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Guide lines for the care of a Wild Baby Rabbit. Introduction
From birth till approximately 3 weeks it will need 4 to 5 feeds a day, as milk formulas e.g. cimicat has not got the nutrition like the mothers milk. The baby rabbit for the first few days also has to be stimulated to urinate this is very important. From 3 to 5 weeks 3 feeds a day but this should happen gradual. Don't just drop from 5 feeds to 3. At about 3 weeks introduce milk thistle as it is easy to digest and gradually more natural food plus a small amount of pet rabbit food. By the time the baby rabbit is about 5 weeks it should be eating natural food and hay plus the pet rabbit food and still be having milk at least twice a day, water should also be available. From 5 - 8 weeks the baby rabbit should be eating well, but a milk feed should still be offered, a baby rabbit will let you know when it doesn't want any more milk. From 8 weeks you will find the milk feeds will get less and the baby rabbit will be eating much needed natural food. At this point you have to start breaking the bond you have built. Offer the teat through the bars of the cage to lesson the handling and only clean out with fresh hay and lined with newspaper and a soft cuddly toy. The rabbit will hide in there when it feels threatened. As time goes on it will become aware of noises and hide more and eat more of a night when it's quiet. All this will take any where between 8 and 10 weeks. It is important to weigh the rabbit regular to make sure it gains weight and must reach a pound in weight before release. Even though wild rabbits are sociable be very carefully if you put two
together. Even at a very young age they will fight. Also due to the incubation
period of MIXOMATOSIS and H.V.D virus you may be infecting a healthy rabbit with
a rabbit that is in the incubation period. So my advice is to keep them separate
and use separate feeding bottles and wash hands after handling each rabbit. Bedding for a new born: I have found cotton-wool very good as it helps retain the baby's heat. Place a warm blanket in a cardboard box lined with newspaper make a nest of cotton wool and put the baby or babies in the middle cover with cotton wool and close the box. Introduce a cuddly toy when the babies eyes have opened and they are moving around more. Any wild rabbit that needs the support of a human will retain it natural instincts if hand reared properly. It takes time and patience but is very rewarding. Natural predator's prey on the weak and young so do not release till they are at least a pound in weight it gives them a very good chance of survival. So here are a few things to remember;
It will take 8 - 10 weeks to successfully hand reared a wild rabbit from birth, feeding bonding natural food and breaking the bond. Less or no handling for the last week and finally release somewhere safe where there is no shooting and infectious diseases. We have been hand rearing baby wild rabbits along with domestic rabbits, feral and domestic kittens, puppies and hedgehogs with great success. For more information or guidance Telephone Annette on 07781 109869 any time of day or night.
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Contrary to belief it is important to bond with a baby wild rabbit to make it
feel safe and therefore respond to the care, given, and you will have success,
survival and release.
