help needed

[amh]

Hello again! Some of you may remember me from a while back when I had my squirrel Amadeus. I have another question regarding a wild baby rabbit. I realize this is a squirrel board but have not been able to locate a useful rabbit source on internet. I know some of the members on here also raise rabbits and was hoping to get in contact with them. He looks olders, he is fully furred and eyes are open. He has a slight white spot on his forehead (not sure if that is an indication of age). I want to start him on formula but not sure if he is too old. He is drinking any water and looks dry, any help would be great! Again I apologize for posting this here but am at a loss for where else to find great information.

[pappy1264]

Do you have a weight on him? He would take fv, same as the squirrels, but start him off with pedialyte to cover for dehydration. A pic would help. Are you sure he needs help? They are on their own between 3-4 weeks old, and still pretty small. Some keep their white dots, has nothing to do with age.
Getting a weight would be better at guesstimating an age (but with his eyes open, he is most likely older then 10 days old. Can you take a pic to post?) If his eyes are open, he was probably already nibbling on greens, too. I would still use a probiotic sprinkled on them (benebac for mammals will be fine, can get that at Petco.) They stress very easily, so keep in a covered enclosure, with a sturdy top, as they can jump pretty high, and quiet. You can also put old fashioned oats in with him as well.

[amh]

I know absolutely nothing about him. A friend works at a local vet office and they often have clients bring in "orphaned" animals. Lets see if I remember how to post a pic...http://http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/602564_10100174811255747_1168083137_n.jpg

[amh]

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/602564_10100174811255747_1168083137_n.jpg

[amh]

Baby looks worse today. Still not eating or drinking. Looks extremely dry, has not passed stool or any urine and now seems to be dragging his back left leg. Not sure if he injured his leg somehow, he apeared fine last night. At this point I'm not sure if it would be better to just euthanize him.

[DipityDane]

Baby cottontails are extremely hard. Fortunately most "orphans" are actually capable of being on their own. If a baby is 4 inches or more from nose to tail, is hopping rather than crawling, and basically looks like a mini rabbit...its odds of survival when left alone in the wild are good. In captivity the survival rate is less than 10%. It sounds as tho this baby is fading which is fairly typical and can happen even within the most capable hands. If he is dehydrated he may need sub Q fluids. Is there a rehabber near you? He could probably also benefit from tube feeding.