Wild (cottontail?) kit

I got a text last night about 6pm. "Would you like a tiny baby bunny?"

I immediately responded with "Where, when and how"

They were at their parents house, out in the country, and their dogs were way too interested in something, and they found it. I'm the only person they know with baby bunny experience. I told them that finding the nest would be best, but they said they had looked and not seen one. At this point I'm like, "OK. Fine. Bring me the bunny."

I talked to a few other rabbit folks looking for a foster mom, no such luck. It's just too hot for anyone to have litters right now.

Soooooo....
I'm using the tried and true formula,

1/2 cup evaporated goat's milk (undiluted)
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon powered colostrum supplement for newborn animals

It didn't get a feeding last night or this morning because I didn't have the supplies for this formula, I did try to give it some Goats Milk Esbilac (powder, came in the package with my syringe and bene-bac gel) but it wouldn't have that, turning it's head every which way and trying to burrow into the towel.

The bene-bac probiotic is a gel, which I'm not sure about on dosage. I can glob some onto the end of the syringe and stick it in it's mouth. Anyone have experience with it?

So, this afternoon when I got off work, I headed to the store to grab the ingredients. I went ahead and mixed some up, since he/she missed last night and this morning. I only had to squeeze maybe three drops in it's mouth before it decided this was some good stuff. Settled right down and started sucking. We probably managed just short of 1.5 mL. Not quite a syringe full and a half.

The only thing I'm worried about, in terms of survival, is going to be making it potty. I read the other threads, I don't have cotton balls (I know, who doesn't have cotton balls?) but I do have gauze pads and those are basically the same thing. I've tried twice now with no results except a lot of squirming. How hard do I press? How long do I try?

So far so good, active little bugger. I'm guessing 2 weeks old? Eyes are open but just so tiny!

Thinking about naming it Trouble (with a capital T which rhymes with P which stands for Pool!)

Gratuitous picture:

Do you have any cotton swabs (like Q-tips) in the house? I'd imagine wetting the tip just the teeniest bit (moist, not wet) and using small repeated strokes would mimic the mama or littermates' actions. I saw this tip on another site, in any case, and if you have those around maybe you can give it a try?

If its eyes are open and its ears are up, you should be offering it greens. Plantain (Plantago major) is a great starter... see the Safe Plants sticky for others. If you have hay that is also safe.

Cottontails start nibbling as soon as they leave the nest. I don't know how long they typically nurse, but I do know they need to get used to greens right from the start.

safe-plants-for-rabbits-list-t55.html

I know there is a temptation to make a pet of an orphaned baby animal, but it may be against the law and in any case it it best to release them into the wild as soon as they can make it on their own.

MaggieJ":9jljg0iq said:

If its eyes are open and its ears are up, you should be offering it greens.

Click to expand...

I already have hay in there with it. I'll see if I can find some nice greens tomorrow, see if there's any interest. I fed it again just a little bit this evening. He/she is small enough that it can't get out of the nest box (sized for Hollands).

Should I go ahead and offer a small dish of water?

Yes, by all means give him a dish of water. Certainly can't hurt and may be important!

If there is a wildlife rehab centre near you, it might be best to turn the lil guy over to them. If not, try to keep your sights on making him fit to have a good chance at a life in the wild.

:good-luck:

It's at the age they start leaving the nest. If they'd just gotten the dog to leave it alone for awhile it would have wandered back off and probably been fine. It's only when you have a known nest location that the animals won't leave alone or kits that aren't mobile yet that you need to remove.

Once you have them at that age get lots of greens, a small bit of water (caps and lids work well if you don't have tiny feed crocks to keep them from making a mess), a small bit of pellets, and a little hay. It may be old enough it doesn't need stimulated but I just use a wet paper towel to brush across them. Just use the corner like it would be the mother's tongue and sweep it lightly across the whole area. If it needs stimulation it shouldn't take much. If you can't make anything happen but it's still taking food and moving about then it's probably ok on it's own. It is best to find a rehabber eventually because releasing them into the wild safely isn't a simple thing. It will need penned safely outdoors for awhile in a large enough pen with natural looking hiding areas that it can simulate moving away from predators and exposure to weather conditions. People who rehab a lot of cottontails properly will have permanent or semi-permanent setups for moving them to increasingly wild conditions before full release. Some hang around and some take off. We had some that were a bit tame. You couldn't get too near them but they'd hang around the buildings and edge of the field. We'd throw hay slices out for them when it snowed heavy. Unfortunately I think that's what led to having one nest in the yard area of our farm repeatedly leading to more cottontails we'd end up having to save from the cats and dogs.

Rub it's belly and it's genitals, apply light pressure like enough that your making an indent on it's belly but not so hard your smooshing it. Only reason I know this is I'm constantly accidentally making them pee on me lol

How is it doing? And I've used everything from a wet tissue, rag, paper towel to toilet paper before with wiping the kits to have them go. As long as it is soft and a bit wet it should be ok.