What to feed a baby rabbit [5 Important things to consider]

I’ll be discussing what to feed a baby rabbit in this article. Baby rabbits are still growing, thus their food needs are significantly different from those of their adult counterparts. Learn how to ensure that your rabbit has a good diet during these early stages of its life.

5 Important things to feed a baby rabbit

1. Water

Water can be offered in a bowl or a bottle, and it should be provided unlimitedly. Bowls are what I prefer to use, but that’s just me. Some folks like bottles. Just make sure your rabbit has access to fresh water at all times.

2. Hay

Young rabbits should have a constant supply of alfalfa hay. For young rabbits that are still growing, alfalfa hay offers a lot more protein. However, older rabbits’ systems truly can’t handle that much protein.

You should definitely feed young animals alfalfa hay, a combination of alfalfa and timothy hay, or something similar.

And you should begin moving to Timothy hay at seven months. When they are around six to seven months old, you don’t have to make the switchover immediately; you can spread it out over a month. Just make sure they’re eating enough hay.

3. Pellets

Pellets are the next. For up to seven months, you should give your rabbit as many alfalfa pellets as you want. However, not everyone can use this any longer.

Sometimes a rabbit may just eat entirely too many pellets and refuse to touch its hay, which isn’t good even for newborn bunnies.

They should get habituated to hay rather than pellets. I limited my newborn rabbit’s pellets significantly since he would eat far too many and cause difficulties.

I even switched him to Timothy pellets when he was only about four months old, rather than seven months, because they just weren’t working for him.

So it’s quite different for everyone, and you can figure out what works best for you. Some people feed unlimited and their bunny is great, but for some rabbits, you may need to limit it to half a cup every day because they consume way too much.

There are a lot of alfalfa pellets available simply because it is the most frequent. If you want a higher-quality one, I recommend Oxbow. Just be sure your pellets don’t include anything else than pellets.

4. Veggies

You can begin giving vegetables to rabbits in very modest amounts when they are 12 weeks old, or three months old.

Simply offer a small bit every day, wait a day or two, and observe how they respond. If they like it, if they don’t, or if it disturbs them in any way, you can gradually increase the amount of vegetables you give them.

Vegetables can be introduced gradually, and once they start to enjoy one, you can gradually introduce another one in small amounts. Continue introducing vegetables, and by the time they are 10 to 12 months old, you can feed them the entire amount of one cup of vegetables for every 4 lbs. of their body weight.

It’s really nothing to worry about introducing. Once you get started and you just don’t worry about it that much.

5. Treats

You don’t need to feed your rabbits many treats, to be honest. Really, all they require is a few little pieces of carrot or a store-bought treat like Oxbow.

Truly, rabbits don’t require treats at all, and some of them have extremely adverse reactions to sugar. It won’t hurt them to offer your rabbit the occasional treat that they go crazy for, whether it’s a small piece of fruit or a carrot.

Hey guys that was it for this article. I really hope you have enjoyed reading this article. Thank you so much for reading.

Also, read How to stop a rabbit pooping everywhere [5 Simple steps].

FAQs on what to feed a baby rabbit

What do you feed a baby rabbit without a mother?

Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) or goat milk, which you can purchase at pet stores or perhaps even a nearby veterinarian’s office, should be fed to young rabbits.

Do baby bunnies drink milk?

Despite eating less frequently than other tiny animals, milk is essential for the survival of baby rabbits.

How do I feed a newborn rabbit?

In order to allow the baby rabbits enough time to feed, keep the mother holding her over the nest of babies. Another method is to gently try to place each baby onto a nipple so that it can feed itself while you hold the mother rabbit in your arms, lying on her back.

How many times should I feed my baby rabbit?

Only healthy babies should be fed twice a day. Starting with an eyedropper or a 3 cc/ml syringe may be the simplest option.

Can baby rabbits eat carrots?

Once your newborn rabbit is more than three months old, you can start feeding him carrots.

Can baby rabbits eat bananas?

Avoid giving young rabbits (under three months) any fruit or vegetable, including bananas.