The following are some emails that I shared on the Spinplus list about saving orphaned baby bunnies.

I had a doe (one of my favorites and one of my best woolers, out of 50% old lines, who died shortly after kindling a couple of days ago. I'm writing because I think I advised someone on the list that it was all but impossible to get young kits (especially this young) to eat/drink
the milk replacer. Well, forget that, I was wrong. It IS possible, and I am doing it, ~now.

All 6 kits are lapping up KMS kitten milk replacer from a syringe. I do have problems getting them to urinate afterwards, though. I spent a
good 5 minutes on one of them trying to stimulate him/her to potty. But they are pretty active, so I believe they are stimulating each other to that end in the nest. (no pun, honest) Three days now, and I have full bellies on them and some growth. These should be some spoiled rotten little kits if/when they make it. I have a friend who raises Polish rabbits. She is expecting some births today. If she has any with smaller litters, she offered to take some of my kits and foster them. Whew. It sure beats doing all this. Even if she can only take a few, it will help.

The doe was one that had had problems kindling in the past. She only had 2 babies her first time, both stillborn, and I was lucky she didn't
have more problems then. This time, she kindled, and then was fine, eating the dandelion greens and parsley that I offered her greedily.
She actually even nursed the kits the first time within a couple of hours of birth, too. (She did me a big favor there - getting some colostrum into them). Then when I went out to check on everybody later in the day, she was lying there, half gone, with much blood present on the hay and in her pan. I think she must have ruptured something in the process of giving birth. I had checked her earlier, and her bottom did seem more bloody than most new mom's do. But, even so, she was acting OK, so I had no idea she was in trouble. I don't think anyone could have saved her..

I started out on KMR kitten milk replacer in a can I gave 2.5 cc's twice a day with a syringe. It was very very painstaking work. The babies did not want to take it and I had to dribble 1 or 2 drops onto their mouths, whereby they would lick it off their mouths. As often as not, excess milk formula would come out through their nostrils. I had them belly up, at about a 45º angle. I was not comfortable having them completely on their back, but it was impossible to feed them with them regular side up. I wrapped them in a clean washcloth and kept dabbing away the excess milk the whole time. To feed 6 kits this way took about 1½ hours each time. (I'm glad this did not last long)

 

********************responses from the list ******************************************

I have also had good luck with the folowing formula that I got from my
DIL years ago when I had a doe break her neck shortly after kindling!
You are lucky that the doe fed at least 1x! Keep us posted!

I fed formula of 8 t evorprated milk, 8 t water, 1 egg yolk & 1/4 t
karo syrup. Feed 2.5 cc 2x's a day.
( my note: while I liked the idea of using regular stuff from the kitchen, I ultimately used aformula from a can out of convenience)

 

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First of all, switch to PUPPY replacer, preferably VetALac or Esbilac. The
kitten is very hard on their kidneys and may promote dehydration to boot.

Then go to http://www.showbunny.com and read the article on bottlefeeding.
Very handy and many have said that it's helpful.

(my note: I never did find the article on showbunny.com - I did switch to Esbilac puppy formula, but the kits lost weight and started to fade on it alone. So I supplemented it with a little KMR kitten formula and they were back up and growing)

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One other person also suggested puppy formula instead of kitten formula.