Baby bunnies

[sassysquirrel]

My son was mowing just know - he comes in running and gets me - tell me come quick - he ran over something with lawnmower and the grass was moving - I moved the grass back along with some fur and dry grass - and it was baby bunnies - none of them are hurt - mom was not there - I put the grass and fur back on top - also put a string across top so I could tellif mom comes back - Will the mom comeback since the nest was distrubed? - if she does not I will need to know what and when to do it

[Milo's Mom]

The Mom should come back. The string...is it in the shape of an "x"?

If the "x" is not disturbed by say maybe lunchtime tomorrow, then Mom may not be coming back. I do not know much about bunnies, but I do know that Mom's do not live in the nest with the babies...they just come by, flip the top open, sit on top of the nest to feed, then thy close the nest and take off again.

[Rhapsody]

If the X isnt moved have a container with a heating pad and a few blankets over top of it ready for the little guys to be kept in....... :)

[pappy1264]

Do an 'x' with string, and also sticks. She may if the nest is fairly intact. If she does not, have pedialyte ready, as well as a heating pad. Will help you from there if she does not come back. If it is not disturbed first thing, she isn't coming back (moms usually will come to feed around 4 am or so...I call it the 'shift change' time. The night hunters have turned in, but the morning hunters are not up yet.) If you need to feed them, you will need 32/40. If their eyes are closed, after they are warm, stimulate before you feed. Cotton balls soaked in very warm water, flick back and forth really fast. It can take a bit, but once it does, don't stop or they will too. Don't be alarmed if it is very dark, almost black, because if their eyes are closed, and mom has not come to stimulate and feed them, it will be darker from sitting in their bladders.

[sassysquirrel]

Thank you - I don't think there eyes were open - I did take a quick pic before covering the nest back up - it did not look the nest was disturbed that much - the mom had quiet a deep hole dug with the babies down in it

I did put 2 sticks X and a string X - wanted to be double sure if she does or does not comeback

[pappy1264]

Good job! Now watch and wait until morning. Hopefully she will return! Cute little buggers!

[Rhapsody]

Awwwwwwwwwwww - :Love_Icon :Love_Icon
thanks for the pic, they are adorable.

[Foamy the squirrel]

Awww soo cute.... I hope mommy comes back to!1

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

They look healthy, but also young (probably 3-4 days old). The mom should come back and care for them. I've had people take bunnies inside for the day (I don't recommend it but if it's the only way to keep them with their mom it's been proven to work) and then put them back out in the evening and the mom has still cared for the babies. Cottontail moms are really good as long as none of the little tykes are hurt, they almost always care for their babies. With how young these guys are, there chances in rehab with an average rehabber or with you (not to be mean or anything just you lack experience) is not that good :(. Cottontails with their eyes closed require cecotropes and someone who has a feel for cottontails because they have a lot of special needs. They aren't like baby squirrels. Good luck and I hope mom returns, I think she will :thumbsup

[sassysquirrel]

The mom did not comeback last night - but just before dark I could not reu member how I laid the sticks - I was not sure if the had been moved - so re-layed - and this morning they definitely had not been distrubed - I did check on the bunnies and as soon as pulled the top of the nest back - they were hopping up and starting crying very loudly - Does that mean the mom did not for sure comeback at last night? This is going to kill me knowing they are out there hungry and crying like that - Do I leave them alone all day and all night and hope she comes back tonight? What do I do? If you tell me to feed them - Can I feed them inside there nest? or is that something impossible?
I have no experience with bunnies - except those 2-3 days I had the eyes open ones that was passed to a rehabber - this rehabber does not return calls now - so impossible for her to take these - and plus she only wants to do birds - PLEASE HELP

[pappy1264]

I would pull them in. The fact the are reactive when you moved the nest, they are hungry, very hungry. Normally they would not move. Get them in, on heat and stimulate. they are tough. Get some pedialyte into them for today, maybe then try putting them back out later and giving her one more night, but I would at least get them cleared out, and some fluids into them today.

[sassysquirrel]

what do you mean cleared out? pee & poop is that what you are talking about?
can I do the homemade receipe for pedilyte? - how much and how often?
would they be more comfortable left in their nest? it is warm here

[sassysquirrel]

help

[sassysquirrel]

I went to get the babies - and I had 1 in hand - and my husband looks up and says there is the mom - she ran under the fence :soapbox - She would show up just as I was going to bring them in and give pedilyte - I put the baby back down in the nest - and we came back inside - she obviously was going to feed them during the day or check on them - So do you think I just need to leave them alone? Do you think she will comeback again? I hope so - there little crys are so heartbreaking

[Milo's Mom]

If you saw the Mom, watch and wait. She probably heard them crying when you went to get them.

I would watch and wait for awhile.

[CrazySquirrelLady]

they are so hard to raise by hand, best to let mamma take them back if she will.

She sounds real interested in them.

I bet she will feed after dark.

[sassysquirrel]

If you saw the Mom, watch and wait. She probably heard them crying when you went to get them.

I would watch and wait for awhile.

How long do you think I should wait?

I know she heard the one I had in my hand crying - it was screaming - but it sure was cute

I will wait as long as I need to - I just don't want them to die - the one that I was holding - was very healthy - bigger than I thought they were - but they were nice and warm in there little hole

Thank you - Kiss the Princess for me!

[Milo's Mom]

I am not positive, but I think I remember reading somewhere that Mom's usually only come around late in the day/night/early morning.

If she heard the baby screaming and you saw her, I'd wait at least until a few hours after dark tonight. If they appeared big and healthy when you held the one this morning, there is some "time" to wait.

I do not think they will dehydrate to a critical point over the course of a day.

I may be totally wrong, but Mom is best and personally I'd wait as long as I possibly could.

[Rhapsody]

If you saw mom do NOT disturb them....... she will be back to feed them.
she feeds at dusk and dawn. they are good hands with MOM!!

[pappy1264]

It was not necessarily mom you saw, either. Generally moms will not go the the nest during the day, they will stay away from it as to not attract any predators to their nest (but that would certainly not prevent another bunny from just going into your yard.) Yes, I meant pee and poop by clearing out. I would get them in, potty them, hydrate them (yes you can use the homemade formula) so they do not get dehydrated and you can try to put them back for another night to see if she will come back. Leave the nest intact where it it, take them out and put them in fleece on low heat (same a baby squirrels.) You have to go really slow when giving them fluids. Just do a drop, drop, drop kind of thing so they can get the hang of it. They can be really wiggly, so sit on the bed or the floor, just in case the pop out! I usually put a pillow in my lap and prop my knees up.

[acorniv]

Bunnies easily go into shock when rehabbed. I use rescue remedy to prevent it and have never lost one. I use the original formula, one drop on your finger and then rubbed on their ear.

I also keep greens from the area where they were found in their nest. We have an area with a lot of clover, which our rabbits love, so I always keep fresh clover in their nest too.

Good luck with them. Lawn mowers disturb MORE bunny nests.

[sassysquirrel]

Wendell (my husband) went outside to the release cage to get Daisy and bri ng her inside (she has been spending the day outside and coming back inside at night) Moma bunny was on nest - saw Wendell and took off running - did not cover the babies back up - he hurried up and came back in and told me - I went and checked and covered them back up - Do you think she will comeback? She did comeback - surely she will comeback again

When I covered the nest back up - their little heads were just popping up and down - after I covered them - they stopped

Hopes she comeback

[CrazySquirrelLady]

Mamma bunny only feeds once a day is what I read...

If she was there, she is taking care of them and all is well :D yippie! Good job watching out for them.

[sassysquirrel]

I forgot - Later this afternoon - I did pee and poop them and fed them pedilyte - they may be little but they can scream loud - they did pee and pooped - they did not act scared at all - they did drink a little - I put them back in there nest and covered them back up - when I did get them out - they were nice dry and warm

I feel better that she cameback tonight - even though she did get scared and ran off - I think she will be back - it will be quiet the rest of the night outside

But atleast they are ok - :D

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

It sounds like mom is definitely caring for them. At this point, you need to stay away from the nest. I know from experience that the more you go to the nest, the more likely that a cat will find it and kill all the babies! So, now that you know she is coming, let her care for them. Try not to rush over and cover them back up, and definitely don't feed them anymore, you'll draw more attention to the area and scare mom more. When I was first starting with rehabbing, if the nest was in my yard or a nearby yard (the neighbors have dogs that get into nests :shakehead) I would just leave the babies in the nest and care for them outdoors. Twice a day I'd go out, tube them all their formula and pittle them twice a day. Every single one of those nests was attacked by a cat and all the babies were killed :sad. I quickly realized that going to the nest attracts the cats in (they can smell that someone keeps walking to the same spot and are curious as to why that is) so if mom isn't coming back I take them in now and if she is, I leave them completely alone. Perhaps check on them after 3-4 days to be sure mom is caring for them, but definitely don't check more than once every couple days and now you've seen mom twice so she is definitely caring for them. The problem isn't that mom abandons babies if you touch them, she only abandons them if they are injured; the problem is that you make the nest very obvious where it used to be well hidden. Cottontails only protection when they are young is hiding. That is why mom herself doesn't come to the nest more than 2 times a day and only at quiet times. She will run from predators when on the nest because if she stays there nursing, her babies are almost certainly dead. She'll come back later when it's safe and finish caring for them or if she feels it isn't safe to do so (if the predator is still around) she'll wait. Baby cottontails can go a long time without eating because mom's milk is very high in fat so it takes a long time to digest. I swear some mom's don't even come every day!

Good luck with the nest, I'd recommend not checking on the babies anymore, mom is doing a great job with them :thumbsup

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Also, I feel their screaming may be a sign that they're well taken care of. I've never had a cottontail that was skinny and dehydrated squeal. I've had a few big chunky well cared for guys try and run and squeal when I picked them up. Sqeaking really isn't that common for babies unless they are being attacked though. Them squeaking will attract predators as well because they can hear that noise from a long way away!

[sassysquirrel]

That is mostly what we have done now - We have stopped as much traffic as possible to the backyard - where the babies are - the nest is fairly close to our fence gate to the backyard - this is how we come and go to the house - so we are now coming and going through the front door - had to post signs for the 21 year old son (he can't remember) I have 3 little poodle dogs and they are not and have been let out in the back since we found the bunnies - So the only current traffic in the back is for the squirrels - Feeding in the release cage - and the wilds - and also taking Daisy morning and night to and from the release cage - which is how Wendell saw the mom last night

I am not as worried about them as I was - I know has comeback and I really think she will continue to take care of them - I will keep my distance from the nest like you recommended - but she made her nest in the most high traffic area in the backyard - by the fence gate, close to out boat, next to our garbage can and very close the squirrel release cage - would not of dreamed of a nest being that close - oh and it also right next to the double gate fence - where my son and husband park there cars

Thank you so much - My WORRY meter has been turned down to low:D

[sassysquirrel]

Mom has been coming and taking care of the babies - I am so happy and relieved

[sassysquirrel]

I just walked over to check on the nest - and I could see that the string was moved - so I just assumed that the mother had came back and fed again - but I knew she had just fed sometime last night - and she has never came back that soon - so I checked and the babies are not there - Will the mom move them? Have they ever been know to move them? the nest was not disturbed - it looked like it always had just the string had been moved - but day before yesterday when I checked the babies did not seem to have much room - and today with them being gone - the hole was not very big at all - the babies could of gotten out easy - if they had moved just a little and with the eyes being closed they could of gotten out
I looked everywhere - no sign of blood or fur - other than the string being moved the nest was fully intact - but there was definitely not room in the nest for them to have gotten much bigger - if so they would of have been on top of the yard - and not hidden
We have currenlty not had any problems with raccoons or cats - I have seen a possum twice in the last couple of weeks

It looked like the mom was only coming once a day and feeding - was that enough? I did not go to the nest everyday - I can stand on my patio and tell if the string had been moved - if it had I would either leave it or if it had been moved too much - I would go and lay it across - just so I could tell that the mom was still coming back

We did limit the traffic in that area - but just coming and going in the cars would of have disturbed the mom if she was around - the nest was also very close to where the driveway goes to the backyard - and that is where we park some of the cars - so just pulling in the driveway would make noise and the lights also -

I just hope nothing got them - the mom sure did not build that nest in a very quiet spot - it is also close to the neighbors yard - and they mowed their yard yesterday also

[pappy1264]

If an animal had gone in and gotten them it would not be so neat, I would think, so most likely mom moved them, esp. if you have seen her coming (and yes, they usually only come once, maybe twice a day. Their milk is very rich, so that is all that is needed by them. That is part of why it is so hard to duplicate.)

[sassysquirrel]

Thanks - I have worried so much over them - mainly because of where she made the nest - I knew if they got much bigger the hole was not big enough for them
The nest definitely was not tore up in any way - and like I said before I checked everywhere for fur and blood - no sign of any - but I just did not know if the mom moved their babies

Thank you

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I have never heard of the mom moving the babies. Is there any possibility their eyes were now open (they grow up fast) and are out exploring?

[sassysquirrel]

It is possible - they looked like eyes would be opening anytime from the first time I saw them
If they are out exploring - will they comeback? that hole (nest) is not going to hold them long

Is there anything I can look for - or is there anything I can do??