What To Do If You Find An Abandoned Bunny Baby

If you have just found an abandoned bunny, first, determine if it truly has been abandoned.  If several bunnies are together in a nest and there is no mother in sight, then they probably haven’t been abandoned.  Mother rabbits only feed their young once a day, and usually at night.  They do not stay with their young.  If, however, you have observed that one is alone or if the babies’ stomachs look like they haven’t been fed (a full baby has a nice fat tummy), then you might want to intervene.

In taking care of a baby bunny, you first need to keep it warm.  A mother rabbit will create a nest of grass, leaves, or hay and place the babies deep inside, and then will pull her own hair from her chest to cover them up.  There is usually so much hair covering the babies that you cannot even see them moving.  Try to simulate this environment to keep the babies from freezing to death.  A heat lamp or warm water bottle also might be useful in trying to warm up the babies.

If you are feeding an orphaned bunny, the most economical method is to buy an orphaned kitten feeder and kitten milk replacer or goat’s milk (supplement kitten milk or goat’s milk with 1 Tablespoon 100% heavy cream (no sugar) for a formula that is closer to the rabbit’s natural milk) to feed the bunnies.  Their little tummies don’t hold much, so don’t be surprised if they don’t eat much during the feeding.  Remember that their mother would only feed them once a day, so don’t try multiple feedings.  Try to imitate the mother as much as possible.

Most importantly, keep in mind that young rabbit kits have a very high mortality rate.  Many things can go wrong with a baby rabbit, and it is difficult to prevent problems if they arise.  Many mother rabbits can tell if a baby will not survive before we can, and they will cull the dying babies out of the nest.  However, with a bit of luck and close attention to details, you may find yourself with nice healthy bunny!