When rabbits get sick, they may be in so much discomfort or pain that they refuse to eat. This can be lethal to rabbits because their health relies on the constant movement of their digestion. To help a sick rabbit recover from their illness, you may have to hand feed them Critical Care with a syringe until they are willing to eat on their own again.
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What is Critical Care?
Critical Care is a powder based rabbit food formula. It is used to give rabbits enough calories and water as they recover from illness or surgery. My vet recommends that I always have a bag of Critical Care formula available for emergency situations.
Critical Care is used after surgery or medical diagnosis to get your rabbit’s digestion moving again. The formula will help make sure your rabbit is eating enough, and adding water will also help to keep your rabbit hydrated.
How to make rabbit Critical Care
Rabbit Critical Care is not difficult to make. The idea is simply to mix the powdered formula with water to make a mixture with pudding-like consistency. You can then put this mixture into a large syringe and feed your rabbit (that’s the hard part).
To make Critical Care, you will need a package of Oxbow’s Critical Care formula and a large syringe. Your vet may have these items for you when you bring your rabbit home after their emergency.
- In a bowl, mix the Critical Care powder with warm water. You should use double the amount of water as powder. So 3 Tbsp of powder would be mixed with 6 Tbsp of water.
- Offer the solution to your rabbit on a spoon first. Most of the time sick rabbits will not eat Critical Care off of a spoon. It’s still best to offer it to them and see if they’ll be willing to eat it on their own, since this will be less stressful for the rabbit.
- Scoop the formula into a large syringe. If your rabbit does not eat the solution on their own, take the back plunger out of the syringe and spoon in the Critical Care mixture.
- Syringe feed your rabbit until they have eaten the correct amount. Slowly feed your rabbit only 1mL at a time so that they don’t choke.
How to syringe feed your rabbit
Depending on your rabbit’s disposition, syringe feeding them can be difficult and stressful. It’s often even more difficult than other oral medications because you need to go slow so you can giveour rabbit will time to chew and swallow.
Hand feeding rabbits with a syringe:
- Scoop the formula into the syringe and push the plunger until the formula reaches the tip of the syringe.
- Put your rabbit into a bunny burrito to keep them from struggling. Place your rabbit on a flat surface and keep them still by holding them firmly with your arm wrapped around their body.
- Put your hand on top of the rabbit’s head and pull their lip back with the arm that’s wrapped around your rabbit. You’ll want to pull the lip on the side of the rabbit that is closest to you so you can see the front teeth.
- Insert the syringe into the rabbit’s mouth behind their front teeth. This may take some time if your rabbit tosses their head to keep you from inserting the syringe. Be patient and gently hold your rabbit’s head down while you insert the syringe.
- Push a small amount of formula into your rabbit’s mouth to get them chewing. About ½ mL or less. Remove the syringe and give your rabbit a few moments to swallow the formula.
- Put the syringe back into your rabbit’s mouth and push in about 1 mL of formula. Remove the syringe and allow your rabbit to chew and swallow.
- Continue giving your rabbit the formula is small 1 mL chunks until they have finished their dose.
How much to feed your rabbit
The amount that you feed your rabbit will differ depending on the size of your rabbit. You should also take into account any food that your rabbit is eating on their own. Many times rabbits who are recovering from illness will still be eating a little bit of their normal food, just not their normal amount. In these cases, it’s safe to decrease the amount of Critical Care formula you give your rabbit.
Your vet may give you specific instructions for how much to feed your rabbit. If they differ from the advice given here, it’s always best to listen to your vet. (Remember, I’m just a random person on the internet. I try to give you the best advice I can, but you’re vet will know better than I do)
| Rabbit Weight | Amount of Formula Per Day |
| 2 lbs | 45 mL |
| 3 lbs | 67.5 mL |
| 4 lbs | 90 mL |
| 5 lbs | 112.5 mL |
| 6 lbs | 135 mL |
| 7 lbs | 157.5 mL |
| 8 lbs | 180 mL |
| 9 lbs | 202.5 mL |
| 10 lbs | 225 mL |
How often do you need to feed your rabbit
You should avoid giving your rabbit the entire daily amount of Critical Care formula in one feeding session. At minimum, it’s best to split the daily amount of required formula into three separate feeding sessions (think breakfast, lunch, and dinner). However rabbits that are very weak should be given the formula is 4-6 smaller sessions throughout the day.
Rabbits that are doing well and beginning to eat on their own may only need 1 or 2 supplemental feeding sessions with the Critical Care formula. As your rabbit recovers, you can reduce the number of feeding sessions and the amount of formula that you give your rabbit.
Sources
- “Critical Care for Herbivores – Information for Pet Owners.” Oxbow Animal Health. https://www.oxbowaustralia.com/critical-care%E2%84%A2-information-for-pet-owners.
- Krempels, Dana Ph.D. “Gastrointestinal Stasis: The Silent Killer.” House Rabbit Society. February 10, 2013. https://rabbit.org/care/gi-stasis/.
Related questions
How do you know when your rabbit is sick?
Rabbits are prey animals and have a tendency to hide their illnesses to avoid being picked off by predators. Some of the main signs of sickness in rabbits include
- Not eating or a change in eating habits
- Not pooping
- Sitting in an uncomfortable position
- Lack of energy
- More aggressive behavior than usual
How do I know if my rabbit’s poop is healthy?
Healthy rabbit poop will be cocoa puff sized balls. They will have a consistent and regular shape, size and color. Small or deformed poops can indicate health problems. If your rabbit’s feces do not return to normal, it’s best to make an appointment with your vet to look for any underlying health conditions.
Recommended Products and Brands
Important: These are Affiliate links. As an associate to Amazon, Small Pet Select, and Chewy.com, I may receive a small commission from qualifying purchases.
The two brands that I use when buying food for my rabbit are Oxbow and Small Pet Select. These both have high quality rabbit products and are companies that care about the health of our small animals. If you are purchasing anything from Small Pet Select use the code BUNNYLADY at checkout to get 15% off your first order.
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