How to Bottle Raise a Newborn Lionhead Rabbit

Lionhead rabbits are known for their thick manes of hair that give them a fluffy or even lion-like appearance. While usually good mothers who produce milk for their young and care for them regularly, there is always a chance that something will happen to keep them from being able to nurse their babies on their own. If this occurs, you will need to bottle feed the young rabbits until they are able to eat solid foods on their own. Mother rabbits typically feed their young twice a day, and you should follow this pattern as well.

Things You'll Need

  • Very small nursing nipples
  • Nursing bottle or syringe
  • Formula
  • Towel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare the formula. Some speciality pet care stores or suppliers may have rabbit formula for you to purchase, but most likely you will have to mix several things together to get the proper nutrients a baby Lionhead rabbit will need. The Biology Department of the University of Miami recommends 1/2 cup whole goat milk, 1/2 cup Kitten Milk Replacer, 1 tablespoon freeze-dried colostrum, and 1/2 teaspoon heavy cream. Consult a veterinarian or breeder for their recommendations on the best formula to use. It should be warmed up when serving to the baby rabbits as this more closely simulates milk directly from their mother.

    • 2

      Sit on the floor. Place a towel on your lap and put the baby rabbit on it to create a small nest area and cut down on the amount of movement the rabbit can manage.

    • 3

      Hold the baby rabbit horizontally in one hand and the bottle in the other. Cover your hand around the bottle with some of the towel so that the rabbit has a place to press against with its front feet, as it would against its mother if nursing.

    • 4

      Squeeze a small drop of formula out of the bottle onto the rabbit's lips and let it lick it away. This lets the rabbit know that there is food available from the bottle for nursing. If the rabbit does not drink from the bottle, continue to place drops on its lips and let it lick them up. This may take a long time but it is putting food in their belly.

    • 5

      Let the baby Lionhead nurse until it has eaten the proper amount per feeding. From birth to one week, it should have around 2.5 milliliters twice per day. From one to two weeks, it should receive 5 to 7 milliliters per feeding, and from two to three weeks it should be 7 to 13 milliliters per feeding. Between three and six weeks old, it should be getting up to 15 milliliters of formula per feeding.