what to feed 3week old infant bunny

Question
i have a 3 week old infant bunny he/she does not want to drink kitten milk and prefers eating rice.beans.meat what should i do

Answer
Dear Andrea,

If he's eating solid food, keep him away from the rice and beans.  But do provide fresh timothy hay and pellets.  This is a critical time:  his GI tract is being introduced to new bacterial and fungal flora, and he needs help establishing a healthy GI flora.  

Powdered colostrum from any good health food store can be suspended in lukewarm water or goat milk and given with a syringe.  Be very careful to allow him to swallow, and don't force anything that he might aspirate.  Colostrum will help fight harmful bacteria.

If you can get healthy cecotropes from another rabbit (be sure they are parasite free!), the baby will often actually eat them up to a certain point.  You don't need to inoculate for more than once or twice, and then baby will reject them.  But that's really be best way to ensure the baby will make a safe transition from formula to solid food.

Just no rice and beans.  And no meat!

Dana