Feeding time

 

Rabbit does do not feed their newborn rabbits often. They come to the nest only once or twice a day. Feeding time is short a few minutes at most. The portion of milk taken in by healthy newborn is sufficient for the next 24 hours. The rest of the day, the newborn stay deep in the nest, and keep warm by cuddling together. After about 22 hours, they become active and will move together to the surface of the nest.

The doe stays in the vicinity of the nest, but will enter it during feeding time. This does not relate to a lack of maternal instinct, but this way she avoids attracting the attention to her nest and avoids signals for carnivorous or prey animals. After carefully checking the environment, she will enter the nest carefully and place herself over her offspring, to allow them to feed.  

 

Illustration: property of MediRabbit.com, after a picture from Karen Comish

 

Week old rabbit drinking milk

 

During the feeding session, the suckling rabbits attach within 3 to 9 seconds to a nipple, successfully. During the feeding time, the kittens change place and nipple at intervals of about 1 minute. This remains unchanged till they reach the age of 15 to 20 days old, when attachment to nipple covered with saliva was more rapid, in comparison to those without saliva.

 

“5 day old bunny feeding”, video by Linda Baley.

A newborn crawling over the belly of the doe, moving from one nipple to another to feed.

 

After 3 to 5 minutes, the doe leaves the nest. The kittens will urinate, then burry again together in the nest for 22 hours.

 

Chemical composition of rabbit’s milk (after Coates et al., 1964. Brit J. Nutr, 18, 583-586):

 

Constituents

Colostrum

4th day

1st week

18th day

3rd week

 

Total solids (g/100g)

32.6

32.1

31

36

25.7

Fat (g/100g)

17.7

10.2

14.3

15.2

12.3

Lactose (anhydrous) (g/100g)

1.32

1.76

1.29

1.28

1.12

Protein (total N*6.38) (g/100g)

-

-

13.2

-

11.9

Potassium (mg/100g)

186

212

-

145

-

Sodium (mg/100g)

123

82

-

160

-

 

 

Vitamin content (mg/ml) of rabbit’s milk at different stages of lactation

 

Vitamin

Colostrum

4th day

1st week

18th day

3rd week

 

Biotin (Vit B7, formerly H)

0.08

0.17

0.23

0.45

0.14

Folic acid (Vit B9)

0.003

0.013

0.10

c. 0.30

-

Nicotinic acid (Vit B3)

2.0

7.0

8.4

4.9

8.7

Calcium pantothenate

14.3

22.1

15.8

14.5

7.3

Riboflavine (Vit B12)

2.9

2.3

2.3

4.6

2.8

Thiamine (Vit B1)

0.3

0.6

1.7

1.6

1.7

Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxal)

0.9

2.1

2.9

3.6

2.5

Vitamin B18

0.11

0.11

0.09

0.07

0.05

Vitamin A

6.70

3.05

2.71

1.82

0.84

 

 

Between the age of 10 and 15 days, kittens start to nibble solid food, e.g. pellets, and/or hay more and more, and in bigger quantity. This does not mean that the newborn can be weaned yet. 

Indeed, the maturation of gastro-intestinal system is not yet finished. During the first 3 weeks of the life of newborn rabbits, the digestive tract remains sterile (devoid of intestinal bacterial flora). This is unique in the animal world. The absorbed milk has a pH ranging from 5 to 6.5 that would allow bacterial survival as well as growth and colonization of the intestine and cecum. Rabbit milk contains a particular fatty acid with antibacterial properties that prevents the survival of bacteria in the GI tract. This molecule is sometimes referred to as "milk oil", and its production needs two parameters, milk of the mother and stomach of the suckling, to become active and hinder the development of bacteria.

Illustration: property of MediRabbit.com, after a picture from Karen Comish

 

Newborn rabbit aged one day

Passed that age, young rabbits have become strong, curious, leaves the nest, and start to nibble food that they find on their way. Up to the 6th week of his life, a young rabbit will gradually decrease his milk intake. As a consequence, the concentration of milk oil in the stomach will decrease, and the pH of the stomach drops from about 5-6 to 1-2. Microorganisms that are ingested will survive the stomach passage, and start to grow/colonize rapidly in the cecum, and the different portions of the intestine. If the right bacteria are present, fermentation can start in the cecum.

This last phase is very important and critical. Indeed, microorganisms that develop inside the GI tract depend on the type of diet, hay, stress, etc., and it easily happens that pathogen bacteria like Clostridium sp. colonize the sterile digestive tract. This leads to severe diarrhea and (fatal) enteric trouble.

It is therefore important to keep the newborn rabbit with the nursing doe up to the age of 8 weeks, and not separate them earlier at 6 weeks or even younger. Once the complex microbial flora has colonized the GI tract, it will help prevent the development of pathogen bacteria.

 

Acknowledgements

 

Many thanks to Karen Comish and Linda Baley for the permission to use their material.

 

 

More information

Coates ME, Gregory ME, Thompson SY. The composition of rabbit’s milk. Br J Nutr. 1964;18:583-6.

Harcourt-Brown F. Textbok of Rabbit Medicine. Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, 2002, p 55-56.

 

 

 

 

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