i think you can feed them a mash of rabbit food and cat milk replacer. good luck!

Some links from the BB link tab that might help. Good luck!
http://www.rabbit.org/care/babies.html
http://www.rabbit.org/care/newborn.html
http://www.mybunny.org/info/newborn.htm

Is there anyway that you can keep the dog & cat out of the yard for 24 hours? It is best if you put them back. Momma bunny will move them. She will know they where found & move them. She will not reject them for smelling human. The chances of them living without their moms milk is very slim. Wild rabbits are essential immpossible to tame too. If by some miracle they live without their mom, they will always bite & be very unfriendly. Please put them back. Moma bunnies only nurse once or twice a day, she has not deserted them. If they are still there in the morning, something may have happened to her. Call a wildlife rescue then.

I agree with furface. If you cannot safely put them back then call your local humane society – many times they will have a wildlife rescue department or will at least be able to refer you to one.

If you can keep the dogs and cats away for today, and possibly put a box over the hole when you put them back to give them some protectiion, it will give the momma a chance to find them. You could cut a hole in the side of a cardboard box big enough for her to fit into but covering the babies from sight. It’s very temporary, but in the meantime call the humane society. If you look on the website Petfinder, you will see lists of animal shelters by zip code. Do a search for Rabbit in your zip code to locate several in your area. Then call for help or advice.

Are these wild rabbits? Because you may not find a vet to alter them. I hope they are not wild…if they are, I hate to be mean, but wild rabbits need to stay wild and if now they most likely will not be able to be sent back out in the wild.

I rehabbed Eastern Cottontails for 2 summers before I decided not to do it anymore- it is too heartbreaking to lose the babies.  They would be ready to release and then could die overnight for no apparent reason.  Some have theorized that the survival rate can be so dismal from all the chemical and pesticides Mom was exposed to and ingested while pregnant- and thus compromising the babies immune system/health.

Though it technically might be illegal for you to keep the bunnies in most states- that is why you are lucky that your vet will neuter/spay them.  I would recommend having your vet research anesthetics and pain meds that have been used successfully in Eastern Cottontials and modify his anesthesia protocol if necessary.  It might not be easy info to find since most wild bunnies probably don’t do well with surgery from stress of injury (or reason in rehab), the surgery itself, and then the recovery.   But some of the wildlife centers, organizations or vets might have access to those kind of records.

Eastern Cottontails are quite different than domesticated bunnies- and if a pet bunny escapes they are unable to breed with Cottontails- they are that different biologically!  I believe most of our pet bunnies originated from Europe and have been domesticated for hundreds of years.

If the bunnies have been handled and tamed so extensively that they are unable to be released, and I know how easy it is to get attached- I totally understand your decision to keep them.  Have you been able to determine sex yet?  You might have to separate boys from girls until they are sturdy enough to be spayed- usually female pet bunnies can be spayed at 6 months and can get pregnant well before then.  And I think it would be risky to do surgery earlier on a Cottontail- you want them to be as strong and sturdy as possible escpecially since they remain small and lean.

MM, no worries. If I can speak for my fellow BB members, they are just using their experiences to do the best thing for the rabbits. Rabbit owning is a big responsibility, so I think everyone was encouraging you to return them to the wild to keep your life the way it is now and not be dramatically altered by taking these little guys in.

If you’re up for the responsibility of keeping the bunnies, then go for it! We just like to prepare people for the responsibility so that the buns don’t end up in a shelter.

I’ve gotta say, 3 out of 4 surviving is a great effort on your part! Did you ever see the mother return to the nest? Perhaps they were orphaned…
Some of the Wildlife centres may have advice or even keep animals in their care long term . I would suggest you get in touch anyway for any info you can garner on the species.
Have you taken any pictures?

Honestly, I think it’s unfortunate that you have kept them inside all this time. From what I have read, by the time Cottontails have opened their eyes, they are just about ready to be on their own. Now that you’ve had them for so long, it may be impossible to release them into the wild. I don’t think they will make good pets, even once fixed, and you should contact a wildlife center and see if they can take them long term.