RESCUED BABY BUNNY FROM THE CAT...... WHAT TO FEED IT?
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I would suggest you call your local wildlife officers to take it off your hands. Only reason I suggest this is that in most states it is illegal to keep any wildlife without a permit, or rehab them without the proper permits. Though I am glad that you saved it from your cat. Otherwise get weeds from where you had found the baby and give it a shallow bowl of water.
Baby rabbits "freeze" to avoid predators and it doesn't automatically mean he is injured
It would be best to try and find the nest and put him back for his mom to find him.
An animal rehabilitator would be the rabbits next best chance.
Baby cottontails are notoriously hard to bottle raise and the prognosis is not good but there are several milk formula recipes you can use, most start with powdered puppy or kitten milk and other things are added to make it suitable for rabbits - usuàlly heavy cream or oils
http://www.raising-rabbits.com/feeding- ... bbits.html
It would be best to try and find the nest and put him back for his mom to find him.
An animal rehabilitator would be the rabbits next best chance.
Baby cottontails are notoriously hard to bottle raise and the prognosis is not good but there are several milk formula recipes you can use, most start with powdered puppy or kitten milk and other things are added to make it suitable for rabbits - usuàlly heavy cream or oils
http://www.raising-rabbits.com/feeding- ... bbits.html
Animals handled by cats nearly always die. They don't have to have any wounds. Cats have so much dangerous bacteria in their mouths that the animals still develop respiratory or other infections within 48hours and die in less than another 48hours. Just the stress of being caught can also kill baby rabbits. Put it somewhere very quiet, padded so it doesn't hurt itself if it spooks, and place a handful of greens in front of it. Then try to find a wildlife rehabber.
If it's eyes are open and its ears are up (not still plastered to the head) then it is old enough to be independent. Put it back as close to where the cat found it as you can, but under a bit of cover. It may recover or it may not... but you will be giving it its best chance by not keeping it.
I saw the pic on the side where it said "Recent Images" Here is the pic, copied from the album. [album]2654[/album]
This is not true for cotton tails - they develop quicker than domestic rabbits and are soon fully furred and ready to run but still reliant on mothers milk.MaggieJ":169l8w7q said:
From the size of the baby cottontail I believe he still needs milk. Baby rabbits are binge feeders and one or two big meals are better than many small.
I would also offer a warm corner of his box - a hot water bottle or heating pad on low under one end to keep help him warm.
You could be right, Dood... He does look very young.
The picture had not been posted in the thread when I replied and one can see from it that his ears are still flat against his head.
Stra8up3, it's great to hear he is eating greens. Carrots may be a bit rich. If you have some kitchen oatmeal (like plain old Quaker oats) try giving him a bit of that. You can feed it dry or soak it with water. Make sure he has access to a shallow container of water as well.
Is he moving around at all or does he still seem in shock?
The picture had not been posted in the thread when I replied and one can see from it that his ears are still flat against his head.
Stra8up3, it's great to hear he is eating greens. Carrots may be a bit rich. If you have some kitchen oatmeal (like plain old Quaker oats) try giving him a bit of that. You can feed it dry or soak it with water. Make sure he has access to a shallow container of water as well.
Is he moving around at all or does he still seem in shock?
i will give him some oats, he does have water, and he seems to have moved around alot in the night, the shovel scoop of grass is smashed down, he has moved from the grass to the towel 2 times. he has tiny little poops every where. he has not moved the last few hours.. thanks <br /><br /> __________ Tue May 06, 2014 7:06 am __________ <br /><br /> i put up another pic of him closer in the album, but i still cant figure out how to get it to the forum. could you please put it there like the last one?? thanks
Sure not a problem. [album]2656[/album] It's ears do look well furred and able to move off the head. It might be able to take off on it's own. If you could get a picture from the side that would really help.
[album]2659[/album] Again no problem. 
It's ears are definitely up. I think it looks to be about 3 or 4 weeks old it should do well on it's own if you are able to release it as close to where your cat caught it as possible.
It's ears are definitely up. I think it looks to be about 3 or 4 weeks old it should do well on it's own if you are able to release it as close to where your cat caught it as possible.thank you, when found the cat had it on the front porch, where it brings all of it's victims... it is not my cat. but it lives here. if it were my cat i would not let it outside, better yet re-home it. the bunny is doing much better this morning i am concerned about letting it go and the cat getting it again.
coyotejoe
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Sad to say the bunny will never be safe from the cat, not even when full grown, although the odds will be better. Mother Nature has her ways and we don't always appreciate nor approve but there isn't much we can do about it. It is the rabbit's lot in life to be a prey species, everything eats rabbits, including myself.
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That's a precious little bun there! Looks like it's taking its rehabilitation well. :greatjob:
Coyotejoe is right, though... the little bunny has to go back to the "wild", as they can take captivity only for a very short time. And once there, it will have plenty of hazards as it grows up, including the cat.
I would think the bigger it gets, the less likely the cat will catch it again, but it will always be in danger from predators. Dogs, hawks... such is the life of a cottontail. Always on the run.
Looks like it's taking its rehabilitation well. :greatjob:Coyotejoe is right, though... the little bunny has to go back to the "wild", as they can take captivity only for a very short time. And once there, it will have plenty of hazards as it grows up, including the cat.
I would think the bigger it gets, the less likely the cat will catch it again, but it will always be in danger from predators. Dogs, hawks... such is the life of a cottontail. Always on the run.
im trying to get the owner of the cat to keep the cat inside for a few weeks so that it and all the other babies will have a chance to get a little bigger. the cat wont go after the adults cause it knows that they fight back. this little bunny does not fight, run or squirm. he is eating lots of dandelions. <br /><br /> __________ Wed May 07, 2014 12:26 pm __________ <br /><br /> i really want to let the bunny go but im afraid about him being so vulnerable.. im thinking maybe keeping it for a week or 2 for him to get a little bigger. but would that be a good idea?? what would you recommend doing?? thank you :?:
It's not likely to become too tame, if that is what your worried about.
It's instincts will keep it safe as a bunny possibly can be whenever you decide to release it.
Make sure you keep grasses and safe wild plants available for it to eat.
It's instincts will keep it safe as a bunny possibly can be whenever you decide to release it.
Make sure you keep grasses and safe wild plants available for it to eat.
i put another picture in the gallery of where i have him. every day i replace a shovel full of grass that he eats and hides in. he also has alpha hay, dandelions, horse 4 way grain, pellets, oatmeal, carrots, watermelon, a radish, bird seed, and a dish of water. im glad to hear about his instincts, i was not worried so much about him finding food, just his ability or awareness of danger like the adults do. there are 6 adults that i feed carrots to every day. i see them from the window and watch them for hours. im concerned that the longer i keep him the more tame he will become and less likely that he will run or fight back because that is how he is now. he doesnt run from me and lets me pick him up and doesnt even squirm... what would you do, let him go now or wait till he gets a little bigger???? thank you
