One-on-One Nursing with Mom’s Kits (0 to ~3 Weeks Old)
One-on-One Nursing with Mom’s Kits (0 to ~3 Weeks Old)
There are times when you should do one-on-one nursing with the smallest kits. The most critical case is when a kit’s stomach is sunken in. Itsy Bitsy was one of our fosters from a Mom +12 litter. She was about 5 days old and weighed only 25 grams. Other times you should step in are when the other kits are twice the size of the smallest ones. Ms. Muffet our foster mom of 5 took in Itsy Bitsy and 4 other critical kits as her own. Ms. Muffet went from Mom + 5 to Mom + 10.
One-on-one nursing with Mom should be done from birth to about 3 weeks of age. Kits older than 3 weeks can be hand-fed (we go into this on the main page).
Mom will usually nurse twice a day, late at night or early in the morning. Below is the process.
Before You Start
- Mom should be kept away from the kits during the day to give her time to rebuild her milk supply (which takes about 12 hours). This ensures she has milk available at dinner time.
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Provide proper nutrition for Mom:
- Unlimited alfalfa hay
- Young rabbit baby pellets
- Fresh greens (but no parsley, as it can sour her milk)
- Mom needs a safe indoor area to hop around and feel secure.
One-on-One Nursing Time
You can do one-on-one nursing in the evening, around dinner time. Here's how:
- Place a soft cloth on a chair or couch.
- Gently place the kit or kits on the cloth.
- Gently place Mom on top of the kit(s).
- Sit on the floor so you can clearly see the kits nursing.
- Mom has eight nipples—the best ones are the two on each side of her stomach.
- Kits nurse on their backs.
- Help the kits locate a nipple.
- Listen closely to hear them nursing.
- Kits may kick or move away—this is normal.
- If a kit is too weak, gently place its mouth directly on a nipple.
- You’ll need to hold Mom gently but firmly with one hand to keep her in place.
- Kits should nurse for 1 to 2 minutes, or as long as they are able.
