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advice really appreciated 6 day old rabbit being hand reared

deedee07

New Kit
hi all,
i will try and keep this concise! i have been looking after my friends rabbits whilst they have gone away, on thursday she gave birth to 7 babies but for what ever reason killed all except one of them which i found in the corner of the hutch in a bad way she has killed litters before, but anyway i have had this one baby rabbit since saturday of last week and so far have kept the little mit alive i was just looking for advice on he's survival level as i have looked on the internet and it seems very unlikely but he seems to be doing well so far. any advice on how to maximise hes chances would be greatly appreciated.
thank you dee x
 
Last edited:
hi all,
i will try and keep this concise! i have been looking after my friends rabbits whilst they have gone away, on thursday she gave birth to 7 babies but for what ever reason killed all except one of them which i found in the corner of the hutch in a bad way she has killed litters before, but anyway i have had this one baby rabbit since saturday of last week and so far have kept the little mit alive i was just looking for advice on he's survival level as i have looked on the internet and it seems very unlikely but he seems to be doing well so far. any advice on how to maximise hes chances would be greatly appreciated.
thank you dee x

First off, well done for keeping the baby alive. Six days is an achievement for a kit that young... there are of course no guarantees. What are you feeding...

I am a little disappointed that your friend continues to allow her rabbits to breed... it is most likely the doe is killing the kits because she can smell the male (I hope he's not in with her). She kills them instinctively before another rabbit can get to them.
 
Hi i was advised from the vet to feed him lactol which i have been making up and feeding him with. I don't no anything about rabbits at all so excuse my ignorance i just couldn't see anything suffer as it was. He had no fur when i started to look after him and was slightly pale slightly blue but he is growing a coat and is pink in colour. ive packed out a box with hay and some hamster bedding which he does snuggle into along with a small soft toy to mimic the other babies. Is there anything else i could be doing? or anything i am which i should not be!
thanks
 
Is the hamster bedding wool type or shredded paper... I would be wary of the wool incase baby gets tangled up. :) It sounds like you are doing a great job. He should just be kept warm, so you can keep him in a warm place or use a luke warm hotwater bottle under towels. Remember not to overheat him though! Rescues regularly hand rear babies so you could contact them for advice. Gwen at Bunny Burrows based in richmond north Yorkshire will be able to give you some good advice!
 
Thank you for your advice x
The bedding is soft tissue in small shreds, he does crawl around a little and then settles back in the bedding.
 
I have a advice sheet on hand rearing a baby bunny its got a lot of info sadly the baby i was hand rearing passed away if you want to send me a privet pm with your address i will send it to you, your doing really well keeping him going :)
 
I am a little disappointed that your friend continues to allow her rabbits to breed...

...and that she's gone on holiday when her rabbit is due to give birth, apparently leaving no advice. :shock:

I don't know anything about baby rabbits I'm afraid but well done for taking care of him :) and hopefully someone will be along soon with more tips
 
Hope the little one is still doing ok.
Maybe send a pm to Jacks-jane....she hand reared a bunch of babies not to long ago (the pet shop 5)
Good luck! :wave:
 
I tried to hand rear 4 one week old kits. Sadly 2 died but Big and Beige survived and live with me now.

I started hand feeding using a syringe one drop a a time. I had a Q-tip on hand to mop the little passage/line which joins the nose and the mouth as if this fills with milk it can be inhaled and kill the baby. As the babies got stronger and started to suck I added a tiny teat.

kitfeeding1.gif


Kitfeeding2.gif


I also used Cimecat.

Good luck
 
One tip is to be ultra conscious about hygiene. Make sure all feeding equipment is sterilized or thrown out and replaced with new every feed.

Also don't put any milk/made up formula back in the fridge to be used again if it has been heated up. I found it easier to make fresh formula up at every feed, but some people make up enough for a few days and just heat up what they are going to use for that feed.
 
btw the teats in Rabswood's photo are Catac ST1 which you can buy over the internet, or your vet may be able to order them in.
 
One tip is to be ultra conscious about hygiene. Make sure all feeding equipment is sterilized or thrown out and replaced with new every feed.

Also don't put any milk/made up formula back in the fridge to be used again if it has been heated up. I found it easier to make fresh formula up at every feed, but some people make up enough for a few days and just heat up what they are going to use for that feed.

I made up fresh formula every feed. I did reuse teats and syringes just washed well and rinsed well then air dried in the cupboard.

Tiny tiny Big and Beige were adorable :love:

Rabswood
 
Hi to all and thank you very much for all your help he died this morning.
I'm so upset can't believe how attached i have got to him over this past week , he was doing so well grew fur and was feeding so well.
It seems so unfair. But i gave him a chance and he was very much loved in the short time we had him. :cry:
I am going to look in to getting a rabbit from a rescue centre, give a rabbit a good home.
Thank you to all x
 
I know I felt the same way about the 2 I lost, they too were doing so well. At least you tried your best.

Please ask your friend to get her doe speyed.

Rabswood
 
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