Rabbit is one of the most adorable small animals in the world. When the baby rabbits are born, they are very cute and small indeed.
Since rabbits are adorable, gentle, and need moderate care, many of us want to adopt the small bunnies. But when should you separate the baby rabbits from the mother.
You can separate the baby rabbits from her mother at least when they are 8 weeks old. Weaning the baby bunny before 8 weeks old, the baby bunny will be suffering from malnutrition and their gut will not be developed properly.
The weaning process of the baby bunny is simple but needs to take intensive care. Keep reading to learn more about the weaning process of the baby bunny.
When Can You Separate Baby Rabbits from Mother?
You can separate the baby bunnies when they are 8th weeks old. However, it is also dependable on the rabbit breeds, environment, and the health condition of both the babies and their mothers.
Most of the baby bunnies are ready to separate when they are 6 weeks old. But you should allow a couple of weeks for baby bunnies to adjust to the natural foods.
So, what is the weaning of the baby bunny?
Weaning is the separating process of the baby rabbits from their mother. From the 4th to 6th weeks, the baby bunny starts eating supplementary foods like Hay, vegetables, and fruits.
But still, they are depending on their mother’s milk. Rabbit’s milk is very nutritious. When the baby bunny is at 4 to 6 weeks, their gut is developing and they can digest most of the adult rabbit food.
This separating is called weaning. You should provide fresh and soft food besides hay to the bunny rabbits. Let’s talk about the step-by-step procedure of weaning baby bunnies.
0 weeks to 3 weeks
At this stage, the baby bunnies are completely dependent on their mamma’s milk. After 10 to 14 days, their eyes are opened.
The mamma bunny takes care twice a day. Usually, the mamma bunny feeds her babies in the dawn and dusk. You don’t need to provide any complementary foods to the baby bunnies in this time frame.
3 weeks to 6 weeks
After 3 weeks, the baby bunny starts eating hay around their nest. Both the wild and pet baby rabbits start eating hay around their nesting box for 3 weeks.
Actually, the weaning process starts at this age. Their guts start developing and can able to digest the natural feeds.
But still, the mother’s milk is important to developing their guts. If you separate the baby bunnies from their mother, they will suffer from malnutrition.
You know, the death of a mamma bunny is very common. Do you know the reason for this?
Actually, the breeders don’t allow them to drink their mother’s milk for 8 weeks. As a result, they are weak and suffer from various diseases.
Related: Can Rabbits Drink Milk?
6 weeks to 8 weeks
Now, they are ready to separate from their mother. The baby bunny can eat almost all types of foods. And they can digest it smoothly.
But you should not separate the baby bunnies from their mother before at least 8 weeks. You can separate the baby bunnies after the transition period.
The Transition Process
Now, it is time to identify the baby bunnies whether they are ready to separate or not. You know, all the baby rabbits are not healthy enough to separate even after 8 weeks.
To reduce the death rate of the baby bunny, you should sort out the healthy bunnies. Now the question is how to identify healthy baby bunnies?
The Mamma Bunny Don’t Take Care
Probably this is the easiest way to identify the healthy baby bunny. When the baby bunnies are completely dependent on the adult rabbit food, the mamma bunny doesn’t feed her babies.
If you are sure that the babies are completely out of the nesting period and the momma bunny doesn’t feed her babies, you are good to go for the separation process.
The Baby Bunny Eats and Digests the Adult Rabbit Food
You know the baby bunnies are dependent on their mother in the early stage. When the baby bunny starts eating hay, fresh grass, pellet food, vegetables regularly, that means they are in the transition period.
You could wait a few weeks to observe the baby bunny. If there is no problem in their poops, you care good to go to separate the baby bunny from her mother.
Check the Poops
During the transmission period, the baby faces some physical problems like bloating and gastrointestinal problems. If you see any issue with the baby rabbit’s poop, please consult a vet immediately. Diarrhea is lethal for rabbits. in most cases, the baby rabbit can not survive in the Diarrhea.
Looking for the best newbie-friendly bunny breed? Read this article to learn more.
What Food Should You Offer to the Baby Bunny During the Transition Periods?
Hay
Hay is the main food for the bunny. Like the adult bunny, you could provide unlimited timothy hay to the baby bunny. Although many experts suggest the alfalfa hay to the baby bunny, you could offer oat hay, meadow hay, or timothy hay.
Vegetables
You can provide all the rabbit safe vegetables to the baby bunny during the transition period. Here is a list of rabbit safe vegetables.
- Mint
- Celery
- Basil
- Cilantro
- Bok choy
- Kale
- Bell peppers
- Clover
- Dandelion greens
- Broccoli
- Carrot (Not too much)
- Cucumbers
- Collard greens
- lettuce
- Radish
- Sprouts
- Bell peppers
- Zucchini
Fruits
- Apple
- Watermelon
- Melon
- Nectarine
- Orange
- Papaya
- Banana
- Pear
- Pineapple
- Blueberries
- blackberries
- strawberries
- raspberries
- cranberries
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Peach
Fresh Water
Baby bunny doesn’t want to drink the fresh water. Especially in the transition period. But you shouldn’t give up. You could use a bowl or bottle for continuous water supply.
Final Words
Baby bunnies are cute. If you can not take care of all of the baby bunnies, you can offer adoption. Please don’t give the baby bunnies to the rabbit breeders. They only look for the money.
I hope you have understood the total weaning and transition period. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to share.
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