2 baby bunnies

[lizharrell1]

I seriously need help. I just picked up 2, furred eyes-closed bunnies, still have an umbilical scab, so can't be very old, maybe a week? I called Anne in Jax but we are both kinda clueless here---WHAT DO I DO? AND IS THERE ANYONE IN OR NEAR MY AREA THAT HAS DONE THIS BEFORE AND WANTS TO TAKE THEM??? I picked up KMR, and know that baby buns only eat 2 times per day, still need to stimulate like squirrels to poop and pee. One of the buns has a VERY large round tummy, the other one not so much, but not sure if one baby had just eaten and the other hadn't. Please help!!!!:dono

[lizharrell1]

I have been in touch with Squirrelsruleandbunnies2, will be talking with her in a little while, for more advice and much needed info. But if anyone has any advice in the interim, feel free to let me know.

[lizharrell1]

Just spoke with squirrelsrule and I got the lowdown on orphaned bunnies. Here is the kicker though: she said I MUST find bunny poop to add to formula (something about digestive enzymes) so I called around and found a bunny poop donor so I am off to collect poop (Any possibility squirrelsrule is pulling my leg here?tinfoil

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Good luck with the little tykes. I hope you find a donor (called and set her straight that you can't get just any poop, it has to be the special night time number 2s). Here is a picture of the right kind of number 2s (upper right is 3 normal poopers for comparison)

[lizharrell1]

Yeah, so I talked with squirrelsrule and the bunny poop I found is NOT the right poop, it has to be special night time bunny poop, and I have a call in to the only person I know that has a rabbit, and they are going to try to get special night time bunny poop, but if I can't then, tomorrow I will pick up either Benebac or lacto bacillus capsules. SQUIRRELS ARE SO EASY!!!!!! Bunnies........not so much, apparently. Still looking for any takers for bunnies in my area.......I will be the FIRST to admit, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I AM DOING,. but I WILL try.....these two babies are ADORABLE and VERY noisy!!!!!! No one else in my area will even TOUCH a baby bunny, so I guess I am these babies ONLY hope!!! If there is ANYONE with experience with buns, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!!

[lizharrell1]

Okay, so I had to recruit Anne, AGAIN. Talked with SR&B2, and felt confident that I could do this, then I tried to feed these 2, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME? It took me ONE HOUR to get ONE DROP of formula into ONE BABY. I will be traveling to Anne's ONCE AGAIN, this time to figure out how to save these two adorable little buns. And honestly, they are the cutest things I HAVE EVER SEEN. Ten times cuter than a baby squirrel. And plump and sweet and WOW!!! They just don't like to eat. They need to be tube fed. I have never done that. Anne said to bring them up tomorrow and let's figure it out. I LOVE ANNE!!!! She is the best!!!! Will keep you posted on these little buns. :jump

[Buddy'sMom]

:grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

I know only that ...... baby bunnies are very hard. SR&BT is amazing, caring for so many of them. Good luck with the buns.

:grouphug :Love_Icon :grouphug

[lizharrell1]

Thank you so much for the replies. I have talked to Anne, I will be traveling to O.P.. tomorrow to find out how best to care for these babies. Will keep everyone posted.

[Legomom]

:grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

[Fireweed]

All the best to you and the bunnies! :grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

[gs1]

good luck!!!:grouphug

did you get the right kind of poop? I don't think that the digestive enzyme poo was necessary for nursing babies but ofcourse i don't know anything about ones so young or actual wild hares which they are.

Sometimes when a rabbit is sick and need to get those digestive enzymes or whatever it is that the poops contain - except for nutrition - since they need to digest their food twice, the first time in the night droppings and the second time they come out as round .... anyway it's really, really difficult to get a rabbit to eat those poops - probably because they're someone elses', with some of mine, they wouldn't touch them once the poops touch the floor - they would only eat them directly from their own vents...

so there's a whole world just in rabbit poops!!!

you could try contacting the house rabbit society to see if they've got suggestions or people to talk to. Here is a link to their rabbit vets in florida.

http://www.floridarabbit.org/html/vets.html

:thumbsup SR&BT is amazing!!!! it's so difficult to raise wild baby bunnies. Good luck!!!:grouphug

[gs1]

hi: am emailing you some more information - not pm - email.

hope some of it helps.:grouphug

silvana.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

LOL, not surprised you are having issues feeding them, I know I can't do it. I have only raised 2 bunnies feeding the regular way. It literally took me all day to feed them. I would have one out then the other, I didn't even have time to eat, I took a half hour break between 2:30 and 3 and ate real quick. The rest of the day was spent feeding them. Tube feeding is the only way I can rehab bunnies. Some people have the nack for feeding them the regular way and it only takes them half an hour per bunny, but not me.

Bunnies are different to tube feed than opossums. Has Anne tubed a bunny before? The process is the same, but there is always a hesitation in the back of the throat and you have to wait for them to swallow it before you can keep going, if you force it you will go through the soft pallet. I always cup them in my hand with my middle finger around the side of their neck. When you hold them that way, you can feel the tube go past your finger and then when it gets to the stomach you can feel it in the palm of your hand. Then do a test drop (.1 ccs) and wait a little while. If nothing comes out their nose then you are good to go. Other than getting the milk in their lungs, the other major risk is going through the soft pallet. If that happens, a big bulge will form on the side of their neck, since you went through and filled the side of the neck with formula. You can tell you have gone through if the tube goes all the way down, but then when you let go, it starts coming back out. It should stay down if you are in the stomach.

You are so right, bunnies are the cutest little creatures on the planet. They are so tough, yet so fragile when it comes to digesting. They are a challenge and that is part of the reason I love them so much.

Good luck with the little tyke. Sounds like your area needs a bunny rehabber, maybe you are just the person if you can master tube feeding you will be well on your way :thumbsup

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Yeah, so I talked with squirrelsrule and the bunny poop I found is NOT the right poop, it has to be special night time bunny poop, and I have a call in to the only person I know that has a rabbit, and they are going to try to get special night time bunny poop, but if I can't then, tomorrow I will pick up either Benebac or lacto bacillus capsules. SQUIRRELS ARE SO EASY!!!!!! Bunnies........not so much, apparently. Still looking for any takers for bunnies in my area.......I will be the FIRST to admit, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I AM DOING,. but I WILL try.....these two babies are ADORABLE and VERY noisy!!!!!! No one else in my area will even TOUCH a baby bunny, so I guess I am these babies ONLY hope!!! If there is ANYONE with experience with buns, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!!

What kind of noises are the bunnies making? They are the quietest creatures ever. They usually don't make any noise unless they are in distress, then they squeal. I have only had one bunny ever squeal in my care and it was because I didn't realize he had a broken leg and picked him up and it hurt him. Are yours squealing? Are they quieter today?

[lizharrell1]

What kind of noises are the bunnies making? They are the quietest creatures ever. They usually don't make any noise unless they are in distress, then they squeal. I have only had one bunny ever squeal in my care and it was because I didn't realize he had a broken leg and picked him up and it hurt him. Are yours squealing? Are they quieter today?
Only one makes noise and it sounds kind of like a dog squeaky toy and it only does it when I pick it up, doesn't appear injured, so scared maybe? I don't handle them any more than I absolutely have to, and I have them in a dark, quiet place. I think Anne has tubed bunnies, but not sure. I just really don't know what to do. Am going to make a few calls this morning to check alternatives. I pm'd Philomycus, aka Alana last night (she took my Bella for release in April), and she is now in vet school at the Univ of Fla, to see if SHE had ever done bunnies, and I think she has, but I haven't heard back from her yet. Will keep you posted.
Liz

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Does the bunny make the noise just once when you touch the top of its head? Mine do that it is like a little um m noise. That is their defense mechanism, if something grabs them they do that and suppossedly it startles predators :dono . The noise is very quiet though.

I don't think Philomycus rehabs bunnies, I could be wrong though. I think you will do fine with them, try not to worry too much

[lizharrell1]

Just an update::: I found a woman that does BUNNIES in my area!!! She actually works with a wildlife center out of Gainesville, but she lives right down the road......she does critters like otters and birds of prey as well. So off I went with the little buns and happily handed them over!!! They were SO CUTE but now they might actually have a chance. I called Anne and told her I was giving her a break, that I found someone nearby to take them!!! I know Anne is swamped right now so I don't really think she minded!!! Thanks Anne!!
Thanks for the help on this thread about baby buns; no offense, but I think I will stick to squirrels!!!!mjs

[Legomom]

:thumbsup :grouphug

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

:thumbsup Maybe you could ask her to teach you how to care for them, since I am sure she could use the help!

[lizharrell1]

:thumbsup Maybe you could ask her to teach you how to care for them, since I am sure she could use the help!
She actually SYRINGE feeds them and she said that always works well for her :dono . She is going to take all the bunnies nature sends our way and I will take the squirrels. Fair trade.:jump

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Some people can hand feed, most cannot. Gabe hand feeds all hers, it just takes a little longer she says. Mine refuse and I don't know how they do it, but they get them to take it. When I try to hand feed it is way more stressful on me and the bunnies, so I stick with tube feeding :D.

[lizharrell1]

I have to agree with you on this one. I tried SEVERAL times to feed the little buns with a syringe and they may have each taken ONE DROP and then acted like they were doing me a favor:D I will look into learning how to tube feed little buns in the near future......right now I am too swamped with squirrels to be able to devote much time to it. But I am willing to learn:jump