newborn bunnies

Hi stanz! Wow, bunnies are cute and i am really planning to get a pair of bunnies for my niece. That will be an additional ababies for you my friend, you have 3 cats, labradors and now baby bunnies. I would love to be around them. haha..All are huggable! I did a research on your newborn bunnies. I hope this help somehow. Use Meyenberg Regular Goat milk (found at Safeway in the milk section or Whole Foods) or KMR KITTEN powder formula + follow directions on the can. (KMR better for domestics). It may be easiest to start with a 3 cc/ml syringe or an eyedropper. Some use pet nurser nipples on the end of a luer lock syringe, or a teat cannula on the end of a syringe. Feed only with the bunny sitting UPRIGHT, and point syringe down towards bottom or side of mouth, so if too much comes out, the baby does not aspirate! For those who are slow to learn nursing, SC fluids may be necessary to prevent electrolyte imbalance or dehydration (check with a vet on this only!!). Domestic buns with closed eyes should be fed 2 x a day, and the number of feedings gradually decreased until they are weaned. If their eyes are still closed, you need to stimulate their bottoms with a warm moist towel after feedings to help them to pee. (Domestics are weaned about 6 weeks; wild bunnies are weaned about 3-4 weeks for cottontails and 9 weeks for jacks). Bloat is commonly associated with too frequent feedings and too much at one time. For WILD rabbits, do not feed at home, but get them to a professional rehabber. This is CRITICAL for their survival as they are not like domestics. See contacts under wild orphans. Provide a soft nest area in a box with clean towels, and cover the babies so it is dark until their eyes are open. Do NOT provide extra heat if the room temperature is at least 65 to 70 degrees F because excessive heat can be fatal. If the room is cooler, then you may place a heating pad on a low setting under no more than HALF of the nest so the bunny can move to a cooler area if it gets too warm. If this is a wild rabbit, handle it ONLY when during feedings as excessive handling can be extremely stressful and potentially fatal. Wild rabbits usually don't need heat if furred and healthy. You can use Regular Goat Milk found in the carton at your local grocery store.You can also use KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer) available at most pet stores for the handfeeding formula. Avoid ANY regular milk, puppy formulas, etc. Newborn to One Week: 2 - 2+1/2 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings per day). 1-2 weeks: 5-7 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings per day). (depending on bunny..may be much LESS if smaller rabbit!) Newborn babies (if eyes closed) all need to be stimulated to urinate and defecate prior to or following feeding until their eyes open. (Except Jackrabbits do not). 2-3 weeks: 7-13 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings). Domestic eyes open at about 10 days of age. Start introducing them to timothy and oat hay, pellets and water (always add fresh greens for wild ones). 3-6 weeks: 13-15 cc/ml each feeding (two feedings--again, may be LESS depending on size of rabbit! A cottontail will take so much less!! Half this at most.) Domestics are weaned about 6 weeks. Cottontails wean and release about 3-4 weeks and jackrabbits much later (9+ weeks). Good luck and take care always. Have a nice day! :)

The best thing you can do is leave it up to mom to take care of them.Make sure they are in a quiet and sufficently warm place.We used to raise rabbits when I was younger and a lot of our females didn't like it when you touched their babies when they were first born.It's best to wait until they start to come out of the nest on their own and mom is a bit less protective of them.

http://www.mybunny.org/info/newborn.htm Found this website hope it helps alittle bit.

Watch out for predetors!!! I lost a few bunnies in the past because I got careless... basically, NEVER let them stay alone in the open field! Cat, dog, crow... any kind of animal in the area might try to catch & eat them.