help with bunnies

[chickenshadow]

They may be weaned(bad spelling) already. Give them quiet and space.

Put in some grass, leafy greens like spinach, and some water.

That is all you can do with what you have at hand.

 

[Sonia]

I know I am new and no one knows me but I raise orphaned wild bunnies every year. (My husband works in a job where they regularly end up digging up nests.)

First thing....Keep them warm! Wild babies can and will refuse to eat and force feeding them is tricky especially if they are suffering from shock, which most are. If they seem lethargic and/or dehydrated...(I know this sounds crazy) give them a few drops of FLAT Pepsi or cold coffee with sugar in it. The caffeine and sugar help them to perk up. If they are not weaned yet you can feed them goats milk or kitten replacement milk. Momma will only feed them once a day but since their milk is richer than anything you will be able to get, feed them every 6-8 hours. If they are weaned you can feed them anything an adult rabbit would eat.

 

[Frosty]

Those guys look old enough to be eating greens. I see them about that size in my berry patch all the time. When I was little, we did get a wild bunny from the dog (she had a soft mouth and brought the bunny back alive), the little things eyes were still closed. We fed it a mixture of honey (had our own hives) and powdered milk fed with an eye dropper. We named it Honey Bunny. It lived and thrived for about six months, one day when we had it in the yard with a screened top box over it (no bottom), it squeezed out under the box to get loose and kitty got it.

 

[ella]

I've raised about 8 wild babies at various times. In the pic you posted they look fat which is good. Are they suckling?

KMR and an eyedropper worked best for me, they won't even look at a nipple. Just drip it in the corner of their mouth. They should start suckling on it, although it takes a little while for them to get the hang of it.

Twice a day feedings worked great. I had no extra heat other than blankets for a nest.

They do stress easily...

 

[cknmom]

They were eating lettuce and pooping, so DH and I decided to release them and let nature take it's course. We had found a new warren over the weekend at the back of our property. Yesterday after DGD got home from school, we took them out there. She put each of them into the hole and they scurried down it. I don't know if rabbits will adopt strays or not, but they seemed to be old enough that anything I would do would be more of a future problem for them.
Thanks for all the help and info. We are going to buy some kitten formula to keep on hand so if this happens again we will be prepared.

Monica

 

[talos321]

I went by this guy's advice earlier in the year because a cat was attacking a nest of baby cottontail rabbits. There are 3 of them and all are doing very well and have tripled in size. Be Sure to read up on CT's in his message because it is very important.


http://squirrelworld.com/RabRehab.html