Buzz
With the increasing number of wild rabbits in urban areas, the chances of discovering rabbit nests are higher than ever. Unfortunately, these nests are often left unattended, and when humans remove the wild rabbit kits from their nests, they cannot survive without professional care from a veterinarian or a skilled wildlife conservationist. In many countries, taking care of wild rabbits is illegal unless you are a licensed conservationist. If you must temporarily care for the kits while waiting to take them to a vet or wildlife conservationist, this article will offer you helpful guidance.
Steps
Preparing a Shelter for the Rabbit
You need to determine if the rabbit really requires care. Mother rabbits are often very discreet; they leave their nests to distract predators, not abandon their young. If you find a rabbit nest, avoid disturbing it. If the kits need help (for instance, if the mother has been killed on the road), you should take them to a vet or a wildlife conservationist.
- Wild cottontail rabbits (USA) that are not yet weaned often have a white spot on their forehead. Some may not have a spot at birth, and others will retain it throughout their lives, while some will lose it as they mature. The presence or absence of the spot is not a definitive indication of the rabbit's age or its need for care.
- If the kits are relocated to avoid danger (such as from predators), this is only a temporary measure. Keep the kits in a safe, quiet place until the danger has passed, and then return them to the area where you found them. The mother will not abandon her kits if they carry human scent. This is the best chance for their survival. However, if the wild rabbit kits are attacked by a cat, any wounds caused by claws or teeth will likely lead to a fatal infection within a few days. You must take them to a wildlife conservationist or vet for proper antibiotics.
Prepare a shelter for the rabbit until it receives further help. You should use a wooden or plastic box with high sides, filling it with pesticide-free soil. Then, line it with a layer of dry grass (avoid using wet grass). Fill the box with soil free of pesticides and cover it with dry grass (avoid using wet grass).
- Create a circular "nest" within the dry grass for the kits. You can line it with fur from a real nest or fur from a domestic rabbit. Do not use fur from other animals, especially predators.
- If rabbit fur is unavailable, you can line the nest with tissues or soft fabric to create a thick layer.
- Place a heating pad, a warm stone, or an incubator under part of the box to keep them warm. Only warm one side of the box so the kits can move away if it gets too hot.
Gently place the rabbit in the nest. You can use gloves to handle them. Rabbit kits may carry diseases and bleed from bites. Most adult wild rabbits have fleas, but the kits typically do not, though some may have ticks that need removal. If you are uncomfortable handling these parasites, it’s best to ask someone with experience to help. Be very cautious with ticks as they CAN transmit diseases to humans. It’s safest to keep the kits away from human and other animal habitats. However, you can still allow the wild rabbit kits to get used to human scent. They will return to their wild instincts as they grow.
- Avoid petting the kits too much. Excessive handling can stress them, leading to death.
- Place a small amount of fur, paper towels, soft fabric, or cloth over the kits to keep them warm and safe.
- Note that wild rabbits can spread diseases to domestic rabbits. Be sure to follow proper hygiene procedures after handling the wild rabbit or its waste, especially if you own other rabbits.
Place a cover over the box. If the rabbit is able to move around, you need to secure the box to prevent them from escaping. Even at just a few weeks old, rabbits are great jumpers! Make sure the box is shaded from the sun.
Allow the rabbit to sleep in the box for three days. After that, you can move them to a small cage.
Plan for the Rabbit's Feeding
If the cottontail rabbit kits haven't opened their eyes yet, they need to be fed formula milk. Once they can move around, they only need fresh greens, dried grass, and water. You can place the food in a shallow dish for larger rabbits. Once they start eating greens (free from pesticides and herbicides) and hopping around, they are ready to be moved to a safer area with more shelter for these delicate creatures.
- When caring for wild rabbits, you should continue feeding them dried grass, water, and fresh vegetables, just as they would eat in the wild. Even younger rabbits can nibble on greens and dried grass.
- At first, abandoned rabbit kits often don’t get enough water. You should give them Gatorade Lite instead of Pedialyte during the first few feedings. Pedialyte is good for most animals but contains too many carbohydrates for rabbits.
If the rabbit kits need formula milk, you should use goat’s milk formula. The mother rabbit nurses her kits at dawn and dusk for about five minutes, so the kits (depending on size and age) only need to be fed twice a day. However, goat’s milk formula is not as nutrient-dense as mother’s milk, so you may need to feed the kits more frequently. Milk-fed kits always have a round belly (not bloated). When their bellies are no longer round, it’s time for the next feeding.
- Most wildlife caregivers use a mix of KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer) and Multi-Milk, available at conservation centers. You should add probiotics to the mix if possible. The mixture needs to be thicker because rabbit mother’s milk is denser than that of most other small mammals. This means you need to mix about 3 parts solids (by volume) to 4 parts distilled water.
- Do not heat the mixture directly. Instead, warm it in a double boiler by heating water and placing the bottle of formula into it. Use a pipette or a syringe with a small Miracle nipple. Use a 2.5 cc syringe for newborn rabbits, and as their stomach capacity increases, switch to a 5 cc syringe. Always keep the kits sitting up to prevent choking! Have paper towels on hand to quickly wipe away any milk that spills into their noses!
- NEVER give cows’ milk to rabbits. Cows’ milk is meant for calves, not rabbits.
Never overfeed the rabbits. Bloating and diarrhea caused by overfeeding are common causes of death in wild rabbits. The amount of food per feeding depends on the rabbit’s age. Keep in mind that wild rabbits are small and should be fed less than the standard amounts for other animals. Here are some general guidelines for appropriate feeding amounts for rabbits:
- Newborn to one week old: 2-2.5 cc/ml per feeding, twice a day
- 1-2 weeks old: 5-7 cc/ml per feeding, twice a day (less if the rabbit is very small)
- 2-3 weeks old: 7-13 cc/ml per feeding, twice a day (less if the rabbit is very small)
- At 2-3 weeks, you can start feeding them “cat-tail grass,” oat hay pellets, and water (add fresh greens for wild rabbits).
- 3-6 weeks old: 13-15 cc/ml per feeding, twice a day (less if the rabbit is very small).
Stop feeding at the appropriate time. Cottontail rabbits usually wean around 3-4 weeks, so you should stop formula feeding them after 6 weeks. Long-eared wild rabbits wean after 9 weeks, so after the 9th week, you should gradually replace the formula with finely chopped banana and apple.
Feeding Newborn Rabbits
Always be gentle and slow. You should let the rabbit feed at its own pace and be careful when handling its body. If you feed the rabbit too quickly, it could choke and potentially die.
Protect the newborn rabbit’s eyes. If the rabbit is too small and its eyes are only partially open, you can wrap it in a small, warm cloth to cover its eyes and ears, which will help avoid scaring it.
Place the bottle nipple in the rabbit’s mouth. You need to be very careful when feeding newborn rabbits by placing the nipple in its mouth.
- Gently tilt the rabbit’s head back slightly and place the nipple in the side of its teeth. You cannot place the nipple between its front teeth.
- Once the nipple is between its side teeth, slowly move it forward.
- Lightly squeeze the bottle to release a small amount of milk.
- Within a few minutes, the kit will begin sucking the nipple.
- Continue to feed the rabbit formula twice a day for the next 3-4 days, with the final feeding in the evening to mimic the mother rabbit’s routine.
Stimulate the newborn rabbit’s bowel movements. Newborn cottontail rabbits need to be stimulated to urinate and defecate after each feeding. You can do this by gently rubbing the genital and anal areas using a cotton swab or a damp cotton ball to mimic the mother’s licking behavior.
Take the Rabbit Outdoors
Allow the group of rabbits to spend more time outdoors grazing. Once the baby rabbits are able to walk, they should be encouraged to explore grassy areas for a few hours each day.
- Place the rabbits in a protective steel cage. Keep a close eye on them to ensure their safety from predators and other potential hazards.
Start allowing rabbits to eat and drink independently. When the rabbits reach four days of age or older, place a covered tray with milk and water in their enclosure.
- Carefully observe the young rabbits. They should begin to eat and drink without assistance.
- Monitor the moisture levels in the enclosure. Ensure you add fresh formula to replace any spilled milk to make sure they get the proper nutrition.
- Fill the trays with milk and water in the morning and evening. Pay attention to the amounts to avoid overfeeding the rabbits.
- Do not pour too much water into the tray near the enclosure, as the rabbits could drown.
Introduce new food after 4 days. Once the rabbits have become skilled at eating, you can begin offering new foods in their enclosure. Some typical food options include:
- Fresh grass
- Hay
- Small pieces of bread
- Clover
- Cat-tail grass
- Chopped apple
- Oats
Always provide clean water. Rabbits need to drink clean, fresh water. This helps with digestion and ensures that their bodies stay hydrated and healthy.
Move the Rabbit into the Wild
Wean the rabbits. Once the rabbits are able to feed themselves, stop offering them milk formula and let them graze on grass and other plants. Ensure the rabbits are old enough to be weaned (3-5 weeks for domestic rabbits and over 9 weeks for wild rabbits).
Stop handling the rabbits. The rabbits should be preparing for release into the wild, so it is best to avoid touching them when possible. At this stage, they will become less reliant on you and more self-sufficient.
Move the rabbits outdoors for the entire duration. Place them in a protective steel cage with a roof outside your home. The bottom of the cage should be woven with large openings, allowing the rabbits to graze on grass. Check the size of the openings to ensure they cannot escape.
- Relocate the cage to different spots in the yard so the rabbits have access to fresh vegetation regularly.
- Continue providing other types of plants in addition to grass.
Move the rabbits to a larger enclosure once they mature. Construct a new enclosure in the grassy area of your yard and continue feeding the rabbits fresh vegetables twice a day. The cage should have openings or a woven bottom to prevent predators from attacking while allowing the rabbits to graze.
Release the rabbits into the wild. Once the rabbits reach a size of 20 to 23 cm when sitting, they are ready to be released into a safe, natural environment.
- If the rabbits are not yet fully self-sufficient, you may keep them in captivity a little longer, but avoid allowing them to mature in confinement.
Contact the local wildlife conservation office for assistance. If the rabbit is large enough to be released into the wild but is still not fully independent, you should reach out to an expert. They will have specific solutions for your situation.
Advice
- Always feed newborn rabbits in the same location. This will help them associate the spot with food, making each feeding session easier than the last.
- If you can’t remember which rabbit you’ve fed, you can mark the tip of each rabbit’s ear with a small dot of nail polish. Then, feed them in a specific order (such as the order of rainbow colors).
- Use a window blind to cover the roof of the cage. Its weight and removable features make it easy to adjust, but the rabbits won’t be able to knock it down.
- Ensure the rabbits can breathe properly. If you place them in a box with a sealed lid, make sure to punch holes for ventilation.
- Keep the rabbit's living space quiet and avoid human interaction.
- Avoid naming the rabbits as it will make you emotionally attached, and you may want to keep them around.
- Orphaned baby rabbits raised by humans still have a 90% mortality rate. Therefore, do not become too attached and handle them gently and calmly.
- Stay quiet around the rabbits. Loud noises can easily scare them.
- Ensure the rabbits' safety and keep other animals away from them.
Warnings
- Do not give the rabbit milk that is too hot. They won’t drink it if it's too hot or sour.
- Do not feed the rabbit spinach, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, or similar foods. These can cause diarrhea or bloating. Rabbits cannot digest gas, so these vegetables will expand their stomachs!
- Be especially careful when handling wild animals. They can carry many diseases.
- Adjust the heat source for the incubator so it’s not too hot and doesn’t cause the rabbit cage to catch fire.
- Do not keep wild animals longer than necessary for care.
- Never feed the rabbit carrots. In the wild, rabbits do not eat carrots, so you should avoid feeding them even in captivity.
What You Will Need
- Wood or plastic box with one side high
- Clean, soft soil
- Clean cat-tail grass
- Disinfected animal fur (or paper towels)
- Incubator, heating pad, or heated ground layer
- Leather gloves
- Glass jar
- Bottle for feeding
- Small rubber nipple
- Milk
- Baby rabbit cereal
- Cotton cloth
- Covering screen
- Wire cage (with a cover)
- Clovers (or cat-tail grass)
- Oats
- Bread
- Water bowl
