Hi i’m new and im trying to save 2 baby bunnies please help!!

[youngbunny]

Hi I’m Alex, my dog found 4 baby bunnies in our backyard and we put them in a makeshift habitat because we feared cats (outdoor cats are kind of common on my street) would kill them. We tried to feed them KMS but they were too afraid to open their mouths  and they would not drink it, by the way we used a bottle with a nipple. Anyway, we put some carrots and lettuce in their make shift habitat and they would cuddle together under towels in pairs. The next day we tried again, then that night we tried again to feed them. That night put all of them in a Tina orange box ,with grass and towels in it for them, in our garden, which was dead becuase the harvest was over, and it consisted of mostly weeds. The next day we put a tray of milk next to the box, the day after we check and all four are outside the box. Then today (Saturday), we check… one is dead, one is taking cheyynestokes breathing, one is extremely weak but not taking labored breathing, and one (apparently the healthiest one), jumps out of the box and runs away into the weeds, so i hold the cheyynestokes bunny and comfort it while my mom takes the weak one and tries to feed it. The latter does not drink, he is too weak, the cheyynestokes bunny is not able to be saved, we put the two dying bunnies in the box (also, the box is open there is no top), and place them in the garden to rest, we can not save either one. We are trying to find the one who got away, because he still had strength to hop over the edge of the box. They are all about 4-5 inches long and I’m guessing that you guys are pros so you would know how old they are. I don’t. Should we try to find the one who got away?? Or is he not old enough to fend for himself. Also, the mother has not come back for them. Sorry for any grammar errors i wrote this kind of in a hurry.

[kralspace]

Hi youngbunny and welcome,

cottontails are very hard to save even for experienced rehabbers (which I’m not) so please don’t beat yourself up about losing the babies.

Here are a couple of helpful links, this one gets you information on how to figure out how old they are and if they can survive on their own.
http://rescuedrabbits.org/?page_id=108

This one gives really good basic information if you try to raise them yourself.
http://www.2ndchance.info/bunnies.htm

good luck and let us know how it goes, Kathy

[Sarita]

I’m sorry that happened but kralspace gave you good advice. It’s usually just best to cover the babies back so mom can come back to the nest and move them if needed.

[Jenna, Chubs & Comet]

 It’s very hard to save itty bitty babies like that…there’s another wild bunny nest post in the general q and a section…you can try reading that. Sorry this happened, it’s pretty sad

[youngbunny]

The cheyynestokes bunny passed away. The weak one is still alive, and the one who got away earlier we found him in the middle of our yard, so right now we have one weak one with normal breathing, and one who stil has strength but is skinny. They both are refusing milk, what do i do?? So help me God i will not let these poor innocent babies die. We have  a plastic storage crate with a towel inside of it with a bowl of KMS and some chopped greens. I’ll put some pictures on the next post. PLEASE HELP! And no mom is gone. Nowhere to be found, she never came back for them.

[youngbunny]

The stronger one JUST ATE SOME LETTUCE YAY!! Unfortunately i believe that the weaker one may only have a day left in him, for he refuses to eat anything. I feel like this is all my fault, we should have just brought my dog inside and left them alone… This topic has 55 views i was hoping there could be 55 replies PLEASE everyone who views try to reply i cant let these babies die

[kralspace]

I’m so sorry another has passed, I know you’re doing everything you can for them. It’s just so hard to watch when you know the outcome is probably not going to be as good as you hoped.

I’ve read where many rehabbers put a heating pad under a towel so the babies can maintain their body heat.

I think they set it to medium but put it so it covers only half the box and cover with a towel. That way the babies have a choice of crawling toward it if they’re cold and crawling off if they’re warm enough.

I wish I knew more to tell you, I want to take the cottontail rehab class next spring and learn more.

I know you feel bad, but remember the last lines in that article I linked to about wild bunnies:

“Remember that it is not the destiny of more than a few infant bunnies to survive to maturity. If it was, the World would be over-run with rabbits.” I know it doesn’t make you feel any better, but it has a lot of truth in it.

hugs and thumps for all your hard work, Kathy

[kralspace]

Just a thought, youngbunny, you might want to post about your babies under the General or Diet and Care forums to get more responses. The Support forum is mostly about the bunny’s we’ve lost and getting help to handle their loss. I saw your message here because one of mine passed away last week and I came here to post about him.

Since you are still fighting to keep them alive it might be a way to get more input.
hugs, Kathy

[youngbunny]

Thank you for that kathy, also, the other one is too weak so we have him comfortable ready to pass when the time comes. But the other one is doing fine, the bunnies will live in through him.

[youngbunny]

THis topic is being continued in diet and care

[Author]

Messages