I had a question about when to start feeding my baby rabbits anything other than formula. They are about 12 days old and their eyes have just opened. I have read alot of conflicting info and was hoping someone would know from firsthand experience. Also, any suggestions on the kind of pellets to feed? Thanks in advance.
Are you fostering them?
I\'d start them out on something like purina rabbit chow. Happens to be one the best feeds on the market.
The mother rabbit wouldn\'t care for them, so I\'ve had them since they were 1 day old. I didn\'t know if I should be offering them food and water or continue with only the formula for a few days longer. I am just concerned with them getting sick.
BABYBUN Wrote:The mother rabbit wouldn\'t care for them, so I\'ve had them since they were 1 day old. I didn\'t know if I should be offering them food and water or continue with only the formula for a few days longer. I am just concerned with them getting sick.
I would try offering them food and water right now.
Was she actually neglecting them? Or was it because you didnt see her feeding them? Does only feed their baies twice a day. Once at night. Once in the morning. You never really see them feeding them. A healthy well nursed baby will have a round looking tummy. And round tummies are a good indication that the mom is caring for them.
She had a previous litter and they all died. She scattered them in the cage and they were very cold. I did get some rabbit pellets and some timothy hay for them. They were not very interested in it. They like to sleep more than anything. Is that pretty normal?
Quaker Oats old fashioned oatmeal is a good first food for baby bunnies. Make sure it is the old fashioned kind and not the quick cook kind. Banana flavored oatmeal flakes made for human babies also works well for very little bunnies. Just feed it all dry and let them nibble at it. Put a few pellets in with the oatmeal and keep them bedded on timothy or other grass hay. When they are hungry, they will start nibbling. Make sure you provide a small shallow bowl of fresh water for them or a low hung water bottle. If they are starting to nibble food, they will be ready to start drinking water on their own as well.
Is it just the plain oats? I did put a dish of water in with them but they just played in it. Also, is it normal for them to sleep so much? As you can tell, I don\'t know much about rabbits.
I use the plain oatmeal - the quick cook kind for people or the baby food oatmeal flakes made for human babies. The baby food oatmeal comes in banana flavor and they seem to like that. You can use livestock oats but I personally don\'t like to feed them the hulls at this age so I stick with the oatmeal. It is very mild to their tummies and they seem to do well with it as a first food.
Continue feeding the bunnies formula, but have available food they can begin to nibble on. I recommend mixing up to 20% of old fashioned oat meal (dry, uncooked) to pellets. I would recommend an 18% pellet. If you are offering the feed in a crock, watch to make sure the bunnies aren\'t sitting in it and contaminating it with feces. It is best to have a cage mounted feeder to minimize this (though you probably won\'t prevent it entirely). Once you see the bunnies are eating well, you can eliminate the oats from the diet (unless you want to continue them as a top-dressed treat.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
I just wanted to thank everyone for the help. The babies are 16 days old now and growing like weeds.