Help Baby Rabbits

[BamaHam]

Help baby rabbits what formula can I feed them?????

[Jackie in Tampa]

I will PM Squirrels Rule & Bunnies too...
I am no help with bunnies..
hang on...brb
can you post a pic to help the rehabbers

[BamaHam]

Im at work on break so I really cant upload a picture but my Mom is taking care of them. See the cat brought them home.

[BamaHam]

I will try kitten milk if No more suggestions come. Someone told me kitten/cat milk formula

[pappy1264]

You will need to order Fox Valley formula, but you can use KMR kitten w/heavy cream mixed in for now (but def. order the fox valley). Do you have a weight on them? Are their eyes open or closed? If they were in a cats mouth, you have to be very careful of infection, as cat saliva is very dangerous to them. Can you get a vet to give you some baytril? Baby bunnies are extremely hard, I would suggest trying to get them to a rehabber with bunny experience. Make sure they are on heat under half their enclosure, and in a very quiet area. Bunnies are very fragile and can die of fear.

[BamaHam]

Thank you so much I will try to get this info as fast as I can.

[BamaHam]

I have baby rabbits with me now. They have a white spot on their head. their eyes are open. I tried to give them fluids(the recipe you have on this site with sugar,salt, and water) but they will not drink. They have been without since 5am this morning(that's when the cat brought the first one. Then she went for the other one and brought it home.). The nearest rehabber is 50 min. away.My guess is try flush fluids. They don't seem to be hurt just scared. I don't want to traumatize them anymore. Any suggestions?

[Tickle's Mom]

:bump :bump :bump

[FallensMommie]

Baby bunnies usually only eat once a day.

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/orphan.html

[SoccarMomSquirrelSaver]

If their eyes are open and you dont have formula you can try offering some fruit or veggie organic baby food. It really depends on how big they are but I like to use it to help transition them onto solids.

[lilidukes]

You can use goats milk.

[pappy1264]

If their eyes are open, you can try to offer clover, as they have most likely already been nibbling around the nest. They are scared and it can take a bit to get them to eat. Eyes open, they should be pottying on their own. Do you have any pics or a weight on them? Actually they would be eating twice with mom, in the very early morning hours. But we cannot duplicate moms milk, which is very rich, hence why they can eat only twice with mom. Depending on the babies and how much they take, sometimes you will need to give smaller amounts 4 times a day. You usually go by their weight with how much they should be eating.

[BamaHam]

The rabbits both weigh about 100 gms. I tried to give them kitten form. and h. cream mixed but it was a no. They are in a quiet dark place. They don't seem as scared now. Maybe I'll try again before i go to bed or in the morning. My daughter tried clover but they did not go for it. I'll try some baby food i have left over from boo ball recipe.

[Rescue04]

Try your local TSC - if you have one, if not most feed stores have it - there is actually one for small farm animals we have used and know others who have.

[pappy1264]

Try old fashioned oats, they will usually nibble on that. Are you holding them and sticking the nipple and their mout and they are not swallowing? they won't voluntarily grab the nipple, and it takes a bit to get them used to it. You should start with pedialyte for at least 6-12 hours depending on their condition before starting any formula. And then to diluted formula at first.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

How were the babies found? Were they attacked by something? If they are healthy rabbits and you just found them and they didn't run away, they should be put back where they came from because they are most likely OK.

[BamaHam]

We dont know where the nest was. The cat brought one and we got it away from the cat . Then the cat brought another one so we closed the door and walked off with too bunny's and a unhappy cat wanted to go outside.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

OK, if they were attacked by a cat, they need antibiotics. Bunnies are sensitive and cannot have any drugs ending in cillin, sulfa-trim is the best choice.

If you cannot get antibiotics, their best chance is to put them back outside in a brushy area. They are big enough that they can be out of the nest exploring and should be able to find their way back to the nest.

[BamaHam]

Good news! We got the bunnies to eat a little. I think they had nipple confusion LOL Its been 24 hours and a lot of patience. I think Ive got the hang of it . Ill update tomorrow thanks for your help everyone!!!!:jump :thankyou :wott :crazy

[BamaHam]

Babies had breakfast and seem fine. They are cuddled together and closing their eyes. nap time after feeding I guess. So I'm using kitten formula but not sure how much I'm suppose to give a 95-100 gm. baby bunny or how many times a day. I knew this would be a challenge because they don't thrive like squirrels but I'm willing to try. I've had many baby rabbits before that the cat has brought home and didn't make it because I didn't know how. Thanks everybody for your input. It's helped me a bunch.

[BamaHam]

I just realized I have Fox Valley formula stored in the freezer! Duh! I'll use it in next feeding. :rotfl

[rozdow]

I don't rehab bunnies but I think you need to add probiotics & fat to the formula (and diarrehia is fatal).

[pappy1264]

Yes, you will need to add havy cream, and see if you can get some Peter's Rabbit Probiotics, they sell it in some pet stores, but if not, then mammal benebac.

[BamaHam]

So i do add this to fox v.f. and how much? Do you have a formula/ratio to guide me?

[rozdow]

I'm not exactly sure (perhaps a Bunny person could help here). Check the probiotic label for directions re: amount to give. Regarding fats, I only know squirrels (building up slowly to about - formula:fat 1:.25). Some folks boil the water they use for the formula (to eliminate bacteria that may be present - because their digestive systems are so sensitive). A fellow rehabber swears by STRONG pepperment tea if stomach issues begin.

And of course lower the stress level as much as possible (no noise, no strong fragences, as little "handling" as possible and a good hiding place for them to retreat to)

The cat issue bothers me. I would get abs into them.

[BamaHam]

Ok! Thanks again for your input.This is valuable info to me. They are precious!

[rozdow]

I can give you the formula recipe that a friend of mine uses (she has very good luck with bunnies & rehabs many per season). It would have to be later today because I'm at work now. Let me know.....

[BamaHam]

Yes! Thank you! I'll dance at your next shin-dig!:multi :multi :multi

[rozdow]

Guess what? I had her recipe in an old e-mail, here it is...

"Last year I had great success with 1 KMR, 1UB (ultra boost by FV) and 2 water. Additives were scant amounts of benebac, coconut oil, Prozyme, powdered colostrum from health food store and l-glutamine"

* due to Pet Ag issues, I believe that she has switched to Fox Valley

:D

[BamaHam]

Thanks again! I'll be shopping today for babies.

[BamaHam]

Here's the update. Baby bunnies are doing fine. In fact my sources say they are small but they are probably old enough to be on their own. I fed them formula this morning but this afternoon they ate fresh clover and drank water out of Hammy's water bottle(he doesn't mind sharing. He's a good squeal) I'm not sure. I think I'll hang on to them a few more days. Storms are in the near future. Don't want to risk it. They don't seem to be stressed or scared of me. I handle them as little as possible. They are sweet though!:flash3

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Now that you have had them a couple days, their mom has moved on assuming something happened to them :(. So, you need to keep them until they are ready to be released, which is around 150 grams.

[Milo's Mom]

got pics?

[BamaHam]

All good so far. Bunnies are doing well. They are eating clover and drinking water. One weighs around 95 gms and the other 100 gms. So any suggestions what else to feed them? I know some fruits and veggies are fatal, correct?! I was going to buy rabbit food but I'm not sure if that is right thing to do. I have them in 10 gal. aquarium with a small box to hide in. They come out to eat, snoop around and then back in they go. They do seem scared of people. That's a good thing.:tilt

[BamaHam]

I called my local feed store to see what I should feed baby rabbits. No one could tell me. No one in the store had ever raised rabbits. LOL. They did have some rabbit feed.:D

[rozdow]

Be sure to put some timothy hay in there! Also, my domestic rabbits go wild for dandelion greens.

My bunny rehabber friend sprinkles Critical Care (for herbavors) on their greens to provide extra calories (check pet supply stores & vets. offices for avail. it can also be ordered on-line).

She also continues to offer formula from a bowl until she releases them (again for proper nutrition, fat & probiotics). It is my understanding that they need the probiotics right up until release.

Again, stress is a big killer. Try not to keep them in captivity longer than necessary.

[BamaHam]

I bought the hay, I did think to continue feeding them some formula to fatten them up a little(fat is needed to absorb nutrients) , so now I need the sprinkles. Thanks for info. I seem to be on the right track. They are doing well. Poop looks normal. They pee a lot. They eat out of my hand and drink out of water bottle just fine. Now just get their weight/size up and a bigger cage. Someone(I won't mention who, Hammy) busted out of the cage by chewing a hole in the corner. I'll update later. Got to go to work to raise babies.:wave123

[BamaHam]

Babies are doing well. I put them in a cage and they are a little skitish. They hide in their box. One took the bottle very calmly but the other one did not take the bottle. I'll try again tomorrow and put a bowl of formula in cage to see if they drink from it. clover is a hit. They also ate some of the hay. I can't tell if they are eating oats or pellets. Still drinking water, peeing and pooping normal. Lots of pooping pellets. :D

[kelvin5590]

Hey it's very sexy....... I like beby rabbits .......

[BamaHam]

Babies have been with me a week and doing well. Eating, peeing, and pooping like they should. I'll try to weigh them tomorrow to see if they have gained. I excited them enough today by cleaning their cage out. Don't want to scare them anymore. :flash3

[BamaHam]

Its been 3 weeks and babies have gained weight and doing well. Next step is putting them in a cage outside to get acclimated to warm/hot temperatures. Then its release time. How do I go about releasing them? They are a little afraid of me and no one else can pet them. Once I let them out of the cage they will be gone. I want to make sure they get a good start. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanx!:)