Newborn baby bunnies and feeding questions

[Scarlett]

I'm not sure if this is in the right board, but here goes. Okay, so my American Blue rabbit is now a mama to three little babies who are the most cutest things. The father is a Dwarf Hotot. No, I did not purposefully breed them, somehow they both escaped from their cages and we didn't even know she was pregnant until she had the babies yesterday.

Anyway, we tried for hours trying to get her to bond with them ( I just left her alone with them in the nesting box and waiting to see her reaction ) and all she did was step on them and pay no mind. I didn't want to see them killed so I took them out and placed them in a separate cage with the nesting box. They're kept warm, and I'm currently feeding them 2 ml of kitten formula twice a day. Is this enough, or should I be feeding them more? I'm using the KMR Kitten formula, in case anyone would like to know.

Help would be appreciated! Thank you. c:

 

[whiskylollipop]

Mama buns don't bond with their kits in the same way we do, it's normal for there to be very little affection going on. In the wild mama buns avoid their nest as much as possible to keep predators from being attracted to the area and coming near her babies. It's just feeding twice a day, and then mama bun's off. That's normal and fine. As long as the babies are well fed, they should be left with mama.

Rabbit milk is 5 times as nutritious as KRM. Many, many babies don't survive on KRM. If mama bun was feeding her babies, please put them back in with her. Fluff up her nest and pull some fur off her to cushion the babies if you're worried she's stepping on them. Check on them often.

 

[Bucktooth]

2mL is enough for the first week, fed twice a day BUT, and that's a huge but, I really would put them back and leave them alone and check if she's fed them late at night. They need colostrum or they will probably die.

 

[Scarlett]

Okay, I will definitely put them back in with the mother tonight. I have been giving them KMR. Will she still continue to feed them? When we found them they looked pretty fat, so I think that is a sign she was feeding them. I just got really stressed when she started stepping on them.

 

[Cookiesandcream]

Are they in a box or just a pile of hay and fur on the floor? I noticed with my bunny when she gave birth that when she would jump into the box to feed she would shuffle around a bit looking like she was stepping all over the babies but she was just finding a good spot to feed them. If they are in some type of nest box out of her path she shouldn't be stepping all over them throughout the day and yes keep the babies with mum she will likely only feed them once or twice in a 24hr period often when no one is looking, just check the babies everyday for nice round bellies and only supplement feed if you think they are starting to look a bit thin or bellies are getting a bit wrinkly

 

[Scarlett]

A shoebox I lined with fur. She can't really stretch out in it. I wish the mother had been the Hotot, would have been much better.

Babies are back in with mama. I will continue to check their tummies every day, and if they are wrinkly or they're thin at the end of the day, I will feed them then place them back in.

 

[majorv]

The box the kits are in should be a little bigger than the mother. Grouping them towards the back of the box should keep them out from under her feet.

 

[Scarlett]

There's the issue. We don't have a cage big enough to fit a bigger box. :|

 

[majorv]

If the box only has fur, that's also not enough cushion to keep the kits from being hurt if they're stepped on. Put hay in the bottom and then but the fur back in.