Photo by Ana Morais
Many individuals rescue rabbits whenever they see one, and these people raise kits, rabbits, or injured rabbits to become healthy again. Some people foster and raise kits in their homes.
If you are a bunny parent and your female rabbit is about to give birth to a litter, you should know what to do.
In this blog, we are going to talk about fostering kits. Some events are unpredictable. What if the momma rabbit gets sick? How will you help raise the kits? Or what if you happen to see some rabbit kits in your backyard? Or what if the vet offers you to foster some kits because they cannot take care of all of them?
Rabbit Pregnancy
A female rabbit can get pregnant at 12 weeks old. The length of their pregnancy is between 28-32 days and some female bunnies can give birth to up to 12 kits. Sometimes, the mother rabbit cannot raise all the kits because it may lack nutrition. After all, all the babies are nursing.
We cannot tell if all the kits can survive with a lack of milk from their mother. You must know this matter if you are a bunny parent. Most rabbit shelters are full of rabbits and can't accommodate more; you can help lessen the population by caring for them in your home if you see them anywhere.
Feeding Kits: What Are the Things Needed?
You must prepare a box with a blanket to keep the kits warm. Mother rabbit places its kits in a dark place. To mimic this, you should also put the box in a dark area or part of your house where you can still monitor the kits.
Prepare a syringe and goat milk as an alternative. A female rabbit nurses its kits once and rarely twice. The milk of a mother rabbit can sustain the kits for a day. Since you are using goat milk, you should feed them twice daily and 3 times daily for weaker and low-weight babies.
Get the syringe and fill it with 3 ccs of goat milk. Hold the kit upright carefully and slowly feed it, then stop. Let it swallow before feeding again. You can see if the kit is full through the belly since it has a thin layer of skin. Make sure you don't overfeed them.
Milk feeding could only take two weeks before they start eating solid foods.
Disclaimer: We are not professional veterinarians or medical doctors. We created this blog based on our experiences with pet rabbits, volunteered hours in the rabbit shelter, extensive pet product research, and experienced peers. The purpose of this blog is to provide information about properly taking care of rabbits. Please know that it is still best to visit the vet regularly. For medical emergencies, contact a rabbit-savvy vet. Always observe your rabbits around new products or environmental changes.
Final Thoughts on Fostering Kits
There you go, bunny parents! That's how you foster kits until they're ready for their new home. Raising them might be challenging since they're fragile at that age, but you can do it. There are so many resources where you can learn how to raise them, including our page HoppScotch.bun!
Visit HoppScotch.bun for more product updates, new blogs, and tips on caring for rabbits!
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