Newborns not taking food!

[Bugsandhopper]

I have two healthy baby bunnies i recently rescued, and they are feeding on formula. Currently, their eyes are still closed, but they have fur and im assuming they are a couple days old. This is their 4th day with us and they just suddenly stopped eating. They pick at the milk, but it is more “force feeding” rather them actually wanting to eat. they poop regularly and it is yellow and soft, but still has a rounded shape. I heard that maybe it’s bc we have handled them almost all day and they need alone time?? Please help!!

 

[Jasminebunny]

I have two healthy baby bunnies i recently rescued, and they are feeding on formula. Currently, their eyes are still closed, but they have fur and im assuming they are a couple days old. This is their 4th day with us and they just suddenly stopped eating. They pick at the milk, but it is more “force feeding” rather them actually wanting to eat. they poop regularly and it is yellow and soft, but still has a rounded shape. I heard that maybe it’s bc we have handled them almost all day and they need alone time?? Please help!!

What formula ?
You should be using kmr with plain double cream .

I'm not sure why they are not eating on their own , sorry .
I'm sure other people will be able to help , like @Preitler

 

[Preitler]

Don't know if it's that. but normally at that age they sleep appr. 90% of the day, wiggle somewhat around half asleep in their perfectly insulated nest for another 9,5% and spend 0.5% (well, or somewhat in that ranges, i guess) wide awake nursing. Handling them a little to check them and the nest definitly doesn't hurt, but I wouldn't meddle a lot.

Can it be that they can't keep their body temperature up, outside the nest and tired out, also with only two of them and less than optimum food? Their digestion doesn't work right when they are chilled.

Anyway, that's just a thought, don't have much experience with hand feeding. I used a formula based on condensed goat milk (more easy to digest than cow milk stuff) and I'm still somewhat surprised that a replacer for complete carnivores with other dietry needs and feeding schedules works at all for some.

 

[Blue eyes]

Are these wild cottontails? Rescued from what?

 

[Bugsandhopper]

Don't know if it's that. but normally at that age they sleep appr. 90% of the day, wiggle somewhat around half asleep in their perfectly insulated nest for another 9,5% and spend 0.5% (well, or somewhat in that ranges, i guess) wide awake nursing. Handling them a little to check them and the nest definitly doesn't hurt, but I wouldn't meddle a lot.

Can it be that they can't keep their body temperature up, outside the nest and tired out, also with only two of them and less than optimum food? Their digestion doesn't work right when they are chilled.

Anyway, that's just a thought, don't have much experience with hand feeding. I used a formula based on condensed goat milk (more easy to digest than cow milk stuff) and I'm still somewhat surprised that a replacer for complete carnivores with other dietry needs and feeding schedules works at all for some.

Yes!!! These guys have been moving around a lot, and one of them has a cold body temp. He has gotten weak, while the other is relatively warm and has his eyes open now....they won’t take food still. Is human baby formula bad for them?? I heard somewhere that it was okay.

 

[Bugsandhopper]

Are these wild cottontails? Rescued from what?

They are wild baby cottontails and they were found in our backyard. We mowed the lawn and completely disrupted the area.....we found online that someone said the mother won’t come back for them if the nest was disturbed. I might be wrong tho!!

 

[Blue eyes]

They are wild baby cottontails and they were found in our backyard. We mowed the lawn and completely disrupted the area.....we found online that someone said the mother won’t come back for them if the nest was disturbed. I might be wrong tho!!

Oh. That's a shame. Their best chance would've been to put them back in hopes of mother coming back. Cottontail babies being hand-raised have an incredibly high mortality rate -- even if cared for by wildlife rehabilitators. Unfortunately it is too late to put them back now after so many days. It will be just shy of a miracle if any survive.

 

[Bugsandhopper]

Oh. That's a shame. Their best chance would've been to put them back in hopes of mother coming back. Cottontail babies being hand-raised have an incredibly high mortality rate -- even if cared for by wildlife rehabilitators. Unfortunately it is too late to put them back now after so many days. It will be just shy of a miracle if any survive.

I understand. I learned that a few days after, and I regret it a lot it makes me so sad to see them like this, but thank you for your reply anyway!

 

[JBun]

Yellow poop can mean they have contracted e coli. Which could also explain why they aren't doing well. E coli has to be treated with the appropriate rabbit safe antibiotic, which would be something like baytril. But being wild cottontails you would need to get them to a vet that treats wild life, or get them to a rehabber that can get them to a vet.


If they manage to pull through and you are still taking care of them, this link has good info on caring for baby cottontails. The babies need to be kept warm (not too hot). They won't eat if they are cold, and will continue to decline if they remain hypothermic.
https://www.2ndchance.info/bunnies.htm

 

[leopella]

Hello I need some advice my doe died and left two baby’s
They were 7 days old when she died it took a couple of days to get them to drink the formula
by then they were pretty dehydrated so we took them to the vets she gave them fluids and told us to feed them every hour and to bring them back the next day so we did as asked an she was happy with them and to continue doing that
But the smallest of the two isn’t feeding properly now an I’m worried it will get dehydrated again any suggestions

 

[Mariam+Theo]

Hello I need some advice my doe died and left two baby’s
They were 7 days old when she died it took a couple of days to get them to drink the formula
by then they were pretty dehydrated so we took them to the vets she gave them fluids and told us to feed them every hour and to bring them back the next day so we did as asked an she was happy with them and to continue doing that
But the smallest of the two isn’t feeding properly now an I’m worried it will get dehydrated again any suggestions

Please post this on a new thread so more people will see it. You can do that by, copying what you posted, going to The Health & Wellness forum, and clicking the small box in the top right-hand corner that says "Post Thread."

 

[leopella]

Please post this on a new thread so more people will see it. You can do that by, copying what you posted, going to The Health & Wellness forum, and clicking the small box in the top right-hand corner that says "Post Thread."

sorry i'm new here and have no idea how to use the site yet
thank you for your advice i hope someone will have some advice soon

 

[majorv]

You can syringe water to get keep them hydrated.