abandoned newborn bunnies

Question
Yesterday, our lionhead rabbit died while giving birth.  There are three babies still alive. How do I care for them?

Answer
Hi Jessica,

I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your mama bunny.  

With newborn rabbits (kits) whose mom dies often even with the best rabbit-savvy person they don't make it.  It sounds like some have not survived already.

What you can do, to try to save the three is get emergency feeding kits from either your vet or your pet store. You will need to get these as soon as physically possible and as soon as you get home administer the first doses to the kits.  They will die without this.

It is an Esbilac Emergency feeding kit.  It is a milk replacement pack that can work for a number of animal types, including baby rabbits.

I would also pick up Bene-bac pet gel as well, as this contains healthy live bacteria that the rabbits will need to have 'take up house' in their GI tracts to help them be able to eat properly and produce proper hard and soft pellets (and avoid diarrhea).  You could also get some acidophilus capsules and give that to them when they hit several weeks old and start trying out solids.

For now, basically you can leave them in their nest mama made (hopefully) of her fur and hay.  If not they need to be in a nest like that, or if there is nothing left, a nice box and make a nest of t-shirts or warmer/softer items you have around - you don't have to bury them, but they should be partially covered and they should be next to each other as much as possible (snuggly) to share body warmth.  They won't move too much, but you will need to check on them regularly to make sure one hasn't been left on their own and gets too cold and dies.

Normally mom would only feed them once a day as her milk is very concentrated, but you'll need to feed them more often as the replacement isn't as good as the real thing.  Every 4 hours or so.  You'll be able to pick them up and hold them for feeding (this is a plus for you as they may get used to being handled and tolerate it much better).  Slowly, gently, not forcing/squirting too much so they don't accidentally inhale some into the lungs.  They will generally take it from the bottle well.  They should be hungry and have decent appetites.

This can be done by people who have never done it before.  I have a friend who rescued two female strays from the street and they gave birth to nine bunnies between them, and her and her husband decided to try to raise them just to see how many they could save - all made it.

It requires dedication and regularity and making sure they're together snug, warm, sharing body heat.  Maybe a heat lamp well above them (or even a regular lamp bulb a foot to 18 inches above them).  They can survive without mom's body because normally the female only goes in to the nest once a day for 5 minutes or so, just to feed them.

What you'll need to do is visit resources on the House Rabbit Society website (www.rabbit.org).  You can search for more comprehensive info (for the weeks after they are off milk replacement) and get a better idea of what you'll need to start introducing and when.  I can also help with more detailed advice then too, so don't hesitate to ask more as the next weeks go on.

My prayers are with you and your little guys. Lee