When to feed baby rabbits solid food

Baby rabbits will start to nibble on hay after a few weeks and then should be moved to a diet full of hay after they are weaned from their mother’s milk. The type of hay they eat is important. 

Alfalfa hay is ideal hay for baby bunnies as it is richer in calcium (which helps their bones grow strong) and protein which gives them the energy they need to grow up healthily. Alfalfa hay also tastes good to a baby bunny. This is also its downfall. As your bunny gets bigger and enters adulthood, everything that makes alfalfa hay good for them as a baby is bad for them as an adult. Too much calcium will cause bladder issues and too much protein will make them overweight. This creates additional health issues for rabbits. 

Timothy hay and Meadow hay or another adult type of hay have less calcium and protein, so is much healthier for your bunny. Learn all about all the different hay types for your bunny. The trick is to move your young rabbit over to Timothy Hay without them missing Alfalfa hay too much. To do this takes time but is essential. Start the process slowly by adding more Timothy Hay and taking out some Alfalfa, over a few months complete the process until there is no alfalfa hay being given to your bunny at all.

Dry pellets for your baby rabbit

Should I feed unlimited pellets?

In short, no. A baby rabbit will love eating pellets and giving them an unending supply will create problems with their diet. A quality hay diet like the Timothy Hay created by The Little Hay Co. mixed with alfalfa hay whilst they are young is the best for your rabbit, with pellets added for extra nutrients. A baby rabbit will usually only have an egg cup full of pellets when young, with this only increasing a little as they get bigger. Moving a rabbit onto hay as soon as possible is more natural and will help with their teeth health. Hay naturally wears down their teeth to a manageable and healthy size.

Changing dry food/pellets

You should swap out your pellets daily, so they always have a fresh supply. You will probably find most young bunnies eat all the pellets they are offered anyway, but if any are leftover, swap them out with new fresh ones.

Fresh fruits and vegetables for baby rabbits

When can a baby rabbit have fresh foods?

Around 3-months is a good time to introduce fresh foods to your rabbit. Ideally, you should introduce fresh food to a rabbit one at a time. This will allow you the chance to see which ones they like most and if any affect their digestive system in negative ways.

Which fresh fruits and vegetables are suitable for a baby rabbit?

Leafy greens are an excellent fresh food to give a baby rabbit. Carrot tops, dandelion leaves, kale, spinach, spring greens, herbs like parsley or basil, watercress, broccoli greens and cilantro can be offered to baby rabbits in moderation.

Can baby rabbits eat grapes, apples, bananas?

Giving a baby rabbit fruit is a little trickier. Fresh fruit often contains too much sugar for a baby rabbit, so should only be offered as a treat once a week. These treats for rabbits include apple (without seeds), banana, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cranberries, cherries (no seeds), melon, grapes, orange and nectarine.

At what age can rabbits eat grass?

Baby rabbits can usually eat grass after about 8-weeks. They’ll probably pick at grass or hay whilst still feeding on their Mother's milk and will transition across to hay completely at around 8-weeks. Fresh grass is not always practical for a bunny owner, hay (which is dried grass) is usually the main diet of all rabbits.

Should I give meat to a baby rabbit?

No. Rabbits are herbivores and do not ever eat meat.

Can baby rabbits drink water?

Baby rabbits are getting milk from their mother, but at around 3-4 weeks old, they will start to drink small amounts of water too. As they grow and their diet changes, so will their water intake. Hay is dry, so a rabbit eating hay will want more water than a rabbit eating fresh leafy greens. But all animals need fresh water to survive, so it should be a plentiful resource to your bunny.

How often should I feed a baby bunny?

As you should have picked up your bunny after it has weaned from its mother and not before 8-weeks old, your bunny will already be eating hay and pellets and fresh greens. A ball about the same size as your bunny is the right amount of hay each day. The fresh food should be limited and slowly added over time.

If your baby rabbit is refusing to eat?

A rabbit’s digestive system needs to work constantly to avoid health problems, so any interruption in eating habits needs addressing quickly. If your rabbit is eating a small amount, they may be bored, so you can try to tempt them with leafy greens and remove the pellets. If they are still not interested in any food, you should get them checked by your nearest specialist.

Transitioning into adult rabbits

Rabbits grow fast to help them survive in the wild. The period a rabbit is a baby is short. After 3-weeks a wild rabbit will leave the nest, fend for itself and return at night. A baby rabbit should stay with its mother for 8-weeks to get all the protection her milk offers at this critical life stage.

The transition into adulthood is quick, after 6-8 months they will be eating a quality Timothy Hay, begging for treats and still starring in your latest Instagram posts.

What To Feed Baby Rabbits — Rabbit Care Tips

The first six months of a rabbit’s life are pivotal to their long-term health. At this key stage of their development, a rabbit is constantly growing. Their diet needs to reflect this fact. Ensuring that your baby rabbit is sufficiently nourished will mean healthy bones and muscle mass into adulthood.

Hay and water are essential foods. Baby rabbits need more protein, so give them pellets and alfalfa hay. Your rabbit should be weaned. If not, use kitten or goat milk to imitate their mother’s milk.

Make sure that you get a baby rabbit into good eating habits. It’s tempting to overfeed young rabbits, but this can lead to obesity in later life. When their growth spurts subside, your rabbit needs less protein and more fiber. We will explain what the optimal diet plan for a baby rabbit is. You should also read our comprehensive guide to caring for baby rabbits.

New owners are sometimes surprised to learn what baby rabbits eat. Excessive carrots and iceberg lettuce can cause health issues. Instead, domesticated rabbits mainly sustain themselves on hay.

This replicates the experience of wild bunnies, which graze on grass all day. It would be impossible to provide a pet rabbit with enough grass to sustain itself. Hay is a substitute, and pet rabbits munch on it throughout the day.

In addition to hay, rabbits enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables and specialist pellets. The former must be offered sparingly. Too many vegetables can cause a stomach upset.

Pellets are also optional once a rabbit reaches adulthood. Pellets are critical for young and baby rabbits, as they provide a range of vitamins and nutrients. They’re also calorific. Pellets must be reduced in quantity as the rabbit gets older. Don’t panic if your rabbit has stopped eating pellets.

Hydration is also just as important to a rabbit. Bunnies must always have access to fresh water. You can provide this in a bowl, or a bottle that’s attached to their hutch.

What to Feed Pet Rabbits

The three core elements of a rabbit’s diet are pellets, hay, and fresh vegetables. If we were to draw a diagram of a bunny’s needs, hay would be at the base as the most critical.

This is because a rabbit’s digestive tract is engineered to process the fiber found in grass. There are several different types of hay available, each with slightly different qualities.

• Grass Hay (aka Meadow Hay or Timothy Hay). This is the most popular hay feed among rabbit owners. This hay is fresh grass that has been cut and dried out. This means that it replicates a wild rabbit’s diet.
• Oat Hay. This hay is made up of oat grass, which is harvested before blooming. Once the oat blooms, this hay no longer contains any nutritional value for a rabbit. It can be used as bedding, though.
• Alfalfa Hay. This is a little different; it’s a legume, rather than grass. Alfalfa hay is usually fed to larger animals. It contains more protein and calcium than other hays, so it leads to weight gain.

Pellets are considered to be an essential part of a rabbit’s diet. Many claim that pellets are unnecessary for adult rabbits though, and are just empty calories.

If your rabbit is looking overweight, pellets should be sacrificed. Adult rabbits can happily sustain themselves on hay alone. Pellets are essential for helping a young rabbit grow, though.

These should always be kept as a treat, especially fruit. Rabbits love sweet tastes, so they enjoy berries, raisins, parsnips, and carrots. Their bodies are not designed to process carbs, though.

A rabbit can enjoy a tablespoon of fresh fruit and vegetables for every 2 lbs. of their body weight.

Again, an overweight rabbit should not receive any fruit and veg for a while. Rabbits do not necessarily need these to flourish. They’ll get all the vitamins they need from hay.

Baby Rabbit Feeding Guide

Young bunnies need to eat more, as they are continually growing. Baby rabbits also use food to stay warm ahead of the first shedding of their fur. Here’s some info on when baby rabbits get fur.

The diet of baby rabbits adjusts steadily as they grow. They’ll start eating solid hay at around 2 weeks of age. This will be supplemented by milk from their mother, though. By the time they reach 4 weeks, baby rabbits eat pellets and hay.

Feed alfalfa hay to a baby rabbit. The protein and calcium found within will help them grow strong muscles and bones. Also mix in some standard hay, though. This will make the transition easier when your rabbit reaches adulthood.

You should also ensure that you pick up pellets designed especially for young rabbits. These will provide everything that a growing bunny needs.

Whatever you decide to feed your baby rabbit, keep it consistent. Any bunny is sensitive to changes in diet, but young rabbits are especially so. Don’t chop and change unless it’s strictly necessary.

Baby Rabbit Food List

Before you even bring your rabbit home, you should pull together a shopping list. Healthy food for baby rabbits is pivotal, so don’t make any best guesses after their arrival.

You’ll need to buy hay in advance. Prioritize alfalfa hay, but get some traditional meadow hay too. Your bunny cannot eat alfalfa hay forever, so don’t let them get too attached to the taste.

You’ll also need pellets. Have a chat with a clerk in your local pet store, and get the ideal pellets for your bunny. There will be numerous options, tailored to different life stages.

Avoid the temptation to buy a huge bag of pellets. You may be told that baby rabbits can eat unlimited pellets. Pellets can grow moldy quite quickly. Smaller bags are preferred.

Pellets

It’s advisable to make pellets part of your baby rabbit’s meal plan. These will help your young bunny grow up happy and healthy. Both quality and quantity should be carefully managed, though.

Tread carefully around claims that baby rabbits can eat unlimited pellets. In theory, this is correct. The ever-growing body of a bunny will cope with the calories consumed while they’re so young.

All the same, this is teaching your bunny bad habits. They’ll grow accustomed to having a constant supply of pellets. If you remove this option as an adult, they’ll grow distressed. It’s better to teach a young rabbit to enjoy hay early.

Also, ensure that you pick up the highest quality pellets possible. They should make up at least 22% fiber. Protein should not amount to more than 14%. Avoid anything with more than 1% calcium, as this can be harmful.

Don’t be tempted by muesli-based pellets. These will be tastier, as they contain nuts and seeds. A baby rabbit will pick out the nutrient-deficient fun ingredients, and ignore the rest.

Hay

Alfalfa hay is ideal for baby rabbits. For the first months of their life, a rabbit will enjoy the protein in this hay. As pellets also contain alfalfa, your baby bunny will be in good health.

Even though alfalfa hay is good for baby rabbits, it shouldn’t be all they have. Aim for a ratio of around 60:40, mixing alfalfa with traditional grass hay. This will make the eventual transition to meadow hay only less jarring.

Another thing to remember is that your rabbit’s hutch will be filled with hay. They’ll sleep on it, and generally surround themselves with the substance. This also means that your rabbit will pee and poop in their hay.

As baby bunnies have immature brains and bladders, they take a while to be litter trained. This needs to be handled with care. Urine can turn hay moldy, and moldy hay is toxic to rabbits. Clean their hutch regularly.

It’s vital that your baby rabbit sees hay as a source of pleasure. Get them into the habit of grazing on hay as early as possible. Incorporate it into playtime, and exercise.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

In the past, popular opinion dictated that baby rabbits should not be fed fresh food. This is because young bunnies have particularly sensitive digestive tracts. The truth is, fresh fruit and vegetables are fine in moderation.

The misconception that fresh vegetables are dangerous to baby bunnies arose through a lack of education. Feeding a rabbit of any age-inappropriate vegetables will cause stomach upsets. A bunny needs time to adjust to dietary changes.

When bringing home a baby rabbit, learn what fresh food their mother enjoyed. Once the bunny reached 4 weeks of age, they would have nibbled on these vegetables too. Their stomachs will be able to cope with them in small doses.

Fresh vegetables will also help a young rabbit manage the size of their teeth. Rabbit teeth never stop growing. By crunching on tough, solid vegetables, they’ll be filed down.

Fruit is best avoided in baby rabbits, unless used as training treats. Offer small amounts of vegetable as a treat, once your bunny has eaten sufficient hay.

Should I Give a Baby Rabbit Meat?

Meat must be avoided. While baby bunnies need protein, they don’t need meat. They’ll suffer from an excess of protein, and experience stomach upsets as a result.

Your rabbit may develop a taste for meat. A little won’t kill them, but it will make them uncomfortable. A rabbit’s digestion is engineered to process fiber, not protein. The older they get, the more problematic this will become.

Rabbits are herbivores. They do not want or need to eat meat. Babies are no exception to this rule.

Can Baby Rabbits Drink Water?

Baby rabbits can drink water. It should be actively encouraged.

Rabbits will start to hydrate from their mother’s water source at around 3 weeks old. As baby bunnies eat more dry food, water becomes particularly important. They need to hydrate regularly to stay healthy.

It’s vital to learn how your baby rabbit enjoys drinking. Some bunnies find water bottles fun. Others would rather lap from a bowl. Encourage your pet to drink in whatever way they prefer.

If you use a bowl, ensure that it’s heavy and shallow. Baby rabbits are playful and curious. They will splash around in water if they can. This can turn their hay moldy, and wet rabbits suffer a drop in body temperature.

Can Baby Rabbits Drink Cow Milk?

Baby rabbits drink milk from their mother’s until they’re 8 weeks old. A bunny should never be separated from their mother before this. If you’re offered a rabbit younger than 8 weeks by a breeder, walk away.

If you must provide a rabbit with milk, don’t use cow milk. This is too dense in calcium. The closest equivalent is kitten milk. Warm goat milk will be suitable in a pinch.

Rabbit milk contains more calories than kitten milk, though. As a result, mix in a tablespoon of sugar-free heavy cream. Baby bunnies should be fed milk twice a day.

Also, don’t forget that baby rabbits are not sustained on milk alone. Once they reach 2 weeks, they also need water and solids. Failing to provide these will leave a rabbit malnourished.

How Can I Tell if My Baby Rabbit’s Diet is Healthy?

Young rabbits need to nap regularly, but they’ll be energetic in between. If your young rabbit is lethargic, it may be due to dietary deficiency.

Another way to check on a rabbit’s condition is their droppings. Rabbit poop is a fine way to assess your bunny’s digestive health. Rabbit’s produce two types of poop:

• Pellets, which will be littered throughout their cage.
• Cecotropes, which are bunches of fecal matter that the rabbit eats.

A healthy poop pellet will be light brown, and will crumble when picked up. If your rabbit’s feces pellets are dark, it suggests they’re eating too much protein.

Diarrhea in a baby rabbit is a medical emergency. This condition can be fatal in hours. Administer the first aid suggested by the University of Miami, and make an urgent vet appointment.

My Baby Rabbit Eats Too Fast

This is nothing to worry about. Even if it leads to hiccups, these will pass in a short period of time.

The main reason that baby rabbits eat quickly is food insecurity. Until they get into a strict routine, bunnies worry about when they’ll be fed. They’ll guzzle food in case they don’t receive any more.

Rabbits that share a hutch are particularly likely to eat fast. They’ll be worried that another, older bunny will eat their share otherwise.

Also, remember that baby rabbits are always growing. This means that they’ll be hungry pretty much constantly. Once they establish a routine, they’ll calm down.

My Baby Rabbit is Not Feeding

If your baby rabbit is refusing to eat, it’s essential to find out why. A rabbit not eating at any age is worrying. This goes double when the bunny is young.

A young rabbit eating less as they reach adulthood is not as concerning. As they grow older, rabbits need fewer calories. They may take to eating more hay than pellets. This is a good thing. Don’t let them eat too much alfalfa hay, though.

You should also check that your bunny is not just being stubborn. If you have changed their diet, they may be holding out for a favorite. This needs to be managed carefully.

Baby rabbits need to eat, but if you cave too quickly, you’re setting a dangerous precedent. They’ll refuse to eat anything that doesn’t like into adulthood.

Move the bowl around in the first instance. If a rabbit feels a draught, it will put them off eating. Food that’s too close to a preferred elimination spot will also deter a bunny from eating. Rabbit pee has an overpowering smell.

Also, ensure that your baby rabbit is not anxious. Being separated from their mother and siblings can be distressing. Offer plenty of TLC and a welcoming home environment to help your bunny settle.

Spaying or neutering young rabbits also leads to behavioral changes. Your bunny may temporarily lose their appetite. This should pass quickly. Observe them, and take action is necessary.

Alternative Food for Baby Rabbits

If your baby rabbit is refusing to eat, you’ll need to offer the formula. This is often easier said than done. Seek professional help to ensure your bunny is sufficiently nourished.

Use kitten or goat milk if you cannot source rabbit-specific milk. Zooh Corner recommends feeding milk at the following quantities, at least twice a day. If your rabbit will not eat hay or pellets, they’ll need more:

• 1 – 2 Weeks of Age – 10 – 15 cubic cm
• 2 – 3 Weeks of Age – 15 – 30 cubic cm
• 3 – 8 Weeks of Age – 30 cubic cm

You can pick up a syringe to provide this milk from a pet store. Many baby rabbits will not take to this, though. Bunny-savvy suppliers will stock a product called the Miracle Nipple. This imitates the nursing experience.

This is not a permanent solution, though. You must learn why your rabbit is not eating, and resolve the issue.

Feeding a baby rabbit is largely similar to nourishing an adult equivalent. Young bunnies eat more, and show more interest in pellets.

What’s most important is that you get your rabbit into good habits surrounding food. Like any animal, a rabbit’s formative experiences will play a significant role in their adult persona.

Help a rabbit eat appropriately while they’re young, and they’ll reach adulthood in a healthy condition. From there, you can enjoy a long and happy relationship.

weekly, monthly and after jigging

Little rabbits, like all babies in the animal kingdom, need a balanced diet. In the first days and weeks, their life is completely dependent on mother's milk. And then the whole responsibility falls on the shoulders of a person. There are several options for feeding little rabbits and how to organize their diet at different ages.

At home, the most difficult thing is the proper nutrition of young animals after birth. All the most important elements for life at first come to animals with colostrum and rabbit milk. But even if the mother does not feed the kids, you can create the most complete diet for them. Young animals after the first weeks of life, for example, at the age of 14-20 days, it is already easier to keep, but there are some nuances. So, let's find out how to feed rabbits in different periods of their lives.

Content

• 1 from birth to week
• 2 complementary foods of two -week babies
• 3 How to feed menstruation rabbits
• 4 After a junction from mother
• 5 Double -month
• 6 “Rabbits, they eat a salad together with rabbits”
  • 6.1 6.1 6.1 6.1 Similar articles

Birth to one week old

From the very birth, the main food of rabbits is mother's milk. If the female behaves normally, she is healthy and feeds the babies well, there is no cause for concern. During this period, the task of a person is to monitor the relationship between mother and newborn children as much as possible. Otherwise, there will be little milk and artificial feeding will be needed.

If a mother for various reasons does not feed her cubs, then improvised means will already be used. Small rabbits that are less than seven days old can be given milk or formula milk. Milk is taken from goat or cow, at the rate of 1 ml for each feeding. In total, babies eat five times a day with an 8-hour night break. The number of daily feedings is at least 3, plus one in the late evening and one in the early morning.

At the age of one week, apart from milk, nothing else is included in the diet of rabbits.

At the end of the first week, babies are already covered in down, becoming heavier, ideally they should double their birth weight. Young animals eat the same amount as at birth, however, after 7 days, you can slightly increase the amount of food for feeding. An important clarification: cow's milk is mixed 1:1 with condensed milk and so given, and goat's milk is given in its pure form. The milk mixture at home is diluted twice as concentrated as indicated on the jar.

Complementary foods for 2 week old babies

Small rabbits that are already 14 days old are fed more intensively. At this time, you need to look to see if they have enough mother's milk. If not, the babies squeak and constantly reach for the nipples of the rabbit, it is worth turning on the feeding. Like week-old babies, they are fed only milk, they do not offer other food. You also need to feed babies if they are stunted and not gaining weight.

If during this period, the female no longer feeds, then we switch to artificial feeding. The number of feedings is reduced to 3 per day. Young animals after two weeks from about 20 days will already be able to drink from a saucer, so you will not need a nipple or syringe. Strong young animals already weigh 500 grams by this age, and by 20 days already almost 600 (consider the breed). A milk ration will be necessary for rabbits at least until they are one month old.

From birth to three weeks, rabbits are fed only with mother's milk or are fed artificially with milk mixtures. From 17-20 days you can offer them fresh hay in small quantities, as well as a little finely grated fresh carrots.

If the children are kept together with the rabbit and feed on her milk, the transition to adult food will be smoother and more natural. The rabbits will instinctively eat what is good for them if the female leads by example.

How to feed monthly rabbits

Young rabbits after the age of 20 days and up to a month can already chew their own food. This is due to the fact that after a 20-day milestone, the teeth of the rodents will partially change, part of the milk ones will be replaced by permanent ones. For monthly pets, milk is no longer so necessary, in the diet it takes about 25%. Strengthened rabbits begin to give more hay, green mash, bran, dried wild plants. After a month, many breeders generally transfer their rabbits to an adult diet.

Ever since the gradual decrease in the milk content and the increase in the proportion of solid and succulent feed, babies also need clean water. The more rabbits drink, the less kidney problems they will have. Young animals must be forced to drink (from a syringe), if they do not drink themselves. Until the age of 30-45 days, it is better to compensate for the liquid not with water, but with milk, especially in winter.

After weaning from mother

After jigging rabbits from their mother (and this happens at different times, but not earlier than 20-24 days), you need to carefully monitor their digestion. Having ceased to receive part of the enzymes from the mother with milk, grown-up babies learn to digest coarser food. From the age of 20 days, the rabbits fed by their mother try a little adult food. Therefore, after jigging, the process of adaptation to coarser, juicier or green food goes naturally.

During this period, animals are boldly given vegetables and cereals. Good soft hay is also introduced, a small amount of grass pellets (about 3% of the rabbit's weight per day). You can give young animals cooled grain brewed with boiling water, greens of wild plants, a little bran. When more than 20 days have passed since jigging, the rabbits can be completely transferred to an adult diet. In the morning they give dry food, more moist food - in the middle of the day.

Bimonthly

So, your rabbits are no longer a week, not 20 days, or even a month, but two whole - how to feed two-month-old individuals? Here the matter is small - just arrange for them the right diet with plenty of fiber. Let's have some purchased compound feed, again, hay, herbal mixtures with nettle, dandelion, fireweed and other herbs, bran.

What about your favorite treat - vegetables? Some breeders of rabbits say that juicy food should be given only after 2 months. However, if your pets live with their mother in a cage, they will inevitably try such food sooner. Do not worry, it is important to control their nutrition after transplanting, then everything will be fine.

Video "Rabbits eat salad with a rabbit"

In this video, we can watch how already grown cubs, together with their mother, appetizingly crunch salad, which belongs just to juicy food. In small quantities, such a product will not harm, but will be useful.

How and what to feed small rabbits with and without a rabbit: diet and feeding norms

The nutrition of rabbits in domestic rabbit breeding is of paramount importance. If it is organized correctly, the animals will grow up healthy, gain weight quickly. Consider what and how to feed small rabbits with and without a rabbit, as well as after weaning.

Maintenance

• Lactating rabbit diet
• Feeding of young rabbits under the female
• Feeding young rabbits without a female
• How to feed the young after laying

The diet of a lactating female rabbit

Most of the nutrients that come from the feed into the body of a lactating female go to milk production. Therefore, during the suckling period, the rabbit's diet should be enhanced with protein and vitamin products, juicy feeds that increase milk flow.

Lactating rabbits are given legumes, fresh herbs and hay in winter, grain, dry and germinated cereals, bran, cake, carrot and beet tops, cabbage leaves, dill, yarrow, nettle and wormwood. There must be zucchini, pumpkin, cucumbers, carrots, watermelons, apples, pears and other vegetables and fruits in the menu, in which there is a lot of juice. In addition to succulent feed, the female should receive plenty of fresh clean water daily, as well as supplements in the form of chalk and salt.

The total nutritional value of the feed must be:

• 330 feed. units - in the first 10 days of the life of the offspring;
• 440 fod. units - from 11 to 20 days;
• 560 fod. units - from 21 to 30 days.

per 100 feed units should account for 16-18 g of protein. The large amount of food that the rabbit must consume daily is explained by the high nutritional value and the volume (200 g) of milk produced by her every day. It has been established that by the time of jigging the rabbits, during the period of feeding, the female produces milk, the amount of which exceeds her weight by 1.5 times.

Feeding the young rabbits under the female

The milk of the rabbit contains all the substances and minerals necessary for the young rabbits, and if everything is in order, the female regularly feeds her offspring, all the babies have enough food, then they do not need to be fed: feeding the rabbits under the uterus carried out only by her milk. Therefore, it is important at this time to focus on the proper nutrition of the female herself. In the future, the grown rabbits, being with their mother, will begin to try her food and thus gradually become accustomed to the diet of adult animals.

Feeding rabbits without a female

If the rabbit feeds the babies herself, there is nothing to worry about. Another thing is if she died or for some reason refuses to feed her offspring. A rabbit may refuse babies if she does not have enough milk, due to stress, this is often observed in primiparous females.

What about the babies in this case? You can force the female by force: put her on her side, hold her paws with her hands and let the rabbits near her. The rabbit, after several such tricks, should get used to it and start feeding the children. If this did not happen, the easiest way is to plant the babies with a recently born female, who has rabbits of about the same age as them. A healthy calm female should take the rabbits. If there is no lactating rabbit, there is another option.

Baby rabbits abandoned by their mothers can also be fed artificially. But this will require free time and patience, especially in the early days, because very small rabbits often eat, they need to be looked after, warmed up.

To feed rabbits without a female rabbit, first of all, you need to choose milk - the main food for babies. Not every milk is suitable for these purposes: in the rabbits themselves, it is fatty, it contains a lot of protein. In terms of composition, deer is closest to it, but, for obvious reasons, it will be problematic to get it. In second place is canine, it can be purchased dry in veterinary stores and made from mixture powder. Infant formulas are also suitable, but only if they do not contain additives and do not have too many sugars.

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Of the fresh milk of other animals, goat's milk is best for feeding rabbits, in composition it is closest to rabbit, but not as fatty. In the most common cow's milk, not only fat, but also carbohydrates are not enough, so cow's milk should be given to rabbits mixed with condensed milk in a ratio of ¾ to ¼. Although many rabbit breeders believe that this mixture should only be used as a last resort, when there is no other option.

Baby rabbits should be fed with syringes with nipple-like nozzles, available from veterinary shops. If they are not there, then a small volume of ordinary syringes without needles, bubbles from drops will do. For newborn rabbits, pipettes can be used, for grown-up rabbits, small-volume baby bottles.

It is important to learn how to properly feed your pups. The rabbit is taken in one hand so that it assumes a vertical position. The syringe is brought to the mouth of the animal and lightly pressed on it so that the milk enters the oral cavity. You do not need to press hard, the liquid may be in the airways of the rabbit and he will suffocate. It is enough for the liquid to get on the lips of the rabbit and he will lick it off. If milk accidentally gets on the muzzle or body of the rabbit, it must be blotted with a clean, soft cloth so that it does not dry out on the fur. After the next feeding, the syringes are washed with warm water. Store milk or mixtures in the refrigerator, warm up to 38-40°C before use.

The amount of milk to be fed to young rabbits depends on their age. 4-5 ml is enough for newborns, this volume must be divided into equal parts and the rabbits should drink them 4-5 times during the day, that is, only 1 ml of liquid is enough at a time. Then gradually the amount of milk is increased: week-old rabbits need 2 times more milk, 2-week-old ones - 3 times. The frequency of feeding, on the contrary, is reduced - week-old babies are fed 4-3 times, at 1.5 weeks they are transferred to 3 meals a day.

Norms of artificial feeding of rabbits (per 1 animal per day):

• 1 week - 5 ml, 1 ml at a time;
• Week 2 - 20 ml x 5 ml;
• 3 weeks - 20-26 ml, 10-13 ml;
• 4 weeks - 30-50 ml, 15-25 ml.

After feeding, be sure to gently massage the bellies of the rabbits from the sternum to the tail in order for them to defecate. This should be done after each feeding for about 2 weeks, until the digestive system of the animals finally improves. For the same purpose, rabbit droppings should be given to rabbits from 1.5-2 weeks. It contains proteins, vitamins, microorganisms that are not found in the gastrointestinal tract of the young. You need to take litter (cecotrophs) from adult healthy animals. It is enough to add 1-2 peas to the milk mixture every day.

Liquid vitamins A and D are added to milk for baby rabbits already in the first day of their life. Pharmaceutical preparations can be replaced with fish oil. Dosage - according to the instructions for use. Vitamin complexes for rabbits: Chiktonik, Aevit, Chika, E-Selenium, Prodevit. They can also be purchased at veterinary pharmacies.

The success of artificial feeding of rabbits can be determined by their appearance, behavior and growth rate. If after feeding their bellies are full, smooth, they lie quietly in the nest, do not move or squeak, then everything is fine. From 3-5 days of life, rabbits begin to become covered with wool, at 1.5 weeks their eyes open.

After feeding, the rabbits are taken to a warm room, put in a box or box. In the cold season, they are heated with a lamp, it is hung over the kids at such a distance so as not to burn them. The box is covered with hay and cotton wool.

Food other than milk is offered to rabbits from 2 weeks of age. First, these are vegetables grated on a fine grater, for example, carrots, turnips, zucchini. At this time, rabbits still drink milk, so you should not exclude it, but you can no longer use a syringe, but simply pour it into small shallow drinkers, from where two-week-old animals will lap up the liquid. From 3 weeks you can give grass, also finely chopped, at first its volume should not exceed 3-4% of the weight of the rabbit. From 1 month to 1.5, the amount of milk is gradually reduced, but the volume of herbal, juicy food is increased, and finely ground grain is given. At 1.5 months, the rabbits begin to eat any food on their own, so they are transferred to adult food, as their digestive system and teeth are already ready to consume any solid and rough food, such as whole grains and branches.

How to feed the young after hatching

The first 2 weeks of rabbits should be fed the same food they ate with their mother. All products that will be included in their diet in the future are introduced gradually: it takes at least 3 days to get used to each. The frequency of feeding the weaners is 4-3 times a day.

Young rabbits should be fed in the same full and varied way as adult animals. Their diet should contain grass (it is not recommended to feed fresh in summer, it needs to be dried a little), in winter - good quality hay. Root crops are given in crushed form, separately or as part of a mash, grain is also crushed or sprouted.

Potatoes and fodder beets are given no more than 1-2 times a week. Mineral additives - chalk, salt, fish and bone meal - 0.5-2 g per day per head. Monthly rabbits can be offered thin twigs and leaves of fruit trees, birch, needles (only in winter).

Approximate composition of compound feed for rabbits, which can be prepared on your farm:

• grass meal or hay - 35%;
• barley - 25%;
• sunflower cake - 20%;
• corn - 15%;
• bran - 5%.

Maximum feeding norms for rabbits in 1 month:

• concentrates - 40-60 g;
• grass - 300-500 g;
• hay - 120-150 g;
• root crops, vegetables - 150-200 g.

In the summer diet should be more grass, in the winter - concentrates and vegetables. Water must be present in the cages all the time, especially if the rabbits are kept on compound feed. It must be changed daily, warmed up in winter. Two-month-old rabbits can already be fed with whole grains, vegetables should not be grated, but cut into fairly large pieces, animals will gnaw everything on their own with pleasure.

Do not give rabbits grass wet from dew and rain, bad old hay, tops from potatoes and tomatoes, rotten, strongly withered root crops and vegetables, frozen in winter, rotten grain with insects, green potatoes and sprouts. Sweet, fatty, spicy, pickled, spicy foods, mushrooms and fresh bread are excluded (crackers can be fed). It is necessary to monitor the quality of grass and hay so that poisonous plants do not come across in them, from which even the strongest individuals die.

Expert opinion

Irina Titova

Poultry expert

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Feeding rabbits at home should be properly organized, regardless of whether there will be babies under the mother or without her.

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