How To Increase Milk Production in Rabbits

Providing the best care for a new litter of bunnies is one of the most rewarding parts of rabbit ownership. But it can also be daunting, especially when it comes to ensuring the mother rabbit is producing enough nourishing milk for her rapidly growing kits. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about rabbit lactation—from the components of rabbit milk and how long the kits need to nurse, to troubleshooting low milk supply and techniques to increase production. You’ll also learn the optimal diet for a nursing doe, how to make homemade milk replacers, and more. Follow these tips to help raise a healthy, thriving litter of happy, well-fed bunnies.

Do Baby Rabbits Drink Milk from Their Mother?

Baby rabbits, called kits, rely completely on their mother's milk for the first 2-3 weeks of their life. Unlike some mammals, rabbits only feed their young once a day, for just 3-5 minutes at a time. During this brief feeding, the kits will drink as much of their mother's rich milk as they can to receive the nutrition and antibodies they need to grow and stay healthy.

Kits are born blind, deaf, and nearly hairless. They develop quickly in the nest with their litter mates, doubling their birth weight in just a few days. The mother rabbit, called a doe, is able to produce enough calories and nutrients in her milk to sustain this amazingly fast growth.

The milk is produced by the doe's mammary glands and contains higher fat, protein, and antibody content than the milk of other mammals. This enables the babies to grow a protective fur coat, open their eyes, and leave the nest at 2-3 weeks old. By 3 weeks, they are able to eat solid foods and no longer need their mother's milk.

How Long Do Baby Rabbits Need Milk?

Baby rabbits rely on their mother's milk as their sole source of nutrition for 2-3 weeks after birth. They will nurse only once per day, for about 3-5 minutes each time. This unusually infrequent nursing schedule is enough to stimulate the doe's mammary glands to produce the highly nutritious milk the kits need.

At birth, the kits are born blind, deaf, hairless, and unable to regulate their own body temperature. For the first week, they cannot leave the nest or eat solid food. The mother's antibody-rich milk provides their only nutrition and immune protection.

At 1 week old, their eyes begin to open. By 2 weeks old, they develop fur and the ability to move around the nest. They will begin nibbling on solid foods but still rely almost completely on nursing for nutrition.

By 3 weeks old, the kits are able to emerge from the nest, fully furred with eyes wide open. They will decrease nursing time and start relying more on hay, pellets, veggies, and water for nutrition. By 8-12 weeks old, they are normally weaned off milk entirely.

So while rabbits only nurse for 3-5 minutes once per day, those brief feedings provide essential nutrition and immune support during the critical 2-3 week period after birth.

When Do Pregnant Rabbits Get Milk?

Rabbits do not produce milk while pregnant. Lactation begins a few hours after the doe gives birth.

The mammary glands begin developing in the early stages of pregnancy in preparation for nursing. Hormones like estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, and oxytocin control development of the mammary glands and onset of milk production.

In the weeks before birth, estrogen levels rise, causing the mammary glands to grow and proliferate milk ducts and glands. Progesterone levels also rise to stimulate growth of the milk duct system.

Milk production itself does not begin until a doe gives birth. The hormones prolactin and oxytocin play key roles in initiating lactation shortly after kindling.

Within 24 hours of birthing her kits, hormonal changes in the doe cause the mammary glands to begin actually secreting milk. This timing ensures milk is available as soon as the vulnerable newborn kits need to nurse.

The process of lactation continues as long as kits are nursing, usually 2-3 weeks. Once weaned, hormones signal the mammary glands to stop producing milk.

So while pregnant does experience mammary gland development before birth, actual lactation does not begin until 24-48 hours after the litter is born.

Rabbit Not Producing Enough Milk

In some cases, a mother rabbit may not produce enough milk for her litter. If kits seem malnourished, dehydrated, or underweight, low milk supply may be the cause. Several factors can contribute to low milk production, including poor diet, stress, mastitis, and genetics.

Signs that a doe may not be producing enough milk include:

Kits crying excessively or seeming hungry after nursing
Smaller than normal weight gain or weight loss in kits
Wrinkled skin or sunken eyes in kits due to dehydration
Unusually small litter size with few surviving kits

Some common reasons for low milk supply in rabbits include:

Poor Nutrition: A doe needs a high quality diet with adequate calories and calcium to sustain lactation. Lack of food or water can quickly diminish her milk.
Stress: Any stressors like loud noise, change in environment, or predators can inhibit let-down reflex and milk production.
Mastitis: Infection and inflammation in mammary glands can reduce milk volume and quality.
Genetics: Some breeds or individual does may be predisposed genetically to lower milk production.
Complications of Birthing: Difficult kindling may negatively impact milk supply.
Poor Nursing: Kits not nursing effectively can lead to low milk production.

If a doe has signs of low milk supply, the first step is correcting any nutritional deficiencies, minimizing external stressors, and addressing any mastitis. Monitoring weight gain in the kits and supplementing with replacement milk or formula may be needed. Does who consistently underproduce may need to be retired from breeding.

Reduced or No Milk Production

There are a few potential reasons a mother rabbit's milk supply may become reduced or stop altogether. If kits are not gaining weight or seem hungry and dehydrated, it's important to identify the cause of the milk production problem.

Reasons for reduced or halted milk production include:

Mastitis: Bacterial infection of mammary glands is common in rabbits around kindling. It causes inflammation, pain, and scar tissue. This can drastically reduce milk quality and volume. Antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and warm compresses may help treat it.
Hormonal Imbalance: Levels of prolactin and oxytocin determine milk production. Stress or poor diet can disrupt these hormones and inhibit lactation. In some cases, injections of oxytocin or regulating light exposure can help stimulate milk release.
Uterine Inertia: Difficult or prolonged birthing can cause uterine inertia, disrupting milk production. Uterine massage and oxytocin injections may help stimulate milk let-down.
Poor Diet: Lack of nutrients, dehydration, obesity, or sudden diet change can diminish milk supply. Free choice hay, water, and a balanced high-calcium diet support lactation.
Mastitis: Bacterial infection and inflammation of mammary glands reduces milk quality and volume. Antibiotics and anti-inflammatories may help treat it.
False Pregnancy: Hormonal condition mimicking pregnancy causes mammary gland changes. But with no kits to nurse, milk will diminish. Hormone therapy may help end the false pregnancy.

If the doe is not producing any milk at all, hormone injections, diet changes, and treating medical causes may help restore lactation. Otherwise, kits will need supplemental formula or an adoptive mother.

Large Litter

Rabbits tend to have large litters, with anywhere from 4 to 12 kits being common. Does are able to nurse 8-10 kits on average, but litters larger than this can present challenges.

Raising a large litter puts extra nutritional demands on the mother rabbit. Each kit requires adequate milk to grow and thrive. So litter size is often limited by the doe's ability to produce enough milk.

Signs a litter may be too large include:

Kits appearing small, dehydrated, or underweight
Increased competition at nursing leading to less milk per kit
Higher mortality rates in the first weeks after birth
More distraction of the doe and risk of mastitis

To deal with an extra-large litter, there are a few options:

Cull the litter to 6-8 kits soon after birth, humanely euthanizing extra weak or small kits.
Supplement with a rabbit milk replacer and provide extra hydration.
Allow older litter mates or a second doe to help nurse some of the kits.
Wean the largest kits early at 3 weeks old to reduce nursing demand.

It takes good nutrition, hydration, and excellent maternal care for a doe to be able to successfully nurse and raise a litter of 10+ kits. Careful monitoring is needed in large litters to ensure all kits are well-fed.

Health

A doe rabbit must be in excellent health in order to produce adequate, high quality milk for her kits. Any illness, infection, or condition that compromises her health can also diminish milk supply and quality.

Some specific health issues that may impact milk production include:

Mastitis – Infection of mammary glands causes inflammation, pain, and reduced milk.
GI issues – Diarrhea or other intestinal issues lead to dehydration, poor nutrition, and weight loss.
Urinary tract infection – Causes dehydration, fever, toxicity which decreases milk supply.
Dental issues – Make it painful to eat, leading to weight loss, dehydration, and nutritional deficits.
Obesity – Excess fat deposits interfere with hormonal signals for milk production.
Respiratory infection – Upper respiratory viruses sap the doe's energy and can lead to poor appetite.
Parasites – Worms and coccidia compete for the doe's nutrients and cause GI inflammation.
Fur mites – Cause intense itchiness, discomfort, and sleep disruption for the doe.

The best ways to support milk production are to keep the doe healthy with good husbandry. This includes a high quality diet, clean housing, monitoring body condition, and prompt veterinary care when issues arise. A healthy, robust doe is essential for nourishing a growing litter of kits.

Diet

A mother rabbit’s diet is incredibly important for allowing her to produce enough high quality milk to raise a healthy litter. Lactation places high demands on the doe’s body, and her diet must provide sufficient calories, nutrients, and fluids.

Some key dietary considerations for lactating does include:

High quality hay should be available at all times to provide fiber needed for milk production and prevent digestive issues. Alfalfa hay is ideal for its high calorie and calcium content.
A measured amount of pellets can help provide concentrated calories and nutrients for milk production. 16-20% protein pellets fed at 1?4-1?2 cup daily help support lactation demands.
Fresh greens and a small amount of vegetables offer added hydration and nutrition. Leafy greens, brassicas, and root vegetables are good choices.
Clean, unlimited water is essential to maintaining milk supply, preventing dehydration, and ensuring adequate milk for kits. Provide heavy crockery to minimize spills.
Salt licks and calcium supplements support milk calcium needs. Most pellets are fortified with calcium, but separate calcium can help ensure adequate intake.
Avoid any sudden diet changes. An abrupt change in calories or nutrients can disrupt milk supply. Make any switches gradually.

With free choice hay, measured pellets, fresh greens, and ample water, a doe can typically produce enough milk to sufficiently nourish 8-10 kits. Monitoring body condition and kit weight helps identify any nutritional deficits.

Security

Stress has a well-documented effect of decreasing milk production and preventing milk let-down in rabbits and other mammals. Providing a quiet, secure environment is essential for the mother rabbit to be able to properly nurse her kits.

Rabbits are prey animals, meaning their instincts drive them to constant vigilance against potential dangers. Any real or perceived threats in the environment can trigger a stress response.

When a rabbit is stressed, hormones like epinephrine and cortisol rise. These hormones activate fight-or-flight behaviors to help the rabbit react to danger. But they also inhibit the hormones prolactin and oxytocin, which are responsible for milk production and release.

Effects of stress on nursing rabbits include:

Diminished milk volume and nutrients
Failure of milk to be expressed
Rejection or avoidance of kits
Increased risk of mastitis infections

To help minimize stress for a nursing doe:

House her indoors in a quiet, peaceful area away from people traffic and noise.
Provide a spacious cage or enclosure with hide boxes for privacy.
Give nesting material and keep the nesting area very dark and undisturbed.
Allow only brief contact from people to feed, clean litter, etc.
Avoid sudden loud noises, children, or pets around her space.

With a sheltered, calm environment and minimal disruptions, mother rabbits can feel secure enough to nurse their kits properly without stress inhibiting their milk supply.

How To Increase A Rabbit's Milk Supply

If a mother rabbit is struggling to produce enough milk for her litter, there are a few techniques that may help increase her milk volume:

Improve nutrition with unlimited hay, measured pellets, and ample fresh greens and vegetables. This provides the calories and nutrients needed for lactation.
Make sure the doe stays well hydrated with unlimited access to clean water. Dehydration quickly reduces milk.
Adjust photoperiods to 14-16 hours of light per day. The increased daylight can help stimulate prolactin and milk production.
Treat any mastitis with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications to improve mammary health.
Minimize any stressors in the environment that may be inhibiting prolactin and oxytocin.
Gently massage the doe's mammary glands to help stimulate milk flow before and during nursing sessions.
Offer supplemental calcium supplements to support the doe's increased calcium needs.
Inject oxytocin 5-10 minutes before allowing the litter to nurse. Oxytocin enhances milk release.
Allow more frequent nursing sessions or larger litter size to increase suckling stimulation.
Avoid sudden diet changes that can disrupt milk production. Make any switches gradually.

Persistently low milk supply may indicate an underlying health issue, poor genetics, or the litter size is unsustainable. Seek veterinary advice if milk production stays inadequate.

What To Feed A Nursing Mother Rabbit

The best diet for a lactating mother rabbit consists of:

Unlimited grass hay, preferably alfalfa for increased calories and calcium. The fiber in hay is vital for milk production.
1?4 – 1?2 cup of quality pellets per day, with 16-20% protein, providing concentrated calories and nutrients.
1-2 cups of fresh greens daily, like romaine, kale, parsley, cilantro, or carrots, for hydration and minerals. Introduce new veggies slowly.
Small amount of juicy vegetables a few times a week, like broccoli, zucchini, or apple slices for hydration.
Unlimited clean, fresh water to avoid dangerous dehydration and keep milk flowing. Heavy crocks prevent tipping.
Salt licks or calcium supplements to support increased calcium demand during lactation.
Digestive support if needed, like probiotics, yogurt drops, or blackberry leaves. Diarrhea or GI stasis quickly diminishes milk supply.

Avoid foods high in oxalates, carbs, or sugars. Introduce any new foods slowly. The doe’s body is under strain during nursing, so optimal nutrition helps ensure plentiful, nourishing milk for the kits. Monitor doe and litter weight to gauge milk adequacy.

How To Make Rabbit Milk Replacer

If a mother rabbit is unable to nurse her litter, either due to low milk production or death, the kits will need an appropriate milk replacer to survive. Homemade rabbit milk replacers try to mimic the nutritional content of real rabbit milk.

While not as optimal as mother’s milk, homemade replacers can provide sustenance and allow orphaned kits to be bottle or syringe fed until old enough to wean.

Some recipes for homemade rabbit milk replacer include:

Goat milk mixed with heavy cream and egg yolk
Whole cow’s milk blended with yogurt, egg yolk, and a drop of light corn syrup
KMR (kitten milk replacer) mixed with half and half cream
Human pediatric liquid formulas mixed with whipping cream or half and half

The milk replacer should contain 25-40% fat and 15-40% protein. The kits’ stomach capacity is limited, so feed in small amounts every 2-3 hours. Warm the liquid to about 100F before feeding.

Introduce solid pellets and veggies between 3-4 weeks old. By 8 weeks, transition completely to solid foods. Handle kits gently, keeping them warm and massaging their bellies to encourage elimination after feedings. Work closely with your veterinarian to adjust and improve the homemade milk replacer recipe. Commercial rabbit milk replacers are also available.

Homemade Rabbit Milk

While it is not actually possible to milk a rabbit like other dairy animals, some people attempt to make a homemade rabbit milk substitute when nursing does are unable to feed their kits.

This homemade recipe tries to mimic the nutritional content of real rabbit milk:

Ingredients:

1 cup whole goat milk or whole cow milk
1?4 cup half and half or whipping cream
1 egg yolk
1?4 tsp light corn syrup

Directions:

Warm the milk to 37C or body temperature
Beat the egg yolk and combine well with the milk, cream, and corn syrup
Mix thoroughly and strain before feeding

This can be fed to orphaned kits using a small syringe or bottle. Feed about 1-2 ml per 100g body weight every 2-3 hours. Refrigerate unused portions.

As the kits grow, slowly add ground pellets and blended veggies to help transition to solid foods. By 4-6 weeks old they should readily accept pellets, hay, and veggies. Never try