saving newborn rabbit babies

Question
One of my rabbits had babies last night,(this is the first time that my rabbits have babies and I am so exited) but the mom didn't make a nest and the babies were just spread around. We helped by making a nest and put the 2 little survivors back. They died. This morning another one had babies and she made a nest, this afternoon all died and were lying around in the cage. 2 Were still alive though and I brought them into the house. My husband got me some formula from the Vet, but the newborn bunnies doesn't open their mouth's for the bottle. How will I know when and if the are hungry?

Answer
They need kitten milk replacement (KMR) mixed with cream or the fattest milk you have.  Feed very slowly so they don't choke.  They only normally nurse 1-2 times a day, but with the replacement milk you can feed 3-4 times a day.  I would make sure there was a little milk on the outside of the rubber nipple so that they can taste and smell it, it may help them to want to eat.

They also need to be given a squirt of Bene-Bac (beneficial bacteria) each day.  KMR and this can be found at pet supply stores.

They need to be in a nestbox full of clean cotton towels, andthey need to be together to stay warm.  You can partially cover with towels.  

You can also put a lamp nearby with a 60 watt bulb for some indirect warmth.

You need to go to the House Rabbit Society web site for more info.  Type in "orphan", "newborn" and "babies" for articles you can use and print out.

Lee