Orphan Bunnies, Fostering, and Bottle-Raising Kits

This is a follow-up article to the one posted previously, "Are My Kits Getting Enough Milk?"   Please check out that article first if you haven't already, as it will walk you through a process of determining if a litter needs some human intervention and how to evaluate belly-fill in kits.  The article can be found here http://blossomacresrabbitry.blogspot.com/2020/10/are-my-kits-getting-enough-milk.html.  Most breeders eventually end up in a situation of baby rabbit kits that need additional assistance or full care to survive.  It could be due to a doe not producing enough milk, a first-time mom not caring adequately for her kits, too much competition with a large litter size, the mother passing, or a number of other reasons.  I have artificially reared quite a few kits from birth to weaning and have learned a lot over the past eleven years of raising rabbits that I hope will be helpful to others.

"Did somebody say milk?"

I would like to emphasize that artificially rearing a kit should be a last resort if all the other methods fail.  Rabbit kits are very delicate and extremely difficult to hand raise.  Raising kits on rabbit milk is by far the best option for them, so I will outline some ways to try to do this before resorting to artificial rearing.

IS THERE ENOUGH MILK IN THE RABBITRY?
This may sound like a funny question, but remember that natural rabbit milk is by far the best option for a kit, so very important to explore before resorting to other milks.  Does the mother herself have milk, but some other issue is causing her not to nurse her kits?  Does another doe in the rabbitry have additional milk (maybe she has a smaller litter size and plenty of milk to go around or she may have lost kits of her own)?  Do you know anyone else who has a doe at a similar day in lactation?  If you answered yes to any of those scenarios, that is an excellent avenue to explore and we will discuss how to take advantage of this option to nourish kits that need it.  If not, more suggestions are further into this article! 

FOSTERING KITS
If you have another doe that is producing milk well and does not have a particularly large litter/her own kits are thriving, she may be able to support more kits as well.  This is often called "fostering" or "grafting" and is sometimes the easiest option and can be as simple as placing the hungry kit(s) into the nest of another doe for her to nurse along with her own young.  Fostering can be done with newborns or slightly older kits, but becomes significantly more difficult with age as the foster doe is more likely to reject an older kit.  Ideally, the litters you are combining will be of a similar age and size, although a few days difference can still be successful.  Some does are very aware of the smells of their nest and quick to reject an invader while others do not seem to know or mind and willingly nurse other kits.  While somewhat opposite, both of these are positive maternal traits (being protective of her own kits or nurturing to all).  I tend to aim for "tricking" a doe so to speak by slipping in another newborn shortly after she has given birth so that she does not know one of the kits is not hers.  Although not always necessary, I also try to keep the other doe's scent from being a potential problem since some rabbits are very territorial.  Clean off any of the mother's plucked hair from the kits you are trying to foster.  Next, gently rub the kit with the other kits and fur in the nest to put their scent on it.  Since the mothers tend to check their nest shortly after I handle it, I also cover the kit with the other kits and fur so that there is not an obviously new sight and smell on top of the nest.  For some foster mothers, you can also put a dab of vanilla extract on their nose which seems to distract them from the new scents in their nest.  I will then keep a careful watch of the nest to make sure that the foster mother accepts them and check them twice a day for several days at first to make sure they are eating well along with the rest of the litter.  

One question that often comes up in fostering situations is how to tell kits of the same color and different litters apart.  Whenever possible, I will try to arrange it so that there are not two kits of the same color and different pedigree in the same nest box.  If that is not possible, you can put a small dot in the ear of each fostered kit in question with a sharpie marker and make sure to re-do the mark regularly as it fades quickly.  Some breeders will also tattoo a dot in the ear of a fostered kit for permanent identification.  When fostering, keep good records!  You do not want to be second guessing the pedigree/genetics of a litter down the road. 

ASSISTED NURSING
If the biological mother herself has milk but is not nursing her litter for whatever reason or you have other does with milk that you are unable to graft kits onto (their litter may be too old or she may have rejected a graft attempt), "assisted nursing" is an excellent option.  Keep in mind, however, that a doe's milk starts out very rich at early lactation and gets gradually less rich further into lactation, so try to feed kits on a doe that gave birth at a similar time.  There are two main methods of doing this and I find the first method to be more successful.

Method #1  With this method, the kits are nursing in the most natural way possible.  First, place all the kits in the center of the nest and remove the extra hair or bedding that make it harder for them move about.  Next, very carefully, lower the lactating doe into the box in a standing position directly over the kits.  Some does will happily feed the kits at this point, but chances are, she will try to leave the box.  It is important to hold the doe still and keep her from jumping out, rotating in the box, stomping her feet, hurting the kits, or preventing them from nursing.  You want the doe to be standing lightly on her feet so there is a gap under her belly for the kits to nurse.  A rambunctious doe will usually quiet down after a minute or two, but it is important to still gently hold her.  Feeding with this method usually takes about 5 minutes and the kits can be faintly heard nursing so you know they are busy.  If this attempt fails for whatever reason, you can try again with another doe if available, but should give the kits a rest before trying again.  Kits get exhausted after trying to nurse and not getting an adequate meal and will often temporarily stop trying after a failed attempt.  

This is my go-to method as it works extremely well and the kits' bellies fill fast.  If a first time mom is not feeding her kits enough, but has plenty of milk, feeding the kits on her like this a few times can help her instinct to kick in and she may care for them thereafter.  Some signs I look for that show the doe is learning to care for them herself is she will stay in the box without me holding her and will arch her back to allow the kits to nurse easily below her.  She will also put her head down to groom the kits.  When this happens, I can usually put the nesting box back with the doe and she raises them perfectly thereafter.  

Method #2 of assisted nursing is one that you may read about more often, but I find to be more difficult and less successful in practice.  This method involves laying the doe on her back and gently restraining her while the kits are placed on top of her belly to nurse.  It takes much longer for the kits' bellies to fill when they are nursing upside down like this and they sometimes get exhausted from trying.  The doe's milk does not "come down" well when she is upside down and kits normally nurse upwards, so this is unnatural for them.  There can be difficulty with the kits scurrying around on the doe's belly and falling off your lap and the doe can (and often does try to) give powerful kicks with her hind legs that can potentially injure the kits.  For these reasons, I much prefer the first method, but still carefully use this method if needed.

 

ARTIFICIAL REARING AND SUPPLEMENTING

 

If the above options failed or are not available, supplementing or artificial rearing is the next best option.  I want to emphasize that artificial rearing does not have to last until weaning.  If attempts at nursing kits on natural rabbit milk failed one day, a meal of other milk can be used to get them by one more day before trying again on natural rabbit milk.  This is known as supplementing rather than artificial rearing.  Sometimes the does just need a little longer for their milk production to kick in or the kits just need a little more strength to nurse well later.  It is better for the kits to have a few days on other milk than to be reared entirely artificially.   

 

Rabbit milk cannot be compared nutritionally to other readily available species' milk like cows and goats because it significantly richer.  Rabbit milk is much higher in fat and protein than cow milk and the lactose content is extremely low.  Because of this, you need to be very careful that you are offering the kit something as close as possible to what it needs nutritionally.  Compare rabbit milk with the other milks below.  A kit would starve on average cow milk alone.  I often seen goat milk recommended as a substitute since it is higher fat than cow milk, but goat milk also does not come anywhere close to rabbit milk.  Kitten milk replacer is also not rich enough for rabbit kits.

g/100g	Cow	Goat	Sheep	Rabbit
Fat	3.7	4.3	6.1	12.9
Protein	3.4	2.4	4.7	12.3
Lactose	4.1	3.7	4.8	<2
Keszcka et al. 2013, Balthazar et al. 2017, Maertens et al. 2006

With this in mind, I recommend a special milk replacer that is high in fat and protein.  Fox Valley makes one for wild rabbits (32/40) which can be found here https://www.squirrelsandmore.com/products/fox-valley-32-40-squirrels-opossums-and-bunnies.  Some prefer Fox Valley's 30/50 formula and that can be found here https://www.squirrelsandmore.com/collections/milk-replacers/products/fox-valley-30-50-beaver.  I would recommend keeping a bag on hand and it can be frozen after opening to keep fresh. 

There are certainly other options too, especially in a pinch, but they are more difficult to balance.  Cream can be added to milks to increase the fat content and egg yolk or a high-protein colostrum powder can be added to increase protein.  Evaporated milk also offers higher protein and fat than whole milk because it is concentrated, but still needs additives to balance it closer to rabbit milk.  I have successfully weaned quite a few kits from birth over the years using several different types of milk with careful consideration that they are getting enough fat and protein in particular.     

Here is a recipe of mine that uses a goat milk base if you cannot get the rabbit milk replacer.  It has too much lactose because it is goat milk, but comes much closer to rabbit milk in protein and fat than most recipes I have seen.  I am not a nutritionist and it isn't perfect, but significantly closer than most others I have evaluated.  It is important to use the brands I listed for these items because they all are different and I balanced this recipe to these brands.  I would also provide the kits with water and teach them to drink from a bottle by 2 weeks of age.  You can scale the recipe up or down as needed.     

5 tablespoons evaporated goat milk (Meyenberg evaporated goat milk)

1 tablespoon colostrum powder (Lifeline Rescue Lamb and Kid Colostrum Replacer)

1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream (5g fat per 15mls)

"BOTTLE" FEEDING
Different methods of artificial rearing are often lumped into the term "bottle feeding" even when no bottle is involved.  The younger the kit is, the harder it is to artificially rear.  If at all possible, try to get the kit through the first few days by feeding on other does (even if their milk production is low) because it is extremely difficult to feed a newborn.  This also allows for consumption of colostrum.  Even just two days makes the job significantly easier.  

The first thing you are going to need is a tool to feed them with.  I find that actual bottles (like what you can find sold for newborn kittens or multi-species use for wild animal babies) do not work.  The nipples on them are too firm for a newborn kit and are often too large as well.  My go-to tools are either a small glass eye dropper, or a small syringe with a tip meant for slip tip needles.  Luer lock syringes do not work without cutting off the lock feature.  I like using syringes because I can see exactly how much milk the kit is getting.

 This shows the kind of tip you want on a syringe for bottle feeding a kit.  I like to use between 1 and 5 cc syringes for this.  Glass eye droppers are also good for bottle feeding.  

 This syringe has a Luer Lock tip which is difficult to use for feeding kits because the locking feature shields the tip.

 

Some people report success using "Miracle Nipples" in the mini size, but I find these do not work well with newborns because they do not have a strong enough suckle.  These may work better with older kits that are used to them.  The benefit with these compared to a standard bottle and nipple is the ability to attach them to a syringe.

Besides your milk and feeding instrument, you will also want to have some highly absorbent material to use for cleaning the kit's face.  Early on with bottle feeding, the kits tend to fight you quite a bit and spit out the milk, so have lots on hand.  You do not want any milk getting in the kit's nose.   You need material that can soak up a stray drop of milk really fast, so a washcloth or other cloth do not work as well as paper towels.  

Once you have everything ready, you can begin feeding the kit.  Bottle-raised kits get super friendly and very easy to feed when they are older, but are much the opposite at first.  Expect the kit to fight you quite a bit and the feeding time can take an hour or more, requiring a lot of patience.  It is very important to prevent aspiration while feeding.  Begin by placing the eye dropper or syringe tip in the side of the kit's mouth and put a tiny drop of milk on the tongue.  If possible, try to keep the tip in the mouth between each drop and make sure it swallows each time.  When a kit is not swallowing well, try taking the dropper out of the kit's mouth and than putting it back in as though you are going to give it another drop.  They usually swallow after doing this and then you can continue giving them a drop at a time.  With time, it gets easier and you can give them a very slow and steady stream of milk rather than a drop at a time. You will still have to put the tip in the kit's mouth, but they will nurse more willingly on their own.  Eventually, they will run up to you and take it willingly by themselves and then feeding them can take just a couple of minutes.  As for how much to feed them, I always go by the "toad belly" look and base it completely on how big the belly is at the time.  They do not have to have a giant belly like some kits do, but you do want to see a definite roundness and fullness to them.  This usually ends up being 2-3 mls of milk per feeding for younger kits, but the roundness of the belly is more important than measuring milk since a lot of milk is wasted while feeding.  

"Bottle" Feeding a Kit with a Syringe

 

 This kit is about 2 weeks old and nursing quite aggressively.  Kits tend to make a mess when nursing this way, but at this age, they can groom themselves and are less prone to aspiration.  With younger kits, I feed much slower and quickly absorb stray drops of milk as they are unable to moderate this themselves.

TUBE FEEDING

Esophageal tube feeding is another technique for feeding kits, but requires training on insertion technique from someone experienced.  This method is safer if done correctly, especially for newborn kits, as the milk is delivered directly to the stomach rather than to the mouth where there are more opportunities for aspiration.  The possible error with this method is if the tube is inserted incorrectly down the trachea (windpipe) rather than the esophagus, so very important to learn proper technique.  You also do not want to feed with this method longer than needed as it can cause esophageal irritation.   

 

 

FEEDING FREQUENCY AND WEANING

Kits should be fed twice a day depending on how well they eat and how full they look following a feeding.   I find that once-daily feeding is often not enough unless the kits get very full bellies at the first feeding.  In the first few days, I measure that I give kits about 3ml a feeding, but that also includes some waste that they spit out.  It is better to gauge milk consumption on the roundness of the belly than how much was measured at feeding.  As they get older and start sampling pellets and drinking water, you can gradually cut back on how much milk they are getting.  When to wean bottle babies depends a lot on how strong they are and how well they are growing.  Very difficult eaters can sometimes be weaned at 4 weeks, but I try to go a full six weeks if possible.  Some kits that are not growing well need more than that and I weaned one doe at almost 10 weeks once because she needed the extra care.  

HUSBANDRY OF ARTIFICIALLY-REARED KITS

Nest - Kits ideally should be kept in a natural nest consisting of bedding such as hay or straw and rabbit fur either that their mother plucked while kindling or fur from another rabbit (saved while grooming).  Fur should be short to prevent it wrapping around the kits' necks or legs and cutting off circulation and can be trimmed if needed.  The nest should have a rough surface on the floor to prevent kits from burrowing down and slipping on the bottom.  Wet/soiled nest material should be removed regularly.  The nest is especially important in the first 2 weeks of life.  Kits are more likely to start exploring and leaving the nest at about 2 weeks of age, so keep the nest somewhere that contains escapees!  

   

Warmth - Do not use an electric heating pad under the nest!  Even at a low setting, they are too hot and excessive heat will cause the kits to scatter away from each other in the nest.  Even in a cool environment, kits should be able to stay warm in their nest without any additional heat sources.  If kits do feel cold, an old sock filled with rice and microwaved until warm (but not hot!) will do an excellent job of warming them and stay warm for a surprisingly long time.  For very cold kits, holding them against your skin (such as in your shirt) is best for warming them quickly or they can very carefully be held in a warm water bath and thoroughly dried once warm.

 

Cleanliness - without a mother grooming them, kits can get soiled and greasy easily, especially if/when things get messy while bottle-feeding.  I highly recommend trying to keep the nest of kits with a good-natured doe, even if she is not nursing them.  Some does will groom kits that aren't theirs and these does are real gems to have.  If you do not have this option, try to keep the kits as clean as possible while feeding and quickly soak up any spilled milk with paper towel when it happens.  You can wipe them down with a damp cloth and then dry them well.  I rarely find that I need to stimulate kits to urinate and they usually urinate quite readily on their own.  If they do not urinate on their own, you can gently rub their bottoms with a damp, soft cloth or cotton ball and they should urinate soon after.   

 

Nutrition/Gut Health -  start introducing solid foods very early.  I recommend using hay as nest material so that they can begin sampling it at a very young age (by 10 days).  You can also put a few feed pellets in their nest box and you may be surprised how early they sample solids.  Rabbit kits also normally consume their mother's cecotropes (night droppings) to help their gut flora get accustomed to the solid diet that their mother eats.  This is another great reason to keep the kits with a good-natured doe so they can consume some of her cecotropes.  If this is not possible, try to find some cecotropes from another rabbit, although this is very difficult.  

 

CONCLUSION

This is a very broad topic and impossible to fully cover in one blog post, but I hope the information is helpful.  While artificially rearing kits can be very difficult with high risk of mortality, these risks can be greatly reduced by following this guide.  The many tricks to avoid or delay artificial rearing discussed in this article are also beneficial to kit health and survival.  Please feel free to leave a comment or contact me with any questions!

"That was a good meal!"

Happy New Year!

-Barbara 

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