ild bunnies

[Rescue04]

I just got a call from my sister.....3 baby bunnies left in a burrow, my nephew found the burrow after cutting the tall grass. She found them this morning and we told her to leave them for momma.....she did not return. So they are in a shoe box with a rice buddy and ar in transit half way to our house.

So we have had around 135 squirrels, 40 opossums, 2 birds, 1 snapper turtle - but no bunnies. I have been told they can be cared for like squirrels, but they need more care. Any advise would be welcome. I have read as many posts as I can with all of the information in hand. We have called our rehabber and are awaiting information from her as well (had to leave a message).

My biggest concern right now is de-hydration, is there a special hydration formula for them?

[Rescue04]

just got em home....they ate around .05cc. will try again in 45min after they warm up.

[island rehabber]

I think warmed Pedialyte or Lactated Ringers are good hydration for bunnies as well as other baby mammals. You can also make your own Pedialyte mixing 1 qt very warm water with 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

The one in your hand stretched out looks pretty chunky. How do you know that the mom didn't come back? Did you put something over the nest? To tell if the mom comes back, you put two pieces of string over the nest in an X or a tic-tac-toe shape and leave the babies in the nest overnight. The mom only comes back in the evening and very early morning. She doesn't come to feed the little ones during the day. Her goal is to attract as little attention as possible to the nest.

Bunnies can hold 10% of their body weight per feeding and tend to be VERY FUSSY eaters. They should get 10% of their body weight 3 times a day, so probably roughly 5 ccs per feeding 3 times a day so 15 ccs per day! They eat a lot and are super fussy.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I see you posted you have raised 40 opossums, how old were they? If young with their eyes closed I am guessing you can tube feed :dono, if so, you can try tubing these little ones. I always tube feed my baby bunnies because they are super hard to hand feed. I would not recommend trying to tube them if you haven't ever tubed anything before though, because it can be tricky and you can go through the soft pallet or get it into their lungs.

[Rescue04]

We have been fortuante not to have them that small to tube feed. We have tube fed before but it has been a long time and we are way out of practice to do it alone. I am going to try and take them to the center today so we can get a refresher on it. It was a long night of feeding.......

[Rescue04]

you said they should be eating 15cc a day? We have only been able to get in 1.5cc at a time right now per feeding

[Rescue04]

update on the bunnies. they are doing great. we are taking them for a check up with our wildlife expert. but we plan to keep them and raise them. we got both bunnies to eat about 5cc a piece. it took my wife time and patience but she did it. they are both quite and warm. she did have a question for those bunny lovers....since their eyes are closed...is she supposed to be helping them poop and pee? she has done it out of habit. they are pooping and peeing really well with the help. thanks for all the help you are offering. she is really excited to try her hand at bunnies.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Yes, they should be stimulated to pee. I usually pittle them until they are weaned because it just makes less mess in the cage to clean up. Before their eyes open they don't pee on their own and need the help though.

So glad you are getting them to eat! :thumbsup

[Rescue04]

So here we are, we got our refresher on tube feeding......should not be an issue now. The are skinny for thier age but we are going to fatten them up quickly! But here is the kicker......we went with two bunnies in a box and came home with two bunnies and 2 new squirrels.

*****I would move this to the nursery now, but I do not know how. If there is an administrator out there who could help with it, it would be appreciated.***:thankyou

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Very cute! Watch the bunnies bellies, they look a little bloated (but maybe they just ate :thumbsup)

[Rescue04]

Yea the rehabber we went to want to show us how to tube feed them and they got a 7cc bellyfull! no nose out of them last night and this morning we finally got it and got 7 in each one....they were happy fat bunnies!:jump

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Just be sure they are emptying out before you tube them again. I don't usually tube so much at once (usually I stick to 5 ccs, sometimes more if they are bigger, I usually go with 8-10% of their bodyweight) because I fear bloat, but i know many rehabbers who do, so it could just be one of my irrational fears when it comes to bunnies :crazy