Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Baby Rabbits!

The baby rabbits below were born on October 31st, 2009. Halloween bunnies! We had 12 in the litter, lost 2 pretty early when they fell out of the nest, than two more over the weeks because they just didn't thrive.
Did you know that momma rabbits only nurse twice a day and leave their nest alone all day and most of the night? this is an age old instinct to prevent predators to be drawn to the nest. Rabbit milk is specially formulated to give a young bunny enough energy to last for many hours without a refill!

A litter of baby bunnies - 1-2 days old. These little guys are still naked, blind and deaf.




































































It is now ten days later. the kits now have fur, and their eyes and ears are beginning to open. Despite the way it looks, they are leaving the nest only by accident yet.











































Five days later... see that little guy looking at you? They are now ready to start exploring their world!





























The rabbits are now 3 weeks and a few days old (below). They look like miniature versions of their parents, only more colorful! They will nurse for another 5-7 weeks (until they are 6-8 weeks old), but will gradually start eating pellets, hay, and other foods made available.