Feeding Wild Rabbits

If you found a nest like this one in the grass, it'd be easy to think these kits are orphaned. Most likely however, the doe is hiding nearby, just waiting for nightfall to return to her babies. If you find such a nest, please just leave it undisturbed, unless you KNOW the mother is dead. You don't want to be feeding wild rabbits, dooming them to a perhaps 90% chance of death, when it's unnecessary! See Feeding Baby Rabbits for more info.

But if you know they’re orphaned, you'll need rabbit milk formula and clear directions.

We'd like to introduce you to Lou Rea Kenyon, an RN and licensed wildlife rehabilitation expert, who has saved countless bunny-lives over the last 25+ years. She is the owner of Nutkin’s Nest Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

If you're in need of immediate guidance on feeding wild rabbits, we strongly recommend that you go straight to Ms. Kenyon's website and closely follow her protocols for feeding wild rabbits, if you want your little wild or domestic orphaned rabbits to survive.

You can always return to Raising-Rabbits.com once you've got the situation under control.

In the meantime, here are the high points of the SquirrelWorld "Rabbit Rehab" protocol for feeding wild rabbits, posted here with permission from Nutkin’s Nest (Squirrelworld). It's suitable for both wild cottontail and domestic rabbit orphaned kits.

(1) Kits are handled and tamed by a single caregiver only. This is because feeding wild rabbits is difficult and dangerous to the kits if they are crazy with fear. Kits remain calm with handler, but fearful of anyone else. Upon release, they "wild out" without a problem, yet remain unafraid of their one single handler.

(2) Bunnies under 2 weeks old need a bunny incubator. Ms. Kenyon shows you how easy one is to make yourself.

(3) All orphans are assumed to be at least somewhat dehydrated. Examine baby rabbit for degree of dehydration, plus, check it over for any life-threatening problems.

• Hold the baby rabbit securely yet safely. Be alert - bunnies have an uncanny way of relaxing, tending to cause the handler to relax, and then they attempt a super-bunny leap to freedom.

• 1 part pre-mixed Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR)*, mixed with 3 parts Pedialyte® - Give enough to lightly fill stomach every 1/2 hr (for 3 feedings)
• 1 part pre-mixed KMR*, mixed with 1 part Pedialyte® - Give enough to lightly fill stomach every 1 hr (for 3 feedings)
• 3 parts pre-mixed KMR*, mixed with 1 part Pedialyte® - Give enough to lightly fill stomach every 2 hr (for 3-4 feedings)

  *For full-strength KMR - Mix 1 part powdered KMR with 1 1/2 parts water (distilled or boiled)

(5) Use the size of the bunny's tummy to gauge when to stop feeding for that session. Meaning, ignore any formulaic approaches to feeding wild rabbits. Look for a tummy that is slightly round and slightly firm, but not hard or taut. Feed every three hours the bunnies with eyes that are still shut, and feed a lot less than the charts typically recommend.

(6) A baby rabbit's almost-empty tummy will tell you when it is time for the next feeding.

(7) Stimulate urination and defecation after every feeding for bunnies with eyes still closed.

(8) Keep your eyes peeled for changes in poo. Any sign of softness means you must reduce frequency or amount of feeding, reduce stress levels, etc. Also, with eye-open bunnies, you can administer additional doses of cecotropes from a healthy rabbit. This is KEY to the baby rabbit’s survival. Squirrelworld goes into great detail on how to collect and feed cecal pellets (cecotropes, caecotropes) to the baby rabbits.

(9) Before introducing ANY SOLIDS WHATSOEVER, you'll need to seed the rabbit’s gut with the correct bacteria for health. The best way to do this is to mix formula and cecotropes (not the round hard poops, but the soft, smelly, grape-like clusters) into a slurry and feeding baby rabbits this mixture for three days BEFORE starting ANY solid food. Some babies will even lick them off your finger.

(10) You can substitute Bene-Bac® as an alternative, states Ms. Kenyon, if you (or a friend) don't have a healthy rabbit on hand from which to obtain cecal pellets. Bene-Bac is short for 'beneficial bacteria' and works well with small animals.

(11) Weaning starts with the introduction of solids into the baby rabbit’s diet - the crucial danger zone for fatal diarrhea. Once the baby rabbit has diarrhea, it is usually too late to save its life. If you skip the 3-day cecotrope step, the baby rabbits will die from diarrhea.

(12) Introduce solid foods:

• Quaker oats are delicious to baby rabbits
• High-quality rabbit pellets
• Small amounts of clean natural vegetation, for example, grass clippings, clover, dandelions and plantains
• High quality alfalfa hay
• Fresh clean water, better in a water bottle than in a bowl for reasons of cleanliness

(13) Both cottontails and domestic rabbits can be weaned around 4-5 weeks of age.

(14) Baby cottontails spend a few more weeks in a large enclosure learning life skills through playing with littermates. This increases their chances for survival in the wild.

(16) "Slow release" - simply open the door of the large enclosure, and allow the youngsters to come and go. When they’re ready, they’ll hop off on their own.

(17) Set up the local area with various hiding places, like brush piles, so the youngsters can run and hide, if need be.

Need more information than what you can find on the Squirrelworld website? You can contact them directly through the contact info on their website.

More Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) and Other Feeding Supplies

Here are some other links you may enjoy:

• Rabbit Health

• Plush Rabbit Toys

• Pet Safe Plants

Go from Feeding Wild Rabbits to Feeding Rabbits
Go to Feeding Baby Rabbits
Go from Feeding Wild Rabbits to Raising Rabbits Home Page

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