Rabbits are complex animals. Raising an adult rabbit is challenging, as bunnies need extra care and attention to thrive. As a pet owner, you must be careful about your rabbit’s physical needs and feeding.
On the other hand, raising baby rabbits is twice the job! When born, baby rabbits are the responsibility of their mother rabbit. Usually, a rabbit mom is a loving and responsible mother.
However, there are times when a mother rabbit can neglect her newborn kits. Newly born rabbit babies require proper nutrition through their mother’s milk. It will be easy to notice if their mothers neglect the rabbit babies. So, how to tell if a mother rabbit is feeding babies?
Baby rabbits are furless when they are born. It is easy to see if a kit is malnourished. There are visible signs of neglect in baby rabbits, like dry skin, cold, etc. With proper research and observation, you can keep kits healthy when their mother ignores them.
However, you should approach the kits with caution. You must ensure that the mother is neglecting and not interested in the newborns. Only intervene in such a case. Otherwise, the mother rabbit will retaliate and attack you to protect its babies.
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Regular Feeding Habits Of Newborn Rabbits
Your rabbit does many specific behaviors that are part of your precious pet’s personality. Bunnies are hungry animals but not from birth. There is no need for baby rabbits to binge on their mother’s milk if it is healthy and nutritious.
A bunny mom feeds its kits once or twice a day. You will probably miss the moment as rabbits have a different schedule than people.
Furthermore, a rabbit feeds its baby bunnies while standing on all fours. As the female rabbit has teats near her belly, it needs to stand so the little bunnies can sit to drink the milk. When doing so, the baby rabbits position under their mother to reach the nipple for suckling.
Signs The Rabbit Babies Are Well Fed
Rabbits are voiceless creatures and cannot put words to their concerns. If your adult bunny is experiencing physical discomfort or emotional distress, it will exhibit erratic and odd behavior for you to notice. Baby rabbits, however, are not developed enough to change their body language to signal you for help. Kits only move a little for plenty of days after their birth.
As there is restricted body movement in baby rabbits, you cannot judge their nourishment by observing their hyperactivity. Nonetheless, there are a few signs that a healthy, well-fed, cute baby rabbit will exhibit if it is fully nourished and satisfied with its mother’s care. Here is what to look for:
Smooth Skin
Baby rabbits do not have fur when they are born. Their thick coat develops over many days. If a baby rabbit gets enough milk and nutrients from its mother, the cute little guy will have smooth skin.
Larger Stomachs
When rabbits are babies, they have tiny bodies. A well-fed rabbit will have a fuller belly, which should be more massive than its tiny head.
Warm to Touch
The first thing that malnourishment affects is a rabbit’s body temperature. If your baby rabbits regularly feed as they should, they should be warm when you pick or touch them.
Signs of Milk
Baby rabbits will not be able to groom themselves. Once they get free from their daily milk shift, you can check the edges of their mouth or tips of their nose for residual milk drops.
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How To Know When To Intervene In The Feeding Process?
Rabbits are incredibly protective of their babies. A female rabbit kills its kits if it senses an environmental threat. For this reason, you should approach the rabbit’s litter with caution.
Only intervene with your mother rabbit’s business as a last resort. If you think your rabbit is ignoring its babies, you can take some measures to ensure the safety and protection of innocent rabbit babies.
Here are a few things that should allow you to intervene in your rabbit’s motherhood:
The Rabbit’s Mom is Dead
There will be times when the mother rabbit will die for various reasons. The female rabbit can pass away due to a delivery-related complication, or a predator gets its hands on the poor bunny. You can intervene and care for the fragile litter in such a case. Before jumping into the situation, ensure the mother rabbit is dead by physical evidence.
An Unwell Mother Rabbit
Rabbits are highly emotional animals and stress easily. A mother rabbit will avoid feeding its litter if it is stressed, ill, or injured. If you have recently moved your rabbit’s hutch to a new place or placed your bunnies in a new room, your mother rabbit can become stressed.
Plus, if your rabbit has a physical discomfort that makes it hard to feed its babies, your bunny will happily not feed the kits. The most visible sign of a neglected rabbit baby is the wrinkly skin and sunken tummies. Look for those if you think your mother rabbit is not feeling well and neglecting the babies.
The Trouble With Milk Production
Sometimes, female rabbits have difficulty lactating. The sure way to check your mother rabbit’s milk production is to gently place the bunny on her back and press the nipples ever so slightly to see the milk.
If there is no excretion, you can place the kits on the teats to force the process. There is a chance the mother bunny will not begin lactating unless given medical aid.
A Larger Litter
Mother rabbits are exhausted after giving birth to their babies. Tey requires plenty of nutrients and stress-free time to recover from the hardy delivery process. If your bunny has birthed many kits, the babies have a higher chance of remaining malnourished.
As the mother rabbit will not have enough speed of milk production, all the kits will not get an equal share of milk and nutrients. You must provide extra supplements for the bunny babies and the mom.
Survival of The Fittest
As prey animals, rabbits need to be at the top of their game to survive. A mother rabbit will not utilize its nutritious milk on runts with little to no chance of surviving. The poor feeble babies will be left to die. As a pet owner, you must notice this and provide milk externally to the runts of the litter.
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How To Feed Baby Rabbits Milk?
When you notice your mother rabbit is ignoring its litter or a couple of babies, you must prepare to provide food to the neglected babies. You cannot feed them without researching it, as baby rabbits are the most fragile creatures. Here is how you can feed your baby rabbits properly without harming them:
- Wash the syringes and bottle thoroughly before every feed.
- Place the baby rabbit in a safe space where it cannot fall while squirming.
- Hold the baby upright in one hand while holding the bottle in the other.
- The baby rabbit will likely refuse the bottle at first. However, do not force-feed the animal. Try putting some drops of formula on the baby’s lips to lick. Once the baby rabbit is familiar with and approves of the formula, you can gently try giving it the syringe or bottle again.
- Do not squeeze the milk in the baby rabbit’s mouth, as it can be a choking hazard. Let the rabbit lick the milk slowly at its own pace.
- Encourage the baby rabbit to suck the milk from the bottle instead of pushing and forcing it. It is safer and more familiar with the mother rabbit’s way of feeding.
- Until the babies open their eyes, avoid picking them up, as it can be scary and cause fatal issues. Only pick the baby rabbits while feeding, when needed.
Final Word
When you bring a pet rabbit home, its future family also becomes your responsibility. Whether you want to keep your mother rabbit’s litter or give it away, their initial health is on your shoulders. Ensure adequate health of your doe for a smooth pregnancy and delivery.
Do not take postnatal care lightly, as it can be crucial for your rabbit and newborn babies. Once the babies arrive, give your bunnies some space to adjust while being cautious. If you notice your mother doe behaving oddly with the litter, contact your vet. It is better to be safe than sorry!