A Day Before Bunny Opens its Eye

A baby rabbit is born with its eyes firmly closed. At about 1 week to 12 days old, they start to open their eyes and they will begin eating their mother’s cecotropes, (also called “night feces” or “cecal droppings”). Cecotropes help provide the babies with essential nutrients and later, inoculate the hindgut with the essential flora that is needed to metabolize a diet that is changing from milk to solid foods.

Around the time their eyes open, the babies start venturing out of the nest. At this stage, they are crawling rather than walking, and they stay close to the walls of the hutch for security. However, they soon become stronger and begin trying out little hops and skips, and by about three weeks they are confidently hopping around the hutch.