Careful Nursing Methods for Newborn Rabbits During the Sleeping Period
1. Forced Nursing
Some first-time mother rabbits have a weak maternal instinct and do not nurse their young after giving birth. In this case, forced nursing measures can be adopted. The method is: fix the mother rabbit inside the nest box, keep her quiet, place the newborn rabbits beside the mother's teats, and let them suckle freely, forcing nursing 4-5 times a day. After 3-5 days, the mother rabbit will nurse automatically.
2. Adjusting the Young Rabbits
Some mother rabbits give birth to many young, while others give birth to few, so the young rabbits need to be adjusted and foster-nursed. First take the young rabbits out of the nest box, divide them into litters according to their body size and constitutional strength, then smear a few drops of the mother rabbit's milk or urine on the young rabbits to disrupt their scent, preventing the mother rabbit from biting or killing the young rabbits, and pay attention to the mother rabbit's nursing situation.
3. Artificial Rearing
If the mother rabbit dies after the young rabbits are born, has no milk, or suffers from mammary disease and cannot nurse, or there is no suitable mother rabbit to foster them, artificial nursing can be used. Use cow's milk, fresh goat's milk, or condensed milk as a substitute for mother's milk. Where conditions permit, use 200 milliliters of fresh cow's milk, add 3 milliliters of cod liver oil, 2 grams of salt, and 1 fresh egg; this mixture has high nutritional value. Before feeding, boil to sterilize, then cool to 37°C-38°C, and feed the young rabbits with a glass dropper, syringe, or plastic eye drop bottle.
4. Preventing Rodent Damage
Young rabbits are most vulnerable to rodent damage within 4-5 days after birth, so special attention should be paid to sealing the rabbit cages and rabbit burrows tightly. When the cages and burrows cannot be blocked, the nest boxes can be uniformly numbered, gathered together for protection at night, and returned to their original cages during the day for scheduled nursing. Zhang Yanfeng