 25 cc formula and 1 cc acidophilus

      Weeks 5 and 6: 30 cc formula and 1 cc acidophilus

      After six weeks your rabbit should be weaned onto rabbit food and hay.