Breeding rabbits is an interesting and profitable business. But unfortunately, it’s quite troublesome. The period of hatching and rearing of rabbits is considered to be especially problematic. It happens that a rabbit dies during or after birth, or simply refuses to raise offspring for several reasons. Then the helpless newborn rabbits are left without their mother’s milk and can quickly die. For the babies to survive, the breeder must take care of raising the offspring. Let’s consider how to feed baby rabbits without a rabbit.
Feeding rabbits without a rabbit
If even a newborn litter dies, do not be upset. After all, no one is immune from such incidents. Nevertheless, you should not refuse the opportunity to save newborn ears.
It is, of course, very difficult to raise rabbits without a mother, but it is possible.
Two methods are known that are used to preserve the brood when the nurse is lost – moving the rabbits to another nursing female or artificial feeding.
- The placement of a newborn litter with a foreign female is the most optimal option because eared mothers have a heightened maternal instinct and accept and feed foreign cubs without problems. But on small farms or in small private farms, it will not always be possible to find more lactating rabbits.
- Artificial feeding is effective but requires a lot of effort (control of diet, doses, caloric content, and creation of comfortable conditions). You need to feed small rabbits until they start eating on their own.
The chances of survival of newborn rabbits left without a mother will increase if the breeder takes into account the following recommendations of experienced rabbit breeders:
- It is worth trying as much as possible so that the rabbit feeds the cubs at least a few times (even if they will be on artificial nutrition later). The first feedings of the female are extremely important because substances necessary for the immunity of newborn rabbits enter the milk.
- Creating a comfortable temperature regime for eared babies (for example, installing an electric heater in the uterus).
What to replace rabbit milk
Rabbits are mammals. Therefore, the main food for newborn rabbits after weaning from the female is milk.
When artificially feeding, it is recommended to replace rabbit milk with high-quality analogs. Then the babies will be able to receive valuable and useful nutrition, as a result – to fully grow and develop. A specialized substitute for rabbit milk, goat and cow’s milk, baby formula, and herbal supplements are suitable for replacement.
- Goat’s milk. Goat’s milk, which does not need to be diluted or mixed with additives, is considered the optimal food replacement for eared babies. It loses to rabbit meat only in fat content. But such a problem can be easily solved by adjusting doses and volumes. The only drawback is that such a replacement is not always at hand and it is sometimes difficult to purchase it.
- Cow’s milk. Regarding cow’s milk, not everyone considers it permissible. Some rabbit breeders consider it completely unacceptable, as it is poorly digested, and differs from rabbit food in terms of composition and fat content. After all, cow’s milk does not contain the necessary amount of carbohydrates for the rapid growth of the rabbit’s body. If there are still no other analogs, then cow’s milk is given by adding condensed milk without sugar in a ratio of 4:1.
- Special mixtures for animals. Now pet stores sell special milk mixes for rabbits. Substitutes for cats and cats are also suitable. Their composition is very close to the native milk of eared birds. Nutrients from such food are perfectly absorbed. True, their cost is a little too high. Baby milk formulas for children can be bought at a cheaper price, and in terms of quality and composition, they are no worse than those specialized for animals. The main thing is that there should be a minimum of sugar and additives in the composition.
- Herbal mixtures. Before the age of 3 weeks, it is impossible to talk about the introduction of herbal mixtures into the diet of rabbits. If you introduce them earlier, you can cause stagnation in the intestines, which can cause the death of animals. From the 22nd day, it is already allowed to start introducing such supplements. The weight of the herbal mixture per day is 3-4% of the rabbit’s weight.
Feeding rules
The correct feeding of rabbits by the artificial method is of great importance. To rationally approach this process and correctly copy natural feeding, it is necessary to know the biological features of the development of eared babies.
Rabbits are born completely hairless and completely blind, weighing 50-60 g. The first fluff on their tiny bodies begins to appear only on the 5th day, and they begin to see only on the 10th day. In the first 2 weeks, when the babies are unable to move and see, and, accordingly, eat, the rabbitry should make the maximum amount of effort to produce offspring without a rabbit.
Recommendations for artificial feeding of rabbits:
- the growing process is brought as close to nature as possible;
- you will need a pacifier from the first day (you can use a large pipette, syringe, bottle with a dropper, a baby bottle, or buy a ready-made set for feeding animals);
- when feeding, the rabbit’s body is kept strictly vertical, without squeezing the baby’s tummy;
- breast-feeding milk should be kept in the refrigerator for no longer than 3 days, and the mixture should be used only freshly made;
- the optimal temperature of artificial food for feeding is 37-38 oC (heated in a water bath before serving).
Dosage and frequency
Newborn rabbits need frequent feeding. But overfeeding is prohibited because it can cause disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, and inflammation of the respiratory system.
Rabbits, like children, are all individual, so everyone’s appetites are different. The main thing is not to overfill the tummy. In the first days, 1 ml of food is enough for 1 feeding. Then, the amount of food is gradually increased to 6 ml.
The frequency of feeding is 5-6 times a day. But again, you have to look at the condition of the ears. If the crumbs are sleeping quietly, and calmly, then it is better not to disturb them. If babies start squealing, and try to crawl, then this is a clear sign that they are hungry.
Feeding should not be delayed. If the rabbit has reduced the rate of sucking, then, most likely, he has had enough. Physical stress associated with long-term feeding can negatively affect the rabbit’s health.
This nuance is important – if the rabbits do not die on artificial nutrition in the first 10 days, then the survival rate is almost 100%.
The older the rabbit is, the more it will eat. After 7 days, the dose will be doubled, and from the 14th day – tripled, compared to the first doses.
If the feeding is correct, then a week-old baby should increase its body weight to 120-180 g, in 14 days the rabbit’s weight will approach 180-200 g, and by 3 weeks it will be almost 500 g (the characteristics of the breed should be taken into account).
At one and a half months, you can already feed small rabbits with full-fledged adult food.
Intestinal stimulation
The rabbit helps the newborn rabbits clean their intestines from feces, licking the babies’ bellies from the navel to the hind legs. Thus, bowel emptying is activated. With artificial feeding, such a massage should be performed by the rabbit on its own.
Stimulating massage to rabbits is carried out constantly before each feeding during the first two weeks. Next, babies begin to defecate on their own.
If the intestines are not stimulated, several problems may arise:
- eared cubs will die from increased internal pressure;
- there is a risk of rupture of the bladder or stomach;
- food will be poorly digested, which will be evidenced by the animal’s swollen or inflamed stomach (normally, the stomach is slightly convex and elastic).
Artificial feeding according to age
When artificially feeding rabbits, a feeding regime is mandatory, according to the age in days. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the individual abilities of animals to digest food.
- From birth to 5 days
In the first 5 days after birth, there is no swallowing reflex. Therefore, at first, milk is simply smeared in crumbs in the mouth. If the baby starts to react to drops of food and the nipple of the pipette, you can gradually pour milk drops inside, gradually increasing the volume.
A newborn rabbit is given 1 drop of food. During the day, the number of drops is increased by 5-6 measures. On the second day, food is given 4-5 times, and this frequency continues to be observed in the following days.
- From 6 to 14 days
From days 6 to 14, rabbits are fed three times a day. Taking into account the appetite and needs of the little ones, gradually increase the amount of food.
- From 15 to 30 days
Fortified two-week-old babies are transferred to 2 meals a day. But if the rabbits are not full, you can feed a little for the third time.
- From 17 to 30 days
Rabbits actively gain weight, their food needs increase significantly.
At the age of 20-25 days, rabbits begin to eat on their own, it is time to wean them from the nipple, gradually introducing changes in the diet. Hay bales are periodically placed. Here, the condition of the teeth is of great importance: if the baby teeth have been replaced by permanent teeth, then the animals are ready to transition to adult food.
More attention should be paid during this period to stool control. When the disorder appears, top-feeding is canceled and returned to it only after the restoration of bowel movements. If there are no changes in bowel movements, grass, combined feed, and grated carrots are introduced little by little.
By one month, rabbits with favorable artificial feeding should reach a weight of 500 g.
Recommended rates of milk substitute for artificial rabbits per day
- 1-7 days – 4-5 ml
- 8-14 days – 18-20 ml
- 15-20 days – 20-25 ml
- 21-30 days – 30-55 ml
At 1 month, they switch to adult solid food (if it is winter, they are guided by the upper indicators, and in summer they give more herbs, and at least pellets):
- Concentrate – 40-60 g
- Hay – 120-150 g
- Grass – 300-500 g
- Juicy fodder – 150-200 g
Feeding moon rabbits
From the 31st day, experts recommend removing milk from the rabbit’s diet completely and giving it only to underweight individuals. The food of month-old rabbits will gradually become similar to adult food because their stomachs can already digest a variety of feeds without stagnation in the intestines.
The main food is pellets (3% of the animal’s weight), green, juicy fodder, hay, and oatmeal.
Recommendations for feeding rabbits from the 31st day:
- food is given only fresh;
- carrots and cabbage are first rubbed, and then, after getting used to it, they are fed whole;
- dry mixtures are given moistened so as not to harm the breathing of rabbits;
- fresh water at room temperature should always be available in drinking bowls;
- surplus food is removed from the feeders every day (it is allowed to leave only bundles of hay).
A two-month-old rabbit eats exclusively adult food.
Prohibited products
It is forbidden to give rabbits the following products:
- branches of unknown origin;
- sprouted potatoes;
- a variety of wild herbs;
- moldy or frozen food;
- dirty or rotten food, with fungus.
Introduction of feeding
Artificial milk does not fulfill all the needs of ears in the necessary substances (except specialized mixtures – analogs of rabbit milk). To make up for the lack of valuable trace elements in milk, supplementary feeding is added:
- vitamins D and A;
- fish oil (1 g per day);
- sprouted oats and peas, oat flour (start with a pinch, bringing the volume up to 50 g after a month);
- salt (from day 30, 0.5 g per day is given);
- chalk, meat, and bone meal (1-2 g per rabbit per day);
- pine, spruce, and birch branches to replenish vitamin C (it is recommended to give 150 g per day for a month);
- acidophilic and bifidobacteria.
It is also recommended to fill the lack of useful substances with the help of cecotrophs (a source of vitamins K and B) from adults. First, they are mixed into the food mixture until the rabbits get used to them. Such an additive must be introduced into the diet (2-3 peas are added to food 1 time per day) until the rabbits’ stool improves. Normally, stools should become similar to adults.
Advantages and disadvantages of artificial feeding of young animals
Advantages:
- Unpretentiousness in the choice of food
- They quickly get used to new tastes and feed according to the schedule, eating with an appetite
Disadvantages:
- Does not cover all the needs of useful substances
- The compulsion to suck from the nipple
- A person must be near animals all the time
Nuances of keeping rabbits on artificial feeding
When artificially feeding baby rabbits, the rabbit owner will have to face several special moments that you should definitely know and remember well:
- obligatory massage of the belly of the ears to stimulate the intestines;
- cleaning the anus after defecation;
- mandatory addition of feces of adults (namely cecotropes) to the milk mixture;
- arrangement of the queen’s nest with a darkened area for rest and bottom heating;
- maintenance of cleanliness of animal houses and all equipment for feeding;
- mandatory cleaning of rabbits’ faces from milk after feeding.
Feeding rabbits without a mother is a very difficult process that requires a lot of effort. But taking into account all the above recommendations, you can easily save the offspring from death when the nurse is lost and raise completely healthy and developed young rabbits at home.