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How to Feed a Wild Baby Rabbit

Before entertaining the thought of feeding a wild baby rabbit, be sure that it is truly orphaned. Its best odds of survival are to keep it free of human interaction. According to Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), there's good news and bad news about feeding truly orphaned baby bunnies. The bad news: Nine out of 10 baby bunnies won't survive when separated from their mother. The good news: There is a 10 percent chance that by providing the right food and feeding regimen, you can help baby bunnies thrive and develop into healthy adults that you can release back into the wild.

Things You'll Need

Gloves
Cotton towel
Syringe
Pet baby bottle
Cotton balls
Penny scale
Milk formula
Rabbit pellets
Dark leafy vegetables

Instructions

How to Feed a Wild Baby Rabbit
- 1
  If you can, turn your orphaned baby bunny over to your local wildlife rehabilitation specialist. This will increase the chances that your orphaned bunny will survive. Only attempt to feed baby bunnies if you know that too much time would otherwise go by before they could obtain proper nourishment.
- 2
  Mix formula (made from a precise combination of kitten milk, specialty commercial milk formula and/or goat milk) for your young bunny, before the eyes are open, if necessary.
- 3
  Mix enough formula for one day, and store excess in the refrigerator.
- 4
  Using a syringe or pet nursing bottle, feed the formula to your orphaned baby bunny; use the syringe for tiny infants, and the bottle for larger ones. Feed your bunny as long as it accepts the formula (stop when it doesn't), about three times each day. Keep the bunny wrapped in soft cotton cloth.
- 5
  Weigh the baby bunny every day to ensure that it is growing. If two days go by without growth, feed them more frequently --- four to five times per day --- or increase the concentration of the formula.
- 6
  Slowly introduce the developing bunny to alfalfa pellets or hay, oats or timothy. In addition, add dark leafy veggies such as carrot tops, parsley, and dandelion greens as soon as the eyes open --- at about three weeks.

Animals & Science