What Do Baby Rabbits Eat: A Comprehensive Guide on Feeding Baby Rabbits (Dos and Don’ts)

Last Updated on May 31, 2023 by

What do baby bunnies eat? How much should they eat? And how many times a day? These are very important questions to answer, especially if you’re taking care of a kit for the first time.

When it comes to what a bunny should and shouldn’t eat, that answer varies depending on the age of the rabbit.

Baby bunnies can be fed many different types of vegetables, but what they really need is their mother’s milk. But there are also many things to watch out for, like the type of food they should or shouldn’t eat.

We will go over what you should feed a kit and all the dos and don’ts regarding the recommended diet for a baby rabbit.

What Do Baby Rabbits Eat?

Baby rabbits are completely dependent on milk until day 10 and usually eating small amounts of solid food by day 15. They may start leaving the nest and begin to be weaned naturally around 25 days of age.

However, baby rabbits should not be completely weaned from their mothers until 8 weeks of age.

Baby rabbit eat what

The average diet for a rabbit should include some hay, water, pellets made from healthy whole grains such as oats and barley.

These will also provide fiber in the rabbit’s diet so it has something to pass through its system helping keep things clean internally.

Vegetables are also recommended but only makeup 25% of what you feed them.

Not all vegetables are good for what do baby bunnies eat, so it is important to find out what they like and what agrees with their stomachs the best.

Vegetables that should be avoided include anything too spicy or acidic such as oranges, tomatoes, and peppers (capsicum).

Too much citrus fruit may lead to urinary issues in rabbits; which can also cause death if left untreated.

Sticking mainly with veggies like carrots, cabbage, peas, or turnips when what you feed them doesn’t agree with their stomach will help keep things moving through the rabbit’s system without causing any harm.

Additionally, fresh water needs to always be available! One thing many people don’t know about what do baby bunnies eat is that what you feed them can have a major impact on what they do.

The fecal pellets, for example, are an excellent indicator of what the rabbit has been eating and how healthy their diet might be. What kind of food does a typical bunny enjoy?

I recommend having hay available in multiple locations or piles throughout the living area to allow your rabbit access to fresh vegetables as well!

At What Age Can Baby Bunnies Eat?

Most rabbit owners start feeding their kits at around three weeks old.

This means that what do bunnies eat when they are one week old is mostly liquid. After a month, their diet could also include vegetables.

This variety in the diet helps the kit process nutrients more easily without causing any harm. Additionally, fresh water needs to always be available.

The presence of normal-looking fecal pellets, for example, is an excellent indicator of what the rabbit has been eating and how healthy their diet might be.

Age Range0 - 3 Weeks3 - 4 Weeks4 - 7 Weeks7 Weeks - 7 Months7 - 12 Months
Recommended DietMother's milkMother's milk
Small amounts of alfalfa hay and pellets
Mother's milk
Moderate amounts of alfalfa hay and pellets
Generous amounts of alfalfa hay and pellets
Introduce vegetables when above 12 weeks
Introduce Timothy hay, grass hay, and oat hays Decrease alfalfa hay
Decrease pellets to 1/2 cup (per 6 lbs body weight)
Increase daily vegetables gradually
No more than 1-2 oz fruit daily ration (per 6 lbs body weight)

What Do Kits Eat at Two Weeks Old?

Kits should drink 12 ml (0.11 fl oz) every two hours or if they are more than three months old then 16 ml (around 0.18fl oz).

Mixed veggies such as carrot tops, broccoli crowns, and cabbage leaves make for an excellent treat for kits when given in very small quantities.

What Do Kits Eat at Three Weeks Old?

At three weeks old, kits should still be on a mother’s milk diet and will not require any other foods.

It is recommended to feed what they need by bottle or hay so the kit can start to learn what to eat more naturally when he/she is older.

What Do Kits Eat at Four Weeks Old?

At four weeks old, kits need what do baby rabbits eat in addition to what they get from the mother’s milk.

This will depend on what is available at home but a good recommendation for feeding them vegetables is carrot tops or broccoli crowns as an excellent treat when given in very small quantities.

How Often You Should Feed Your Baby Bunny

Baby bunnies have what do baby rabbits eat that are different than what an adult rabbit has.

An infant bunny starts to nibble at solid food around the time it’s weaned off of its mother’s milk, which typically occurs between 12-14 weeks old (but sometimes much earlier).

A healthy diet includes hay pellets as the main component. It helps to stimulate their digestive system while providing them with fiber in order. The fiber will then help to break down other sources of nutrients for better absorption into the body.

How Much Should a Baby Rabbit Be Fed

Baby rabbits should be fed small amounts of food several times per day. Depending on the age, the baby bunny may eat certain amounts of milk, hay, and pellets (refer to our table above to see what type of food is suitable at what age).

If you’re hand raising the baby bunny, here is a guideline as to how much milk formula it should take according to its age:

Age Range0 - 1 Week1 - 2 Weeks2 - 3 Weeks3 - 6 Weeks6 - 8 Weeks
Milk per Feeding2 - 2.5 cc5 - 7 cc7 - 13 cc13 - 15 ccStart weaning off milk

During the weaning period, you should begin to dilute the milk formula. A ratio of 3:1 (milk to water) would be good. The trick is to gradually add more and more water until the kits lose interest.

What Should You Feed Your Baby Bunny?

Sprouting seeds (such as oats) provide an excellent source of vitamin E for baby bunnies. It also provides them with calcium since these items have high levels of protein.

You can mix in some carrots into their diet but you don’t want too many because these vegetables are hard on their teeth and will make eating difficult down the road.

Vegetables should only compose 25% of what you feed them.

What Kind of Food is Best for Baby Rabbits

Baby rabbits can eat what their mother eats when they are out and about, but anything new should be avoided in order to avoid digestive issues.

Kits will get the gut flora for digestion from what their mothers (does) have eaten, so it is best to feed them what their mothers eat.

What Not to Feed Your Baby Bunny?

It’s important to avoid feeding your baby bunny any items that will cause indigestion.

Things like: too much dairy, vegetables with rough or hard textures (like carrots).

If what you give them doesn’t agree with their stomach they may have diarrhea and this could lead to dehydration; which can be fatal if left untreated.

Some foods that aren’t recommended are beans, peas, corn, salt from human food sources. These will make kits sick when ingested.

Some babies can get sick if you feed vegs too early, it is best to introduce her to them after 3-4 months and do it slowly watching every time if there are changes to her poo.

When to Feed Your Baby Bunny 

As a general guideline, bunnies should be fed at least twice per day. It is recommended to feed them in the morning and evening as what they have eaten during those times will replenish their energy stores for the next 24-hour period.

If you happen to miss or forget one of these feeding periods then it’s important that your bunny has access to fresh water.

The food dish needs to be refilled every 12 hours with new hay pellets (or another suitable form) so there are always some available when buns start searching for more food – this prevents arguments over who gets what first!

Rabbits must also have regular small nibbles throughout the course of each day.

Where to Feed Your Baby Bunny 

Rabbits should be fed at a level place, either on the floor or table – not too high up.

A stable surface is best so that your bunny doesn’t accidentally tip over their food dish when they are eating and get scared of what’s happening below them.

If you feed your rabbit in a cage then make sure there isn’t anything nearby (a wire mesh) to hinder bunnies trying to eat from reaching the edge of the dish.

In order for rabbits to feel comfortable enough near their feeding area, provide hay pellets as an extra snack during meal times and space out what time these snacks occur throughout the day.

You can also use other forms of hay for what do baby bunnies eat such as timothy, oat, or mixed grass hay.