URGENT - What to feed new 3 week old baby

[angela]

Hi everyone,

I hesitate to post this because I know that I've done a pretty risky thing. Last night I brought home a 3 week old baby bunny (precisely, 23 days old). I live in Thailand and finding an 6-8 week old baby (or older) for sale is as rare as hen's teeth. Most places sell their babies at 3-4 weeks of age and if you choose to wait until they are older, in most cases they have all been sold already.

So, I now have this new baby. I am new at breeding bunnies but do have some limited experience. Unfortunately none of my does are with kits at the moment so I can't foster him to anyone. And I don't know anyone else raising bunnies.

He's very active, inquisitive and affectionate. He looks very healthy - clean nose and bottom, and his teeth look good so far. Since last night he's been doing 'binkies'
and has eaten some hay, oats and drunk some water.

My question is this - should I give him some supplemental feeding with kitten replacer milk or at 3 weeks old is it SAFER to give him only pellets, oats, heaps of hay and water?

I don't want to lose him. I've bought him specifically to add to my small breeding program. I'm looking for the safest option forward for this little guy.

I'll post photos of him shortly.

Many many thanks.....Angela

 

[Shaded Night Rabbitry]

Check out the formula reciepe at the top of this forum. I used it when I ended up rescuing two flemish crosses that were 'abandoned' by mom at 12 days.
Worked perfect for me.

 

[angela]

THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPLY!!!

I've been online all day just waiting for someone to reply to my post.

I'm off right now to buy the required ingredients.

Blessings

 

[angela]

I'm not sure if they will sell KMR here in Thailand, but I do happen to have on hand some Bearing Cat Milk with Taurine. The protein is 20%. The box says milk replacer for growing kittens.

Other ingredients listed are: whole milk powder 70%, skim milk powder 10%, casein 5%, Taurine 2%, egg yolk 2%, vitamins A D3 E B1 B2 B6 B12 Folic acid, choline, choride, calcium and phosphorus 11%.

Will this be ok if I can't get hold of KMR? I'll still try to the other ingredients listed at the top of the forum.

 

[angela]

Hi again, I could only get esbilac puppy milk replacer instead of KMR. It's made by the same company. Will this be ok?

Also, they didn't have any colostrum.

So, my recipe will be:

esbilac / goat milk / cream and I'll add some cecotropes from my healthy bunny.

Please advise about the esbilac. Thanks

 

[GorbyJobRabbits]

honestly, he could eat just plain rabbit pellets and be fine. to me baby bunnies after 2 weeks are 'unstoppable'. They eat everything in site and become a nusiance to their mother. The litter of Harlies I had, I could have taken them from their mother at that point.

 

[Peppers mom]

I would just feed him pellets and hay I think it will be fine just keep a close I on it and make sure he is eating...

 

[angela]

Thank you so very much to everyone who has replied and given their advice. After having bought the goats milk, esbilac (very expensive here in Thailand)and the cream I ended up only giving him one feeding. He probably took about 2 mils then didn't want anymore. I decided maybe I would keep trying with the hay and pellets, then last night, he suddenly grew an appetite and has been a little eating machine all night long and still going strong this morning. I've given him unlimited timothy hay, alfalfa hay, meadow hay and a local grass hay. Also, I've spinkled plain oats and alfalfa pellets amongst the hay and he seems to be gobbling up everything in sight! Yaay He's been urinating and pooping heaps too. I think he'll be ok. I'm not going to handfeed him any more of the supplement, I've decided it could be too risky. As long as he keeps munching and pooping, I'm happy. Thanks again for your help. It is so wonderful to be able to seek instant expert advice from across the other side of the world.

blessingsray:

 

[angela]

Here's a picture of my little darling. He doesn't have a name yet...any good ideas?

 

[Pipp]

Yikes. That is definitely a young bunny.

What you should feed him now totally depends on what his previous people had been feeding both him and his mother before you got him.

If he was eating pellets and hay, just continue that. If he was still sticking close to his mother, he may need supplements. (The former is more likely).

The problem isn't so much the weaning, it's that they don't have the time to build up an immune system. They do that by being housed with their mothers and siblings. They gain antibodies through the mothers milk, yes, but also through everything else in their environment. Every piece of food and every object will have organisms that they will need defenses for. Each thing one in the litter is exposed to will be passed on to the siblings thus building resistances for all.

There are also issues re: whether all their body parts are mature enough to take life's internal and external stresses, etc. These things can have life-long effects.


sas :clover:

 

[angela]

Hi Pipp. Thanks for that info. I never thought about the fact that babies immune system can be strengthened by the things they come into contact with. That's so helpful. So, can I perhaps artificially help this process by placing something in his cage from one of my other rabbits? I have a healthy doe who kindled kits 12 weeks ago. What if I put him in her cage for a while, while she was outside in her exercise run? What do you think?

All day today he's been eating non-stop. I haven't seen him eat any pellets yet, only heaps of hay and some oats. He is pooping lots and urinating lots too

Unless someone here can think of a better name for him, I'm thinking I might call him Merlin

 

[mistyjr]

cute name. I have talked with somebody over sea's too. He's mom died with 3 week old baby awhile back. He gave him pellets and hay. And they are bigger and growing fast.. But I dont know i never had a 3 week old baby without its mom. But my babies started eating everything by age 2-3 weeks old.

 

[angela]

Hi all,

Just a quick update on Merlin. He's now a day over 4 weeks old and doing amazingly well. He's eating a ton of hay and some oats, but as yet no pellets. I'm guessing he should start nibbling on those this week. (I was told he was eating pellets already when I bought him!). He's pooping lots and that area looks to be all good. I'm keeping a strict eye on his weight, weighing him every day or so and so far he's put on almost 40 grams in just 4 days. Does this sound about right?

He's a happy little guy that darts from one end of his cage to the other at great speed. He comes to the cage door for cuddles every time you walk into the room.

I know it's still early dangerous days yet, but so far so good.

I have raised a baby from 31 days old before with no problems, but he was already eating pellets when I bought him. Merlin seems perfectly content with his oats and many varieties of hay to munch on.

Thanks

 

[evansrabbitranch]

Aw, Merlin is a great name! I saw him and instantly thought Powder lol. I have taken in a couple litters where the mom bun had gotten ill and died. They did just fine on lots and lots of hay with some pellets, slowly adding more pellets. I once had a 6 week old dutch that had been dumped on my door step (6 weeks was my vets best guess) whom was my fist baby bunny and I just gave pellets free feed from the start and she got sick, so go slow introducing pellets for one this young and lots of hay and clean water. Might give him a box stuffed with hay to snuggle in to help him feel secure.