# Hand rearing baby rabbits...



## Luv-bunniz (Feb 21, 2009)

I know hand rearing rabbits isnt ideal but in the instance that a mother dies or isnt producing milk and you cant find a foster doe, how do you handrear the kits?
After learning a LOT more about the breed I hope to be breed giant rabbits in the future so obviously am reading up on everything that could go wrong but out of everything, whilst some places have said about handrearing none of them say what replacement milk to use, how to feed etc. so I was wondering if anybody experienced with this could help? 
*Obviously hand rearing is a last resort and shouldn't be done unless absolutely needed but I just want to be prepared if I do breed   *


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## bunnybunbunb (Feb 21, 2009)

I honestly do not know anything that can raise them, there are a few breeders that claim to have found a mix however they keep to secret from what I read. If a doe is not a good mom it is very easy to just hold her over them 1-2 times a day till they are full to burst and then take the babies away. I had to do that with my last litter.


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## Luv-bunniz (Feb 22, 2009)

*bunnybunbunb wrote: *


> I honestly do not know anything that can raise them, there are a few breeders that claim to have found a mix however they keep to secret from what I read. If a doe is not a good mom it is very easy to just hold her over them 1-2 times a day till they are full to burst and then take the babies away. I had to do that with my last litter.


As I said its last resort for something like if the mum isnt producing milk.


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## bunnybunbunb (Feb 22, 2009)

I know you said that But like I said I do not really know of any mix. I believe there has been mixes found for wild american rabbits but seeing as our domestic ones are not related to our wild ones I doubt it would work. You can use KMR for the first little bit but if I remember right they can not stay on it? Maybe Pam knows....

This is why it is wise to breed 2-4 does at the same time


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## Starlight Rabbitry (Feb 22, 2009)

Funny this topic is brought up...I am actually hand raising a litter of 6 Dutch right now. They are 3 weeks old but they only weigh 3 ounces.They look like 2 week olds. The mother is producing milk but it lacks quality. The babies were not thriving. They still live with her but I take them out 4 times a day to be fed.

I am using Kitten Milk Replacer. I know a lot of people who say that you shouldn't use it and that the Puppy one is better but after 18 years, I have never had a problem with it *knocks on wood*. 

There is a mix out there...egg yolk, condensed milk and some other stuff. I have found that the KMR is just as good.

Which ever you choose, do not change it. Mom's milk is best and I too try to breed more that 2 rabbits at a time but sometimes the does do not all take and I am left with one getting pregnant. 

I have also found that they do not like the bottles. I use an eye dropper. Just be careful that they do not aspirate it or they will die. Also, depending on how old they are, they may not be able to urinate on their own. You will have to stimulate them to urinate. Just use a cotton ball soaked in warm water and rub the genital and lower stomach area.

Hope this helps.

Sharon


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## naturestee (Feb 22, 2009)

The mix I used was 1 part dry puppy milk with colostrum (or kitten, different people have different preferences) to three parts warm water and one part heavy cream. My vet recommended adding 1 part goat milk also, but the babies were already used to the mix I was giving and I didn't want to change it.

For dehydrated babies, use unflavored Pedialyte and just add a tiny bit of milk to give it some flavor so they take it better. It's important to rehydrate them FIRST, or they won't be able to digest food well. Sub-q fluids would be best if you can do it.

I fed from the smallest oral syringes I could get. They're Britannia Petites so they had super tiny mouths. I tried nipples from the kitten nursing bottles, but my babies had already forgotten how to suckle. They forget pretty quickly, I guess. 

Here's some helpful links that I found while raising Dora. Eventually I'll have a Library thread on raising orphan babies:
*http://www.2ndchance.info/bunnies.htm*
*http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/orphan.html
*http://www.islandgems.net/handfeeding.html
http://www.kindplanet.org/rabbitbabies1.html
http://jubileeacres.net/bottlefeeding.html

You can also get some specially-made milk that wildlife rehabbers use, as well as feeding equipment:
http://www.foxvalleynutrition.com
http://www.squirrelsandmore.com/index.cfm

Also, keep Benebac on hand. I'd give some every day even for healthy babies. I... didn't have healthy babies.:rollseyes Do be aware that hand-fed rabbits are more likely to have GI issues, sometimes severe. It helps if they can at least get colostrum (first milk) from their mom.

In cases of severe diarrhea/enteritis, cecals from a healthy rabbit are a lifesaver. Fortunately I was fostering a different litter and their mom at the same time and the babies left little cecal presents for me everywhere. I'd take one, mash it up with some Pedialyte and a tiny bit of milk, and make the bun swallow at least some even if they think it tastes gross. Probably saved Dora's life. 

One more tip: Snuggle Safe! Best thing ever, especially since I was dealing with two dehydrated, scrawny babies with no nest. If there's a good nest a number of babies they'll probably be ok although I'd add some supplemental heat if they seem sickly at all. Make sure they can move away from it in case they get too warm.


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## Blaze_Amita (Feb 22, 2009)

my sister/friend hand reared a pair of mini rex baby bucks on the KMR puppy(Doritio and Mr. Butter). One of hte bucks lived to the ripe old age of 9 (Mr. Butter, daddy to my mini rex doe)and was her prized buck, the other had some deformaties and maocclusion(Not that i can spell it) and ended up dying very very young- i believe he only made 7 months. We tried KMR kitten on 2 different litters of dwarfs and a litter of hollands and not a one survived, but the vet had reccomened the kitten over the puppy. We've had more luck with the puppy and that's what i keep on hand (THe powder formula anyway) during breeding season and I also will space them so i can breed Amita or Poppy out with each batch, cause Poppy and Amita are my two known producers and good mothers. 
We also, when it came to keeping the babies warm, we used water/soda bottles with warm water and towels that we could rotate in and out of the dryer that we could keep underneath the main towel that i put some of the straw/hay and mommy's fur on to keep it as natural as possible. 
Try googling hand raising bunnies, you can stick a few different milk replacer formula's.
if you everneed to hand-rear a litter i could give you rachel's email and she could help talk you through it. They don't have a high survival rate either-that i remember.


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## allygobbles (Dec 30, 2014)

Can you use cotton wool to make a nest if mommy died and you have no fur?


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## SouthernNetherlandDwarf (Dec 30, 2014)

If you have another doe that's been bred but not recently try stimulating her teets to produce milk which can help in case of emergencies. I've read this on the ARBA facebook page, and so far the studies have been good.


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## Watermelons (Dec 30, 2014)

Guys aincient topic. Please check topic dates before replying


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