Baby Bunny Help

[Lulu2010]

A friend of mine was given a very tiny baby bunny from another girl that breeds them (obviously she has no business breeding them, grrrr). This baby is about 1/3 of the size of the other babies and the girl didn't know what to do with it. My friend took it home but does not have much bunny experience (I have none). She has been feeding it puppy formula the last few hours and has it in a small dark container on low heat and has some of the nesting material from mommy in there with the baby. What should she be feeding it? I read it is not likely that these kinds of babies survive, but any help would be appreciated. I have Fox Valley 32/40 but I am not sure if she should change the formula or if it is even ok for the bunny. Thanks!

[DipityDane]

The poor baby sounds like a "peanut". It is a birth defect and the babies invariable do not live :(

[astra]

you need to contact squirrelsrule&bunniestoo
You can also contact gs1 and runestonez - they are bunny-people, too.

[gs1]

i don't know how old he is ... and what level of experience your friend has with rabbits and other animals (like possums) .... the question of tubing will come up and unless your friend has lots of experience doing it already i wouldn't recommend it ... it's so easy to get the tube in their lungs or poke it into soft tissue etc.... it's just not worth it.....

... farm mom has recently raised baby bunnies and here is the link to her thread

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33049

i cannot urge enough to put the baby bunny back in with the mother ... maybe rub the scent of the mother ? urine or something into the rabbit so that she'll re-accept it ... and then once it's fully weaned then the girl can take it back....

handraising baby bunnies is almost impossible ...they need the bacteria from their mothers stomachs to survive to weaning and beyond ... they're nothing like other animals... their stomach bacteria balance is impossibly delicate and really means life & death to them.

even if someone pays the girl to put the rabbit back with the mother it will mean the best chance of success for him....

farm moms thread has many links to other rabbit groups that will help with information on feeding etc....

and if she can contact a rabbit group in her area to get the name of a rabbit vet (not just any vet - rabbits need an exotics vet that has rabbit experience).

good luck :grouphug

ps: thanks astra for contacting me :)

and pps: again please be very careful when re-introducing the baby (if you can get the girl to agree) because i'm worried that the mother will/might attack it... i really have no experience with baby bunnies and nursing mothers ... but i think/hope that as long as the baby smells very strongly of the mothers smell .... then hopefully she won't attack it.... it seems the best chance of survival is to let the mother raise it.....

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I agree that this baby should be put back with it's mom. If the mom is feeding the other babies, just hold this baby up to her so it can feed and if the mom tries to run off, hold her and the baby so the baby can nurse. Without cecotropes, the baby stands almost zero chance of surviving.

If you will be attempting to raise the baby, please pm me so I can give you some more info. on raising baby bunnies.