What do baby rabbits eat, and what to do if they have diarrhea? A detailed guide to feeding methods
Many people like to keep small pets at home. Because rabbits are small and cute in appearance and gentle in temperament, many people's first choice when choosing a pet is inevitably a rabbit. But in fact, feeding rabbits also requires attention, especially newly bought baby rabbits, whose feeding requires special attention, because a slight carelessness can easily cause diarrhea in baby rabbits. So what is good for baby rabbits to eat? How do you solve it if they have diarrhea?
What baby rabbits eat
Baby rabbits that have not been weaned or have just been weaned are not yet very adapted to eating feed and solid food. They also do not eat much, eating only a little at a time, and they spend more time sleeping. You need to patiently coax the baby rabbit to eat its starter food, or stick a little grape powder on the food to coax the baby rabbit to eat (rabbits like sweet food). If the food is too hard and the baby rabbit cannot gnaw it, you can moisten and soften it slightly with water before feeding.
What to do if a baby rabbit has diarrhea
When a sick rabbit is found, feeding should be stopped, but water should still be supplied as usual. When the constitution is relatively good, use a mild laxative such as artificial salt 2-3 grams, add water 40-50 ml and administer orally; or administer vegetable oil 10-20 ml orally. After an interval of 1-2 hours, feed 2-3 tablets of yeast tablets or 4-6 tablets of lactasin, 2-3 times a day.
When diarrhea is more severe, antibacterial drugs can be used, such as furazolidone, sulfaguanidine, diaveridine, etc., 1-2 tablets per rabbit each time, 2-3 times a day, for 2-3 consecutive days. Or use broad-spectrum antibiotics, such as gentamicin and chloramphenicol, 0.5-1 ml per rabbit, intramuscular injection, 2 times a day, for 3 consecutive days. For rabbits with poor appetite, stomachic agents can be administered orally, such as garlic tincture, gentian tincture, dried tangerine peel tincture 2-4 ml. Or intravenous injection of glucose saline, 5% glucose solution 30-50 ml, 20% caffeine sodium benzoate solution 1 ml, vitamin C 1.0 ml, 1-2 times a day, for 2-3 consecutive days.
Causes of diarrhea in baby rabbits
1. There are many causes of diarrhea in baby rabbits, for example, changing plastic, often mainly feeding dry coarse fodder, suddenly feeding fresh vegetables, and the baby rabbit overeating and causing bloating and diarrhea.
2. There is also the problem of the feed itself. Because the feed itself contains toxic substances during planting and processing, it causes poisoning in the baby rabbit.
3. Due to weather reasons, sudden weather changes, chilling from low temperatures, and various other stress reactions.
4. Also, the rearing environment is not very hygienic. Mainly bacteria such as Escherichia coli cause diarrhea in rabbits. Check whether there is jelly-like material in the stool. If there is, then it may be an Escherichia coli infection, and drugs targeting Escherichia coli can be used.
5. Water must be supplied adequately, that is, let them drink freely. Feed purified water or cooled boiled water. Rabbits will take what they need, so there is no problem of you feeding too much.
Points to note when raising baby rabbits
1. Rabbits are a bit like cats, with independent personalities, but sometimes they are very clingy and afraid of being alone, so you must set aside time every day to play with them.
2. If there is no safe space to raise them (such as a balcony), they can also be kept in a cage. The cage space should be large (a small dog cage is okay, but a special rabbit cage is best). They cannot be kept locked in the cage all the time. They must be let out to move around for one to two hours or more every day. Always keep it dry, ventilated, and with sunlight. The rabbit hutch must not be damp.
3. Prepare a feed bowl and a small water bottle with a rolling ball in the cage, a clean piece of wood (poplar wood) 5-10 cm in diameter for it to grind its teeth, put in some dry wood shavings and straw (an unwanted dry towel is also okay). As well as a standing board (an unwanted mat, cup coaster, or something similar) to prevent the rabbit from getting pododermatitis.
4. Rabbits are omnivorous, so feed them multiple small meals. Rabbit feed can be bought at bird parks. Some oatmeal or tooth-grinding feed can also be added to the feed. For balanced nutrition, do not feed only feed. Sometimes vegetables and fruits can be fed (limited to adult rabbits). For example, water spinach, celery, sweet potato leaves, carrots, apples, and so on.
5. Newly bought baby rabbits must be protected against coccidia! Before naming the rabbit, first feed it coccidia medicine! Otherwise the rabbit will go to heaven within 3-30 days after arriving home. For specific usage, see coccidia medicine. There are coccidia blood dysentery powder, coccidia instant kill, and so on, all of which can be used. In addition, it is best to always keep lactasin tablets on hand to prevent diarrhea in the rabbit.
As mentioned above, many people like to raise rabbits, but raising rabbits is not as easy as imagined. After all, they are pets, and they need to be cleaned regularly. At the same time, you also need to set aside time to play with the rabbit, and feeding is also quite particular, so before raising a rabbit, be sure to prepare thoroughly!