Sometimes you may get a wild baby rabbit around your household, near your garden, or in any locality that is not under anyone’s territory. To keep the baby alive without the help of its rabbit mother is a hard task, but this situation is not uncommon. So here we will discuss some ways to revive and look after the baby of a wild rabbit.
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What kind of condition should be maintained to keep the baby wild rabbit healthy?
Baby wild rabbit needs warmth most. They usually get this warmth from their mother’s body and they stick close to their mother unless they are a few weeks old. So you need to arrange for the temperature of 95 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit for the first two weeks.
When the baby will be two or three weeks old you can lessen the temperature by two or three degrees. This needs to be done each day as long as the temperature comes into the normal room range, which is around 68 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. However, you have to make sure that the rabbit baby does not feel the absence of its mother and thus the body temperature of it does not decrease.
After the bunny baby gets older, you just have to keep a watch that it does not fall sick due to the extreme heat or coldness.
How do you feed a wild baby rabbit without its mother?
Baby rabbits need milk and if the mother is not available for providing it, then you may give it KMR or kitten milk replacer to provide it with adequate nutrition. This product is available in various pet stores. You can get it from the vet’s office as well.
Rabbit milk is one of the richest and most high-calorie foods and so, when giving the baby KMR you can add a spoonful of whipped cream which is not sweetened, with that product to the baby.
How do you keep the baby rabbit alive?
You need to place the baby rabbit in a box where it would feel cozy and comfortable. As it is used to living with its mother, you need to make sure that it feels as snug and comfortable as it could be with its mother. The place where you would keep it should be calm and without any noise from the household. There should not be any loud sounds of music, kids, or cars.
Light is also important in the case of bringing up a rabbit baby. You should not keep the baby in darkness but also the place where it is kept should not be in bright light. Bright light will disturb its peace and sleeping cycle which will in turn harm its growth. So make sure that the place is not harshly lighted.
Keeping the baby rabbit near a heating pad will be a good idea but the pad should not be at a high temperature. The pad also should not be kept much near the baby. If you have kept the baby in the box then keep the heat pad in the middle of the box and keep the temperature low.
Can baby bunnies drink water?
Until the baby bunnies become 4 weeks old they are not supposed to drink water. By this time they only drink their mother’s milk and that is enough for their hydration as well as nutrition. After that period you may give it some amount of water by dropper. Also, you can place a very small bowl of water in their cage. But the water should be regularly changed as they can poop in the water sometimes and later can drink from the same bowl.
The bowl should be very small and shallow or the baby rabbit can fall into it and get drowned.
How long can a wild baby rabbit survive without their mother?
When the baby bunnies become at least three weeks old, they do not need their mothers anymore. Their mothers, if they are living with them, will leave them at around that time and that is when they start living themselves sufficiently.
For humans, it is hard to understand and believe that the small three-month-old baby bunnies are self-dependent and can start living on their own. They are not orphaned but rather left to live on their own at such a young age by their mother.
Do wild baby rabbits carry disease?
Yes, there can be a chance of carrying the disease by the baby wild rabbits. The disease called tularemia or rabbit fever is one such disease that is found among rabbits only. However, there is no chance that this disease can affect humans. If you find this disease in the rabbit baby that you have adopted then you need to take proper care of it and take the baby to the vet so it gets recovered.
In some cases, if your drinking water carries the germs of tularemia or you eat by hand after touching an affected rabbit then you may get sore throat and diarrhea. It may also cause vomiting and ulcer but it can be cured by proper medication.
Do baby rabbits eat carrots?
After the baby rabbits become three months old then you can start providing them with carrots. New foods like new vegetables and fruits can be given to them but in small portions. Do not try more than one item at a time as the stomach of the baby rabbits are quite sensitive and they can fall sick due to the ingredients of the vegetables or fruits.
How can you tell how old the baby rabbits are?
When the baby rabbits are newborns then you can see them by looking at their size. After that, they grow in size until the age of 3 months. After they are 12 months old they can be called mature. However, their growth of fur is not complete until they are one year old.
Can you hand raise the baby rabbits?
When you plan to hand raise a baby rabbit without its mother it can be a tricky situation but it is not impossible. You can make it work with lots of dedication and hard work. This is a demanding job. But it is a great responsibility and there are various steps to it.
Washing the hand
You should not forget to wash your hand before touching or holding a wild baby rabbit. Until their coat is fully grown they can get an infection on their skin due to the presence of various viruses and bacteria. Also if the baby rabbit can smell other animals on your hand it will be stressed out.
Caring for urination and defecation
Baby bunnies sometimes do not defecate or urinate and need stimulation from their mother. A cotton ball moistened with warm water can be rubbed softly to the urogenital area near the abdomen. This will let the baby rabbit pass the urine or poop.
Vaccination
Proper vaccination is needed for the baby rabbits. Calicivirus is one such disease that should be prevented by timely vaccination. Also, a booster dose should be followed after four weeks of the main vaccination. For the rest period, a vaccine should be given twice a year.
Sterilization
You should not keep male and female rabbits after they reach the age of 12 weeks, thus the early pregnancy will be prevented. After they reach 4 months of age the male ones can be sterilized, while the female ones can be sterilized after 5 months.
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