How to adopt out baby rabbits without causing them stress or sickness?

Yes, the babies are old enough to be weaned and should be separated from the doe if her mammary glands are red/hot/painful to the touch (although 4-6 weeks would be preferable if their mom did not have mastitis). If your local pet store carries Oxbow Critical Care for herbivores I would try feeding the doe a slurry of Critical Care and offering the kits some as well until you are able to bring her to your veterinarian. Good luck!

Thanks for your question about your new pets! I would recommend finding out what they are being fed now so you don’t switch their food over too quickly. I recommend feeding young rabbits free choice alfalfa hay until 6-9 months old and then transitioning them to a grass based hay, such as Timothy. I also recommend 1-2 tablespoons of pellets per bunny per day until they are full grown. Again, alfalfa based until 6-9 months old and then transition to Timothy pellets. Once full grown, you can give 1 tablespoon per 5 lbs of rabbit. You can also offer greens on a daily basis, but start slowly so they don’t get diarrhea. Leaf lettuce, cilantro, radicchio, and parsley are good options. They don’t require any supplements but the non-fruit based Oxbow treats are a great choice. I don’t recommend feeding fruit to rabbits as it can upset their tummies. For decreasing stress, make sure they have a place to hide and that their environment is quiet for them while they are adjusting. I hope this helps, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thanks for reaching out about Buddy. One of the keys to keep on mind regarding rabbits is they are easily stressed. So changing things slowly is best. Once she is introduced to your home, allow her a quiet place to recuperate for a few days, with limited interactions. Monitor water and food intake, and urine and fecal production. If is recommended she be kept away from other pet, including rabbits, until she is more comfortable. Take it slow. Good luck.

That's fine, as long as they are kept warm. Does (female rabbits) typically nurse once or twice daily. The kits (bunnies) will begin munching on hay within the next few days. They can eat alfalfa (until 7 months of age), timothy hay or oat grasses and fresh vegetables in addition to a commercial pelleted diet.

It is quite common for mothers to abandon a baby if there is a significant birth defect that may limit survival. It may b worthwhile attempting to bottle feed but success rate is very poor in rabbits even without additional complications

Kittens best stay with their mommy until they are 12 weeks old. Their mother will teach them what is good to eat and what not, how to hunt, and what to hunt safely, how to groom themselves properly, how to use a litter box, what animal is dangerous to them, how to carefully negotiate this world. The kittens will also need their mother still for psychological comfort, even suckling after being weaned is comfort when something was scary. Staying together with their siblings will teach kittens social skills, they get to play-hunt, play-fight, and have fun with other kittens, it keeps them fit, helps them to develop coordination and muscles. So if you can find homes for them before they are 12 weeks old, tell the new owners that they will get well socialised fit kittens that have no problems, rather than kittens who will cry because they miss mommy and the siblings, do have accidents, and show behavior such as cloth sucking, etc.

I’m sorry to hear that! Rabbits can be great pets, but can sometimes to a while to warm up to people, and can suffer from stress that may make them difficult to handle. Visit the following links for some tips on how to care for your rabbits and hopefully that will help! http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=3015&S=5&SourceID=43 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=502&S=5&SourceID=43 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=470&S=5&SourceID=43 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=667&S=5&SourceID=43