Effective Winter Care for Baby Rabbits: Tips and Tricks

Winter Care for Rabbits

1. Maintaining the Nest Temperature: It's crucial to keep the nest temperature around 3032℃ for newborn rabbits. Before the rabbits are due to give birth, the owner should prepare the nesting box with adequate insulation to ensure that the newborns are not exposed to the cold during winter. Newborn rabbits are particularly susceptible to hypothermia, which can lead to death within just a few minutes in low temperatures. Therefore, preparing the nesting area well in advance is essential. After the rabbits are born, if the outdoor temperature drops below 5℃, the owner can place a hot water bottle inside the nesting box for warmth. As the rabbits grow and their fur thickens, the time the hot water bottle is left in the box can be gradually reduced.

2. Cleaning Newborn Rabbits: The mucus, blood, or dust that can accumulate in the nostrils of newborn rabbits can harden into crusts, obstructing their breathing and hindering their ability to nurse. This can lead to suffocation or starvation. It's important for the owner to clean the newborns, which can be done by gently inserting a drop of chloramphenicol eye drops into their nostrils to soften any crusts before carefully removing them.

3. Feeding Regimen: Feed the kits milk 1 to 2 times a day. Place the mother rabbit in the center of the nesting box and gently nudge the kits to wake them up. Then, place them at the teats of the mother rabbit, where they will naturally start nursing.

4. Equal Feeding for All Kits: Since rabbits typically give birth to several kits, and some may be smaller and more fragile, it's beneficial to let the weakest kits nurse for an extra minute before the entire litter starts feeding. This helps ensure that all kits grow uniformly within a week.

5. Handing Over Kits to Other Mothers: If the mother rabbit has an insufficient milk supply due to a high number of kits or other factors, the owner should find a foster mother with an abundant milk supply. To prevent the foster mother from rejecting the kits, the owner can rub the kits' heads and lower abdomens with the mother rabbit's anal gland secretions. This familiar scent reduces the likelihood of rejection. It's best not to use the mother rabbit's urine for this purpose, as it can be irritating and may cause skin inflammation in the kits.

6. Monitoring Health: Breast milk is the only source of nutrition for kits, and its quality is vital for their healthy growth. Generally, healthy kits have clear urine and dark, granular feces. If the kits' feces and urine appear yellow or white, and the feces are runny with a foul smell, this may indicate that the mother has mastitis. In such cases, the owner should inject the mother with a mixture of gentamicin (80,000 units) and houttuynia injection (2ml) twice a day, morning and evening, and apply warm compresses to the mammary glands. This treatment should be continued for 2 to 4 days. For the kits, oral administration of chloramphenicol or gentamicin can help them recover quickly.

7. Creating a Safe Environment: Newborn rabbits have not yet developed their thermoregulatory functions and are sensitive to light and prone to drowsiness. They thrive in a small, dark environment. Therefore, it's best to initially keep them in a confined, dark space and gradually introduce them to brighter surroundings as they adapt.

That concludes our guide on caring for newborn rabbits this winter. If you have any further questions or need more information, feel free to leave a comment below. The Oxygen Pet Doctor is here to assist you online!