How to take care a baby rabbit

A baby rabbit is so cute and everyone wants to take care of it like their kid. However, there are a few things that you should know if you were intending to take care a baby rabbit. 

How to take care a baby rabbit

1. Feeding a baby rabbit

You have to feed the baby rabbits every 2 - 3 hours because they cannot digest food properly and need to go to toilet after feeding. If you do not feed them for more than 4 hours, they may cry and try to wake you up late at night. The best way is that you take care of them as a baby and feed them like your own baby. If you do not have time to care for them, bottle-feeding is recommended. You can prepare milk or soy milk with calcium. Fill the feeding bottle with 60% water and 40% milk (or 100% soy milk).

If you choose to use cow's milk, please remember that cow's milk is difficult for human babies to digest because of the high amount of protein. The baby rabbit will have diarrhoea because it cannot digest that much protein. It is important that you feed them with proper food according to their age, especially in the first 3 months.

2 . Handling a baby rabbit

Rabbits are prey animals and they feel scared when they are picked up. You should avoid picking them up because it will make them stressed. If you need to pick them up, you can do it very slowly and carefully, making sure that you support their body with your hand. Another way to handle a baby rabbit is by using a towel. Wrap the towel around them and hold them like you would a baby.

3. Temperature control

A baby rabbit's body temperature is very important and you need to make sure that it is always within the normal range (38 - 39 degrees Celsius). You can use a thermometer to check their temperature or feel their ears, which are one of the areas of the body with a high blood supply and therefore respond quickly to changes in the environment. If their ears feel cold, it means that their temperature is below normal, so you have to warm them up by wrapping them with a towel or blanket.

4. Handling an injured baby rabbit

If you find a baby rabbit alone, injured or weak, the very first thing you need to do is to make sure that he is safe from any further injury. The baby rabbit could have broken a leg, so you should support its body with your hand and be careful when moving it. After checking him thoroughly, take him to an animal hospital immediately.

If the baby rabbit cannot move at all or is having difficulty breathing, you should start CPR.

5. Toilet training a baby rabbit

A baby rabbit will not be able to control its bladder and bowels until it is at least 3 months old. So, you will have to change their bedding every day and keep the surrounding area clean. When they are about to go to the toilet, the baby rabbit will sit up and start to grunt. You can put them in a designated toilet area or use a litter tray.

6. Grooming a baby rabbit

A baby rabbit's coat will start to grow after they are 1 month old. You should groom them every day using a soft brush to remove the dead hair and keep their coat clean. At night, you can put a blanket on them so that they feel warmer.

Tips:

1. The first thing help your baby rabbit stay safe is build a house for it. You can buy or make one by yourself because both options have their advantages and disadvantages. If you think you have enough time and good at making stuff, why not build a house by yourself? It can save your money as well as use more space in your room.

2. Like rabbits need to sleep off, they also need daily exercise to keep their body healthy and active. You should take it outdoor for a walk every day because a house is too small for it to run around.

3. A rabbit needs freshwater every day so you should change it every day. You can use some kinds of bowls with high sides which are not easy to spill the water on your floor.

4. Rabbits usually eat vegetables and fruits, especially carrots, apples, and celery. Those fruit and vegetables can be found in any grocery store. You need to provide them with food at least twice a day.

5. It is necessary to trim their hair once every two weeks so that they will not overheat and look tidy. Use sharp scissors and cut their hair carefully, especially near their anus and genitalia because there are many blood vessels there.

6. Finally, you should take your rabbit to the vet for a check-up at least once a year. This is important to make sure your rabbit is healthy and there is nothing wrong with it.

Conclusion

The above article teaches us about the basics of taking care a baby rabbit. We must be careful in handling rabbits when we are trying to pick it up because it will stress them out and thus make them unresponsive towards their surroundings.