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Sometimes babies have a hard time finding enough space at the "milk bar" the first few days. We check our baby rabbits every morning and every evening to make sure they are well hydrated and that once the mother's milk comes in they all have full bellies. Sometimes, we find one that looks like it could use a little help. Our first choice is always to do an assisted nursing, restraining the doe and allowing the baby to nurse from its mom. When that doesn't work or isn't an option, we often do a supplemental feeding. Many rabbit breeders do not provide such assistance to their baby rabbits, preferring either to let nature take its course or they will cull any small rabbits or those who are not growing well. We do not look down upon these management techniques but after years of animal husbandry practices that focus on always doing whatever can be done to save an animal, it has been too hard for us to accept the natural fate of any animal. Sometimes interfering does result in prolonged suffering for a baby rabbit, dragging out the process out over several days. But other times, a baby rabbit will bounce back after one or two feedings and be able to nurse well on its own after that.
When a Baby May Need Help
First, you'll want to know when to intervene. We carefully check babies twice daily from when they are born until they are 4-5 days old, making sure they are all being fed and removing any babies who have died from the nest. Babies that survive the first 5 days are usually going to be fine, so after that we opt to only check babies once daily, unless we just really want some snuggles. My opinion is that if a kit does not have a full-looking belly by 36 hours, or if it has lines in its skin indicating it is dehydrated, you will know that the baby is struggling and could use some help. Does nurse their babies twice daily, typically near dawn and dusk. I like to check on the babies sometime mid-morning, that way if one needs an assisted feeding it isn't too full to want to nurse when the doe feeds them later in the day.
Assisted Nursing
Mother's milk is absolutely the best thing for baby rabbits, and nursing from mom does not pose the same risks of aspirating fluids as supplemental feeding. To perform an assisted nursing, we restrain the doe on our lap with her head near our torso and her back on our thighs, belly up. A second person (usually one of my boys) holds the baby (or babies) and helps them find a spot to nurse. We let them eat until they seem full and sleepy, or at least until their belly has that "frog" shape to it.
Supplemental Feeding
Supplemental feeding is a much trickier process, fraught with challenges and dangers. However, when done carefully, it can give a baby some much needed hudration and energy until the next time mom feeds her babies. You'll want to have all your supplies ready when you start feeding, to reduce time out of the nest since these newborns lack fur to keep them warm and rely on their littermates to provide enough warmth.
Supplies:
Milk (powder from Allthingsbunnies, or a homemade formula)
1 ml syringe, nipple, or eye dropper
Several clean cloths
Small glass jar
Microwaveable container large enough for glass jar to fit inside
Thermometer
Heating pad or microwaveable heat pack (to help keep baby warm while you get everything ready and to rewarm as needed)
Homemade Formula:
1/2 cup canned goats milk (we use Meyenberg)
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp corn syrup
1) Mix formula well in a glass jar.
2) Heat water in the microwaveable container. I like to heat it to around 115 degrees F.
3) Place jar of formula down into the warm water, stirring occasionally. Let it heat until a thermometer reads 102-104 degrees F.
4) Draw a half ml into the syringe.
Now it's time to feed the kit. Carefully place a drop of formula on the kit's mouth and let it lick it down. Do not squirt formula into its mouth or allow any to get on its nose. If you do end up with a drop on the kit's nose, quickly wipe it away to avoid the baby aspirating any of the formula. This cannot be overstressed - the biggest danger of supplementary feeding is fluid ending up in the kit's airway, leading to either suffocation or pneumonia. Place just one drop at a time, over and over again and let the kit suck and lick at it before placing another drop. I like to aim to get 2 ml or more into the kit. If the kit is willing to suck on the end of the syrings/nipple, you can let them draw formula out as they are able but often newborns lack the ability to do that. You may need to take a break to reheat the formula, which is a great time to place the kit on the heating pad to keep it warm. Once you are done feeding, place the baby back in the nest and place the nest in the cage with the doe. With any luck, the baby will be fed by its mother the next time she feeds them and your work will be done. Sometimes, I will need to assist for the first 72 hours but I've found that after that, the kit either doesn't make it or bounces back and is able to nurse well on its own.
