The rabbits are very sweet-natured pets that also need owners who are sweet and friendly to them and also who can provide them with a lifestyle that is needed by the rabbits in which they can live happily and safely. The rabbits most importantly need owners who not only understand them but also take proper care because they are very sensitive in nature. When we come to the newborn rabbits they are more sensitive as compared to the adult rabbits and you need to be more careful with them when it comes to their health.
In this guide on rabbits, we will discuss the topic of newborn rabbits that how to take care of newborn rabbits so that you can give them a better lifestyle and also let them enjoy their life. The rabbit will grow in a proper manner if their owners will take care of them in a better way. The health of the rabbits depends upon how well their owners will raise them up.
How to care for a newborn rabbit?
You need to keep in mind lots of things so that you can provide the new rabbit with a healthy lifestyle and also make sure you are not careless in their case the ways in which you can take care of the newborn baby are listed below:-
- The first thing and that is also very important is that you need to first take care of the rabbit who is giving birth to the baby rabbit. You need to provide that rabbit with the best diet so that she is healthy and does not face any kind of health issue.
- If the rabbit is healthy and it is getting a good diet then you will notice that even it will impact the baby as all the diet that the mother will eat will also affect the baby and if the diet is healthy then even the baby will grow healthy.
- After the birth of the baby rabbit, you need to make sure that the rabbit is healthy and also make sure that you are prepared beforehand so that you do not have to worry at the last moment.
- Also when the female rabbit is giving birth you need to keep the male rabbits away from her because they can hurt the babies. So it is better to separate both of the rabbits and let the female rabbit give babies in a comfortable environment.
- You need to be prepared for the rabbit kittens because it will not be one but it will be a litter of kittens so in this case do not panic and enjoy the cuteness of the newborns. You need to first check whether all the rabbit kittens are alive or not and if there is a dead one you need to remove it because otherwise, it can cause various health issues to other newborn rabbits.
- After you have checked that everything is fine you can place them in a box that is safe, warm, soft, and comfortable for the rabbits. As the kittens are just born they will feel cold so place them in a warm place and also a comforting one.
- You also need to take care of the mother rabbit and provide them with food and water because she will feel weak after giving birth also she is nursing the baby rabbits so her diet should be full of nutrients and make sure that she is healthy only then the baby rabbits will be able to survive without any hassle. Also, the supply of food and water should be enough for the mother rabbit to eat whenever she feels like and it should be fresh.
- You will also notice whether the mother rabbit is nursing the babies or not because in some cases they do not and the newborn rabbits will be weak and helpless so in this case, you need to contact the vet because you cannot just leave the newborn rabbits for dying you need to do something.
- The vets will guide you on how to take care of the newborn rabbits if the mother rabbit is not taking care of them. You need to bottle feed them with milk because that is the main diet for the newborn rabbit on which they will survive. You will also need to be careful because rabbits do not drink cow milk that is easily available or other milk. As the rabbits are allergic to milk and they can only survive on goat milk and the Kitten milk replacer that is available in the market or from the vets. So do not bottle feed them with any type of milk that you feel like be careful with them so that you do not face any kind of causality.
- Now after everything is sorted you need to clean the box in which the newborn rabbits are placed because lots of infections can take place so in order to provide the rabbits with a healthy and hygienic environment you need to keep the box of the rabbit clean. As this will affect the health of the newborn rabbits a lot. Try if possible to clean their box on daily basis and change the bedding of their box and replace it with a new and the cleaner one.
- Now as the days will pass you cannot just only feed them with milk you also need to provide them with other things to eat so that they can get adapted to other things that are healthy for them and also that will benefit them and are full of nutrients. As we know that food plays a very important part in the life of any living being so make sure that you are quite careful with the diet of the newborn rabbit.
- You need to notice what is suitable for the baby rabbits regarding their diet because their digestive system will not be strong so there will be problems when they will be eating something. You need to notice all this for their well-being. The things they are not able to digest you should avoid completely in the diet of your baby rabbits to avoid any kind of problem.
- Do not touch the rabbits much when they are very young and it is also recommended by the vets that you should not hold the baby rabbits when they are very small you should hold them when they are about eight weeks old at that time they will be old enough and also strong enough. The baby rabbits should not be held much because they can get sick and also can get prone to various infections because your hand might carry lots of bacteria that are not good for the rabbits. So wash your hands before and after handling them as it would be a healthy practice for the owners for providing better health to the newborn rabbits.
- Make sure that you are constantly watching the newborn rabbits growing and also this will help in noticing if something is wrong with them or not. If you notice that something s wrong with the behavior of the newborn babies of the rabbit or they are different from the usual days then you need to be careful with them and check if anything is wrong with them.
- When you do not have any clue what to do and take care of the newborn rabbits the best thing you can do is contact a vet as they will guide you through the whole process and then you can raise your baby rabbits quite nicely in this manner.
- You also need to take your newborn rabbits to the vet for regular medical check-ups so that if they are facing any kind of problem you can overcome that and also that problem can be solved at an early stage. A medical check-up is necessary for the baby rabbits so that you can ensure that they are doing well or not. If something is wrong with them it can be easily detected with their regular check-up.
- Your baby rabbits need an owner who can understand them and also provide them with everything that is important for them so that they can live a life that is healthy and safe for them. The more you will take care of them the better life you will be able to provide for your baby rabbit.
These are some of the ways in which you can take care of the rabbits so that they can live a life that is good and healthy for newborn rabbits. The newborn rabbits need extra care and love as compared to the adult ones so be sure that you can provide the baby rabbits with a safe environment where they can live without any fear and also where they can get a good diet.
You can follow the above-mentioned steps when you want to take care of the newborn babies these steps are easy to follow and you will not face any kind of problem when raising the newborn rabbits with or without the mother rabbit.
Points to remember
There are some the important points that you should remember when you are taking care of newborn rabbits so that they do not face any kind of problem also it is easy for you that you can take care of them without any hassle and some of those important points are listed below:-
- If you find a baby rabbit dead at the time of the birth, you should try reviving them by pumping its heart because in some cases it can come back to life.
- You do not need to worry if the baby rabbits’ eyes are not opening because their eyes will not open up to 10 to 12 days after their birth, but if they will not open even after that then you need to worry and also contact the vet as soon as possible.
- The mother rabbit does not be seen around their babies the whole day so you do not need to worry because they will go to their babies only once or twice a day in order to feed them. So this is natural do not worry in such a scenario.
- You will be amazed to know that the baby rabbits are not grown with any kind of fur on their body so do not get scared because this is how they are born naturally and with time their fur will grow onto their body.
These are some of the things that you need to keep in mind when you are taking care of the newborn rabbits and the most important thing that you should keep in mind when handling the newborn rabbits is that you need to be calm and patient with them, in the beginning, it would be difficult for you to control them but with time you will learn it and will easily take care of them.
Final thoughts:
Rabbits are a pet that is fully dependent on their owners which is why you should be aware of your rabbit as much as possible so that you can provide them with a lifestyle that they deserve. The rabbit is a very cute organism and because of its cuteness, they bond well with their owners because their owners often like to be around them and spend time with them as this helps to grow a strong bond between the two and even the rabbits trust them a lot.
When a rabbit starts trusting their owners then they become quite loyal to them and this leads to the beginning of a new friendship that is beneficial for both of them also the rabbit and the owner will support each other which leads to a peaceful life and also they will not create any problem for each other.
