Its good character and tranquility make the rabbit one of the ideal pets for families with children. Although when they are adults they do not need much care, things change if it is a baby rabbit since it is in one of its most vulnerable stages.
The baby rabbits are called kits and are born after the pregnancy of the rabbit, one of the most surprising in the animal world since it usually lasts between 20 and 30 days. The care of future bunnies begins here and that is why we must pay close attention to the health of the rabbit, which we must feed very well based not only on pellets, but also by adding fresh foods such as cucumber or carrots to its diet.
When the time comes to give birth, the future mother will begin to make a nest to provide comfort for her children and for this, she usually uses her own hair. In addition, it would be appropriate if you provided a few days before materials such as hay or even goat hair to help her. You can also use newspaper or a towel as the base of the nest, but you should take extreme hygiene and change them frequently.
It is important to note that while she is giving birth, you should leave her alone. Did you know that rabbits are born deaf and blind? In their first days of life we must take extreme precautions and be very delicate with them. Therefore, we recommend that you do not handle them or get too close to them as this could make the rabbit nervous.
Although the ideal is for the mother to provide her kittens with all the care they need, she may reject some of them and not feed them. Under normal conditions, this will do it twice a day but if it does not, you should be the one in charge of its correct diet. At this point, it should be noted that it would be recommended that you go to the vet so that he can advise you on everything you need to know.
We know that these first weeks of life are important and you do not want anything to go wrong, but it is important that you do not obsess and force him to eat. This could be counterproductive for the kitten, as it could lead to pneumonia. What you should do is weigh him every day to make sure he is really growing and, of course, if you notice that something is not going as well as it should, take him to the vet.
When they are newborns, it is essential that they have formula milk that you can buy in specialized centers. Failing that, you can use kitten milk but never cow’s milk. We will administer it to the kitten through a bottle with a small nipple starting with a very small amount that we will gradually increase. As for the daily intake, it is recommended to divide it into three doses.
There are certain foods that under no circumstances should we supply the rabbit, neither in its first weeks of life nor when it is an adult, as they could be very harmful to it. We talk about chocolate, potato, legumes, iceberg lettuce, all kinds of seeds, avocado, etc. Instead, fruits like apple, pear, banana, or vegetables like carrot or spinach will provide all the nutrients you need to be a strong and healthy rabbit.
Although as we said, in its first weeks of life it should only feed on milk , we must gradually withdraw it from the sixth week. How can we do it? Very simple, lowering it little by little with water in the case of formula milk from the bottle. It is from then on when we can introduce the odd vegetable or fruit that we have mentioned above. If you deem it convenient, you can start giving him hay and pellets from the third or fourth week so that little by little he gets used to it.
As for the cabin, you must ensure that the cage is as clean as possible at all times and place it in a place away from the sun without drafts as sudden changes in temperature can be harmful to them. It is important that you do not let the kits get cold and for this – in the event that the mother rejects them – have a thermal bag with hot water next to them.
