Orphaned baby rabbits: how to help them
A doe’s pregnancy lasts 29 to 33 days (31 on average), and she may have 2 to 9 kits. From around day 15, the young can be felt (by palpation) inside the mother’s belly.
A baby rabbit is born naked, deaf and blind; its eyes begin to open at 2 weeks. The doe nurses for about 4 weeks. Her milk is very rich — rich enough for the kits to double their weight in 6 days. At around 10 to 15 days, the young start to venture out and nibble. At about 4 to 5 weeks they can be separated from their mother, and at about 2 months the brothers can be separated from the sisters.
Sadly, things do not always go smoothly. It is not unusual for a dehydrated doe to eat her young or abandon them.
With orphaned kits, you will need to keep them warm (25°) at all times.
You can give them puppy or kitten milk replacer, using twice the amount of powder relative to the water. Add a vitamin and mineral supplement (vitamin C and vitamin B first and foremost). And don’t forget to warm the milk to 37-38°.
From 10 days of age, leave hay available at all times, as they will soon take an interest in it.
Baby rabbits don’t need to be fed often (a doe normally tends to them only twice a day).
Here is an example of a feeding schedule using kitten milk:
- First week: 5 ml a day
- Second week: 15 ml a day
- Third week: 25 ml a day
- Following weeks: 30 ml a day
- given as 2 feeds a day.
At the end of each feed, gently massage the kits’ bellies with a small warm towel to stimulate urination and defecation (a young rabbit cannot trigger these natural functions on its own).