Need info for baby bunnies.

[Spiede]

Today when I stopped by my house my neighbor asked me to come over to see something. I went over and she had two baby bunnies that her boyfriend had found out at a job site. She said they are 2 and 3 weeks old. Right now she is feeding them kitten milk (she call an animal hospital and they suggested this) and has some grass in their container. They haven't touched the grass and only one has taken to the bottle. I'm wondering what info I can give her to make sure these babies survive. Their eyes are open and they are small enough to fit in one hand.

[pixiepoo]

Hello! :) I would stress to her that she needs to keep them in a very quiet place so they are not stressed. Stress will kill these little guys quickly. I wouldn't be too concerned about the one not eating yet. Mom usually feeds them twice a day (dawn and dusk). I used FV 32/40 with my bunnies and have had great luck with it. I used a syringe to feed them too, which is better at preventing aspiration than a bottle. I would also advise her to change out the hay daily since it can carry mold spores. Alfalfa hay is the hay that should be given primarily to babies until 6 months old (it is high in calcium and vitamins that other hays, such as Timothy, are low in). Hope that helps! :)

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Bunnies don't actually eat grass. They love clover and dandelions. If she can find that in an untreated area that would probably be better for them. I would continue with the kitten formula if it is KMR. They are very fussy eaters and you just have to go drop by drop feeding them.

[grampyngramy]

Grass can be bad for rabbits and horses. Mainly the likes of fescues. It can cut their insides. Ok for cows since they have three bellies.

[Spiede]

Is FV the fox valley brand? If so she probably doesn't have that. I'm assuming she went to a pet store and got some. What does KMR stand for? I'll have to ask her the exact name of formula that she has when I go home and I'm pretty sure she is using a bottle to feed them. Should there be any kind of dilution to the formula? How much should they be eating per feed?

I'll let her know about keeping them in a dimly lit place and to get them some alfalfa hay. Right now I believe she has them in a bucket until she can get something else.

[island rehabber]

FV is FOx Valley. The 32/.40 is good for cottontails... KMR stands for kitten milk replacer and I am not sure if it's good for bunnies.

WILD BUNNIES ARE VERY VERY VERY HARD TO KEEP ALIVE. She should get them to a rehabberNOW.

[Spiede]

I don't think she will :/ I'm pretty sure she wants to keep them. That's why I got on here as soon as possible to find out how to make sure they survive because I think she thinks kitten milk is the only thing needed. She said she's raised bunnies before, but I wasn't sure if there was a difference between raising wild bunnies and domesticated ones.

[Spiede]

So one of the bunnies died :c My neighbor said it was having seizures and apparently was having them when it was first picked up as well(out at the job site). She said the other bunny doesn't need the formula anymore and it is eating hay, bunny food and vegetables. She said it is about 4 weeks old.

Is this ok? I thought it odd that it didn't need formula, but I don't really know anything about raising wild baby bunnies so I need your guys' advice!

[island rehabber]

The biggest problem with cottontails (wild rabbits) is after they are weaned off formula. AFTER weaning they get serious digestive issues and often die. Many rehabbers have sailed through the formula stage with baby buns and, thinking the worst was over, offered hay, pellets and other rabbit food for them once they gave up formula. Within a week the bunnies' GI systems block completely ("stasis") and they die. :( Some say it's because they are not getting the 'night poop' (cecotropes) in their diet. (Please, bunny rehabbers, if I've got this wrong CORRECT me!)

[lovesmice]

Whether he still needs formula depends upon which type of Wild rabbit he is. Cottontails are weaned between 3 to 4 weeks old whereas Jackrabbits are weaned at a minimum of 9 weeks old. Domestic rabbits are weaned around 6 weeks old. Not sure if rabbit kits are treated the same as mouse bubs, but the latter are kept on formula at least a week longer when hand raised by a human than if Mom was nursing them.

I like the HouseRabbitSociety article on hand raising orphans so maybe take a look at it. Link follows:

http://rabbit.org/caring-for-orphans/

[Spiede]

I'm pretty sure her bunny looks exactly the same as the bunny in that article. I'm not sure if that helps.

I'll go read it now, thank you!

[Spiede]

That article said that wild bunnies don't need pellets. I'm wondering if that is the case because my neighbor said her bunny really likes them. So is it ok for him to eat them or should she remove them?

I told her about them liking the dandelion greens, carrot tops, parsley, grated carrots and alfalfa/Timothy hay.

I'm pretty sure she told me he didn't take to the formula at all.

[lovesmice]

Island rehabber brought up an extremely important matter with recently weaned rabbits. Although my knowledge of rabbits from research when I was considering getting one is limited to general information, I did learn they have very delicate digestive systems. I did not, however, know anything about post-weaning mortality from GI-Stasis. Morfz was my go-to rabbit site for information on everything rabbit related so I did a quick search now and read some of their articles discussing GI-Stasis and Post-Weaning Enteritis. They pretty much just say what IR already told you, but if you want additional details to show your friend, links follow:

http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html

http://web.archive.org/web/20011112064644/http://www.therabbitcharity.freeserve.co.uk/vet-hand.html
(Scroll down to "Post-Weaning Care".)
http://www.morfz.com/rabrefs.html#stasis
(Morfz Index)

He very likely is a Cottontail, by the way, as IR mentioned. You can take a look at the Wild Rabbits section of a rabbit resource guide to verify, but I believe Jackrabbits are limited to desert environments:

http://www.bestrabbitsites.com/wild-rabbits.html

Just saw your Q about the pellets. I am sure someone will come along with knowledge specifically about Wild rabbits, but Domestic rabbits need quality pellets in their diet. Also, too many carbohydrates and not enough fiber was one of the reasons for serious digestive problems in newly weaned rabbits so be sure to stress the importance of proper diet to your friend. Animals are going to pick and choose only the good parts if we let them so we need to ignore the adorable upturned faces begging us to have only their favorite foods because it is not in their best interest.

[Spiede]

Thank you for all the info. I'm guessing it's ok then to have no formula since it's most likely a cottontail. I asked my neighbor about the food it's eating, behavior and poop. She said he's very active, been eating fruits and vegetables, orchard grass and using the bathroom fine.