Baby Rabbit Diet

Question
Hi, I bought a young rabbit (they told me it was 6 weeks) and have just come
to realize through this website that rabbits shouldn't be weened so young. I
found this out because he went into shock for no apparent reason, and
though I believe he will be OK (I warmed him up with water bottles and
towels, and he is eating and drinking again and much more alert), now I am
worried that maybe this wasn't shock from some mysterious trauma, maybe it
is an unhealthy digestive tract because maybe he was weened prematurely. I
have been feeding him a complete feed pellet (the same as the one he was
eating at the feed store where I got him), timothy hay, and slowly introducing
dark leefy greens (which he likes) such as chard and spinach. He has been
getting little bits of carrot as treats, so far thats all I've fed him (I've had him
3 days). I've heard fresh fruit makes good treats, and otherwise hay (no
alfalfa) pellets, and dark leefy greens. I have had many pets and take pride in
providing them with the best care possible. Please give me any advice you
have about making sure his shock is not bacteria induced and what is the
best diet for the future.

Answer
Answer to follow-up:

Hi Ashleigh,

I am glad he appears to be better.  

I would say at about three months old, make an appointment with a good rabbit vet.  You will need to get a good pet carrier (I recommend one with a top and side door as it often is easier and less stressful on you and your rabbit if you can lift him out through the top instead of pulling him out of a smaller side door).  These carriers are about $35.00.  Line the bottom with clean soft cotton towels, place a little hay or food pellets in there if he gets hungry on the way.  You can talk to him along the way and tell him it's okay, he's a good boy, etc.  Some rabbits don't mind car rides at all.  But lookup good rabbit vets from the House Rabbit Society web page if you don't have one already (not all vets are good rabbit vets).

Greens should be introduced very slowly, after he is six months old, and then, only if he is healthy.  Only intro one green at a time, over a span of two weeks, so that if he has a problem, you know what green is causing it and can avoid it.  Only give green greens.  Romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, parsley.  These are very safe and generally liked by most rabbits.  Always wash very well.  Don't be in a hurry to increase what you are giving him.  He may not be able to tolerate a certain larger amount of something that he could handle if he had less of it.

I would pretty much avoid fruit, except for little papaya chunks (only a couple small ones per day).



Hi Ashleigh,

stop giving him greens and fruits immediately.  He is too young and he can die from this.   His gut is not set up for this right now.

You can give him both timothy and alfalfa hay and food pellets until he is 1 year old.  It is after 1 year old we stop alfalfa because it is too high in calcium for grown rabbits.  I recommend Oxbow pellets as every rabbit I have met enjoys these the best.  They are better than most and they do not have extra 'junk' in them - no seeds, nuts, etc.  They should only be fed pellets without extra stuff.  That will make them overweight later in life.

I would get a product called "Bene-Bac" from the pet supply store, and give him a tube every week.  You can spread out the doses from each tube to 2-3 different doses per week.  I would also get a product called KMR (kitten milk replacement).  When you make up a little bottle's worth, use cream instead of water.  You can give him this once a day.  You may need to make the hole in the bottle's nipple a little bigger (use a pin) as it will be a little thicker with the cream.

Right now you are doing good making sure he is warm, give him a nice snuggly pile of clean, old cotton tshirts (cut up tshirts so he can't get caught in arms/necks) and towels and make a circular nest of them he can snuggle into and play in.

Right now he is growing fast, so there are no worries he will get fat.  You can give 1/4 cup timothy and 1/4 cup alfalfa pellets.  He should have hay available all the time.  They can't get fat on hay.  Replace hay when low, a couple times a day.  Once a day clean out uneaten, old hay and replace with new, fresh hay.

And I would also schedule a visit to a good rabbit vet to give him a checkup.  Rabbits at the very least need an annual wellness checkup, just like cats and dogs do.  To find a good rabbit vet, start here:

www.rabbit.org/vets/vets.html

and find a House Rabbit Society recommended vet near you.

Lee