Rabbits are cute and fluffy and make great as pets. They require a lot of special care. A beginner bunny owner sometimes is not aware of this care schedule. They want different care depending on their age. That’s why you need to provide them with care.
Feeding baby rabbits can sometimes become a tough nut to crack. Now what to feed baby rabbits? Or what to feed baby rabbits without a mother? This question is very common among rabbit owners.
Today, in this content, we are going to talk about rabbit’s food habits and many more. We will help you with finding the answer to this question, what do you feed baby bunnies?
Why do you need to feed the baby rabbit?
Now, this question is very important for us who give suggestions. Many rabbit owners think that the rabbit’s mother will feed it’s offspring no doubt. A mother rabbit can provide all the important nutrients a baby rabbit needs to grow. A mother rabbit also socializes the baby rabbits. But sometimes the mother rabbit is very aggressive towards the baby rabbit.
Well, there may be multiple reasons for this type of behavior. Usually, mother rabbits are very caring towards their offspring. But if they become a little aggressive towards their offspring, there’s got to be a logical explanation.
But sometimes you will not get to know that. So, in that particular time, you will need to feed the baby rabbits yourself. On the other hand, if you have rescued some newborn baby bunnies and don’t have a mother bunny, you will need to feed them on your own.
How to administer food to baby rabbits without a mother?
If your baby rabbit doesn’t have a mother, you need to feed them yourself or an automatic pet feeder can be your ultimate solution. There is always a solution here. Well, there may be a lot of reasons for the rabbit to not have a mother. The mother rabbit may have died, or have run off in the wild. You are now adopting the baby bunny.
At first, you may face confusion in how you should feed the bunny. We have a solution. Just follow the following chart, and you can feed your motherless bunny without facing any difficulty.
For the first two weeks, you need to feed the baby rabbit on milk formula. We are going to talk about the milk formula later on this content.
In the week 3 and 4, you can administer alfalfa hay along with the milk formula.
When the litter reaches the age of week 5-7, you need to reduce the amount of formula milk and start introducing it to solid food such as hay, vegetable, and fruits.
When the litter is 8 weeks old, completely reduce formula milk. Gradually administer solid foods.
How to feed baby rabbits?
If you already have adopted a baby rabbit then the foremost job is to find the ideal food for that kit. So how will you get the ideal food and through which process you will feed them?
There are some simple steps and suggestions we have, if you can follow, certainly a fluffy adorable baby bunny you can hold. So the steps and suggestions are:
For the newborn baby bunny, first, buy a milk alternative that you can purchase from the nearby veterinary institution. If it is not possible then feed them goat milk.
What you need to feed milk:
Purchase syringes cause at that age they cannot sip bottles, most important facility of the syringe is, you can provide the proper amount of milk to them.
How to feed milk:
To feed newborn kit, maintain 4 to 5 cc.
For 1 to 2-week old kit apply 10 to 14 cc.
If the age is more than 2 weeks but less than 3 then provide 15 to 29 cc.
Finally, for 3 weeks above kit apply 30 cc.
That is the procedure of feeding milk. Now you might have a question “what food should I give after 6 weeks?”- Simply provide regular food carrot, lettuce, cloves, hay, and alfalfa hay.
Preparing milk for baby rabbits
When you are sure that the mother bunny is not interested in feeding the litter, then you will need to take in charge. Many people ask, what to feed baby rabbits 3 weeks old? Well, milk is the best food, I think. Because in the first few weeks, rabbits feed on their mother’s milk.
So, you need to prepare a substitute milk formula for the mother’s milk. But keep in mind, rabbit milk has a lot of nutrients. That is why, when you prepare a milk formula in the substitute, you need to maintain all the standards. Ensuring food safety is a must.
The cow’s milk is not a good replacement for your baby bunnies. Instead of cow’s milk, you can use goat’s milk. Well, we chose goats milk because it is more nutritious and can reach the standard of rabbit’s milk. You can simply buy a rabbit formula from your local pet store or veterinarian clinic. Or you can just make one at your home.
Your homemade rabbit formula requires 1 glass of goat’s milk, 1 egg yolk and just a teaspoon of honey. You need to mix all these ingredients together well. You will also need to provide all the extra nutrients and calorific too. After this, you will get your desired milk formula. Now when you ask, what to feed baby rabbits without a mother? We simply say, prepare a milk formula.
Feeding your baby rabbit milk formula
After you have made your baby rabbit milk formula, you need to feed them. This thing may seem a little tough at first, but you will get the hang of it eventually. Some people like to use a spoon, but I think using a syringe is the best way of feeding the litter. You need to follow some simple steps to feed the baby rabbit:
- You need to take the baby rabbit at your hand but make sure you don’t turn them with their belly up. Just provide them the stance of a rabbit mother so that they can suck the syringe.
- Take the tip of the syringe near the baby rabbit’s mouth. But do not enter the syringe inside the baby rabbits’ mouth.
- You will need to push the syringe when you need to pull out some milk. But make sure the milk doesn’t squirt out. You need to place it near the litter so that it can sense of smell the milk. You need to keep on the squeezing as long as the rabbit is taking milk. But make sure you don’t squeeze while the syringe is in its mouth.
- When you find that their belly is round, you will be sure that they are full. I don’t think feeding takes a lot of time.
- Warm the milk to at least room temperature. This is very important.
What do you feed baby bunnies?
What to feed baby rabbits? This question is obviously important for rabbit owners. Rabbits require extra care. Especially they need proper nutritious food to grow. But knowing the food formula and many other things is important. You cannot always expect the mother rabbit to feed its litter. So, times will come when you will need to take charge of the situation. Now, in this part of the content, we are going to talk about what you should feed your baby rabbit.
How much to feed a baby rabbit?
This consideration is very important. As many may ask what to feed baby rabbits 3 weeks old. We have mentioned earlier that bunnies tend to take more attention to food. So, you need to take care of them. Now, how much you should feed is a very important question. To tell you the truth, baby bunnies depend on their mother’s milk for the first few weeks. After three weeks, 1/4 cup of alfalfa hay and pellets can be a good supplement. You should provide them with food depending on their breed. When they reach the age of 7 weeks, they can handle unlimited hay and pellets.
Things you need to feed your baby bunnies
Now, what should you feed your baby bunnies? Now, in this part of the content, we are going to talk about the diet essentials. We are going to provide you a short brief on each of the foods.
1. Pellets
Pellets play a crucial role in providing nutrients to the young rabbit. They ensure proper weight gain. Proper food pellets must be high in fiber, and nutritional balance is also crucial. But overfeeding is not good.
2. Hay
You should provide the young rabbit with fresh hay on a regular basis. When a young rabbit is just 3 weeks old, it can feed on hay. If your rabbit’s age is less than 7 months, you can provide them alfalfa hay. You need to provide hay in order to keep the litter healthy. On the other hand, it will make the rabbit cage warm in winter.
3. Water
Water is essential for any living being on Earth. You should provide freshwater around the clock. Change the water each day and try to provide fresh water. In this cage, you can hang a water bottle with the rabbit cage.
4. Vegetables and fruits
Vegetables are a great source of roughage. They also provide essential vitamins. When the litter is 3 months old, you can provide them with vegetables or fruits. It is completely up to you what veges you will choose. But my suggestion is that you should introduce new vegetables one at a time.
Dark leafy vegetables or root vegetables are great for rabbits. we can provide you with some recommendations. For your rabbits, you can choose Lettuce, Carrots, Chard, Cauliflower, Celery, Tomato, Cucumber, Kale, Mustard leaves, Radish, Coriander, Spinach as vegetables.
Now what to feed baby rabbits? Looking for fruit’s variant? You can choose fresh Apples, Pineapple, Peach, Strawberry, Apricot, Mango, Pear, Papaya etc.
Try to introduce them to these foods little by little. Otherwise, they might face various digestive problems.
What to feed wild baby rabbits?
Mainly in urban areas, the wild baby rabbit population is increasing. You will find a lot of rabbit nests these days. But don’t just pick them up. You need to take care of them properly. In some areas, it is illegal to keep a wild bunny if you don’t own a license.
Baby rabbits require a lot of attention to food. For wild rabbits, people face many difficulties. What to feed them becomes an important question. well, the wild rabbit needs to have constant access to hay, water, and green foods. You can also get a goat milk formula from your local pet store or veterinarian clinic and you can also make a milk formula yourself.
Earlier we have discussed the milk formula in this content. You need to feed the litter two times a day. Newborn to 1-week rabbits require 2-2.5 cc/ml of milk formula, 1-2 weeks litter require 5-7 cc/ml milk formula, 2-3 weeks old litter require 7-13 cc/ml milk formula and 3-6 weeks old rabbit require 13-15 cc/ml milk twice a day.
But try not to overfeed the rabbit. They may face digestive problems later on. Introduce them to solid food after 6-7 weeks. Start with soft foods such as bananas, apples or papayas. Slowly introduce them with tomato, lettuce, and other soft vegetables.
Frequently Asked Some Questions & Answers
When should I provide food to the baby rabbit?
We gave you answers on, what to feed baby rabbits? Now we come across with another one. When you should administer the food. Well, in the first week, you should administer a goat milk formula. Introduce them to solid food when they reach the age of 3 weeks. But do it slowly.
Can I feed a baby rabbit without its mother?
Sure, you can. If your baby rabbit doesn’t have a mother, you will need to take in charge. Just follow the chart and important things. You will find a food administer chart online. Follow the chart or just follow the instructions on this content.
Can I make a milk formula at home?
Well, yes you can. Buying milk formula from your local pet store sometimes is not cheap. You can prepare a milk formula at home. Avoid using cow milk. use goat milk instead. You need a glass of goat milk, one egg yolk, and other important nutrients to make the milk formula. After making the formula, you can keep it in the refrigerator for at least a week.
Can rabbits eat bananas?
This may be a silly question. But many people think that bananas are likely to cause a digestive problem for the bunnies. Not at all. You can administer bananas when the baby is 3-5 weeks old. You cannot provide too solid food to the litter. You need to provide a little soft food. Banana can do the work for you.
What to feed baby rabbits 3 weeks old?
Try solid food such as green vegetables or soft fruits along with milk formula. Provide them food twice a day.
Final Word
After talking a lot of things about baby rabbits’ food, we reach a conclusion. Baby rabbits are fragile. They require a lot of extra care. You need to administer the right amount of food for their growth and nourishment. We tried to help you with this matter by giving tips. We hope you liked our content. Now, you will not face difficulty with your baby rabbit and will not ask us what do you feed baby bunnies?
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