Young rabbit rescue.

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BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 5sd replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 5 years, 5 months ago by Enkidu.

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- 09/08/2020 at 4:16 PM
  Enkidu
  Participant
  13 posts
  So I apologize, in advance for this wall of text, looking for a little help in taking care of a rescued 4-5 week old bunny.
  
  Me and my girlfriend have two currently bonded bunnies. One is a female Netherland Dwarf (Psyron) aged about 7 ½ years. Another is a Male Holland lop aged about 2 years, Arti.
  
  Here is the catch: we recently adopted a bunny from someone who said they could no longer take care of a baby bunny and we did not want it to go to a shelter or get released, so we took it in.
  Unfortunately this bunny seems way too young to be away from its mother, after pressing the lady a little, she said she believes it to be a month old. (4-5 weeks).
  
  Rascal was said to be a Lionhead mini, but he looks very much like a Rex Mini instead. I also am starting to doubt everything this lady says, so we will be properly sexing the rabbit this week.
  Currently Rascal is eating alfalfa hay, some young rabbit pellets and drinking water, running around a little and has done some slight binkies. By my account he looks quite happy and on the right track. He does not have access to unlimited pellets but we do feed him some pellets twice a day – the not unlimited is to promote him eating more hay.
  
  So my questions: is there something special I should be getting from a vet to assist his development? I am worried about his gut flora being away from his mom so young, also he is very skinny and I can feel practically every bone in his body when petting him.
  
  Currently it is 12 degrees Celsius outside and at night dips to 0 or just below. I am worried about him being so young and skinny of freezing. Is there any advice or is heat a larger issue than cold? He has bedding in his cage and no draft from any nearby windows.
  
  Thank you for the time taking to read this,
  Sincerely,
  Dustin.
- 09/11/2020 at 8:31 AM
  PurplePineapples
  Participant
  6 posts
  Wow, that’s a young rabbit! You may be able to make a substitute for his mother’s milk. On Youtube, you can go to the channel Lennon The Bunny, and her most recent video has some information on what they used to substitute a rabbit mother’s milk to keep the baby rabbit alive. You also might want to feed more pellets if he is still too skinny. You might want to call your vet, too, just to see if they know anything that might help.
  
  I think that heat is more of a problem than cold, except if it’s extremely cold. As long as the rabbit is inside and the temperature stays around 15.5 degrees Celsius, he should be okay. He might be okay if the temperature is as low as 10 degrees, but since he’s small you probably don’t want it that cold. If it does get really cold inside, you could get a heating pad.
- 09/11/2020 at 8:58 AM
  Enkidu
  Participant
  13 posts
  Thanks for the reply purp! I will check out the video after work and try it. I’m curious if he will even be interested after being fed greens, hay and pellets since last weekend. I feel like such a worry wart bunny parent but still learning lots about bunnies even after raising two haha.
  
  Quick update: confirmed his sex, vet said to keep an eye on him and his weight and bring him in for an exam as soon as reasonable if I’m worried. Other bunnies are getting grumpy about his scent so going to switch a toy or two around. Still curious of his actual parentage so kind of excited to see him grow up and molt his baby furr. He’s doing binkies and zooms and let’s me pick him up to cuddle on couch.
- 09/11/2020 at 6:16 PM
  LBJ10
  Moderator
  17228 posts
  I would caution against feeding greens to a bunny this young. As you know, his gut flora probably isn’t very robust yet so feeding greens could cause upset. Him being so young is not ideal, but he should be able to manage on an alfalfa-based pellet and hay.
- 09/11/2020 at 7:23 PM
  DanaNM
  Moderator
  9064 posts
  His gut flora should establish over time with a diet of mostly hay. I agree that greens should be avoided for now. Just lots of grass hay and an alfalfa based pellet.
  
  . . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.
- 09/11/2020 at 7:33 PM
  Enkidu
  Participant
  13 posts
  Thank you for the replies! I have been feeding him romain lettuce for the past 4 days and everything seems fine after. I’ll feed the other buns the greens instead and of course curb the veggies for now and ensure he has tons of hay, water and pellets.
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