Lots of squirrel experience - need help with wild baby cotton tail

[Cooper]

I have experience with squirrels....yesterday I got a tiny cotton tail baby bunny. Furred eyes closed 101g. Warmed given pedialite last night. Started FV 32/40 diluted 3-1 now 2 feedings. I know they are very fragile! Any input from more experienced board members will be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!!

[farrelli]

squirrelsrule&bunniestoo and 2ndHandRanchRescue are both experienced bunny people, perhaps PM them.

[BamaHam]

Keep in warm and very quiet enviroment. They are very sensitive. I've only raised 2 and they were older. They are hard to feed. Hopefully someone will chime on soon. Sorry I don't help much.:Love_Icon

[Nancy in New York]

I'm so sorry you haven't gotten any help.:shakehead
I just scanned in some pages from the Wild Mammal Babies book that I am going to pm to you.
I hope they can be of some help at least.

[Cooper]

I was hoping to hear from squirrelsandbunniestoo

[Cooper]

The weight of the baby is 43g. The intake sheet from the clinic is obviously wrong. Sorry for the mistake. :sanp3

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Your little tyke is gonna need cecotropes. Do you have an adult rabbit or know someone who will let you borrow theirs for one night? You need to put an elizebethan collar on the rabbit in a wire bottom cage so the cecotropes will go through and the bunny can't eat them.

Sorry I don't have time to write more I have an anatomy exam in the morning and need to get some sleep. This week is a crazy week. Try and get the cecotropes and give those once a day and then give fox valley formula mixed with goats milk (I have issues with bloat on straight fox valley), do like 1 tbsp. fox valley powder, 2 tbsp. water, and 1 tbsp goatsmilk for full strength.

I'll try to post more sometime, but no guarantees this week, have a big exam on Friday!

[CrazySquirrelLady]

I raised some bunnies on goats milk, and yogurt :D

They were pinkies too...

Keep them in a very quiet place. I bet the fox valley formula would be great for rabbits!!!

[magna]

Not sure if you know what to look for when getting cecotropes. It's called night poop by some and looks like a bundle of grapes,tiny little balls in a cluster, much smaller than normal and slick looking(shiny). The regular waste is no good and will not help them and may even make them sick. The cecotropes kick start the bacteria in their gut. If you are anywhere near NE Fl and can't find any we have plenty of rabbits and you would be more than welcome to pick some up. There is almost always some under our hanging pens every morning. Try and get some that isn't drying out. A day or so old is best, put a small pellet in the corner of the mouth or mix in their formula if they will not chew it. It only takes one or two tiny pieces two or three times a day for one or two days then a break of a day or two. Then repeat and they should be good to go. I have tried the FV with our rabbits and found the goats milk is much easier on them when very small. They must be stimulated and when they pee it is usually a redish brownish orangeish color, it's normal. Yes they are very fragile, be patient. Once it's mobile they will be calm one moment and "spoing" they hit the floor so a word of warning keep a hand over the baby. Hope this helps!! My avatar is one of our latest batch.!!!

[lexiebear]

That bun is a good size for eyes closed so I am hoping he is in good shape. I use Hydropet ( Chris has some) for rehydration and the diluted FV 32/40 is good but try to get him up to full strength as soon as you feel he is hydrated as they do need caloric intake - final formula I use is 1 part FV 32/40 to 1part Boost to 2 parts spring water - it will be thick ( buns need more fat -their mother's milk is very rich) with a good pinch of Probiotic. If you can't get the Peter's in time just use a good human probiotc - break open a capsule and sprinkle in a good pinch ( you can mix 1/4 tsp with 4 ounces) - the probiotic is very important. You should be feeding 3-4 times a day and try to get 7% -10% ( it can be less) at each feeding. After eyes open you can drop down to 3 times a day.

They also need a little hideaway with some fleece or fur. A cardboard box with a little opening will be fine. Keep on low heat till eyes open then gadually remove heat and add some good quality hay as you continue with the formula - no grass until they are about 3 1/2 weeks - their eyes open at 12 days or so..

Let me know where you live and I can try to get you more help.

[Cooper]

Thanks everybody for the great info. This little buns is so adorable! I will update.

[magna]

UPdate please, bunnies are my weakness??? ...:poke

[kastillo]

:wave123 Hi Cooper!
I'm in the same boat as you. Got a baby bunny in my care, eyes closed, 66 grams. In was in a dog's mouth, and was prescribed baytril. I have no access to cecotropes (sp?), but I do have yogurt and probiotic.

Hope you get lots of advice so I can learn too!!:poke

I was told only use distilled water to mix formula, rinse food tools, etc. for the bunnies. Is this right??

[magna]

Check out this information it's pretty much spot on from my exposure to domestic and wild bunnies, haven't ever used KMR. We use rubermaid opaque tubs where they can see shadows or movement but nothing deffinite, it helps with the startle factor. A hidey hut of some kind. In the wild things are moving around them in the breeze or wind and there is a lot of noise in nature if you take time to stop and listen. We don't harrass them or open it and look at them when we go by, but we aren't sneaky either. No vacuming or loud television etc. The rehabber notes at the bottom are good information.

http://www.rainbowwildlife.com/baby-rabbit.htm

[kastillo]

Thanks for the link, I read the whole page. Is it ok to give them their own cecotropes or do I need to get them from an older rabbit.

I live in Elberta, Al near the panhandle of FL.

There are lots of country folks around here, and I should be able to find someone with domestic rabbits to get poo from, maybe....

gosh I know this little guy might die on me, with a 90% mortality rate, but I want to give it my best try.

[kastillo]

And for tube feeding, what size tube would you need?

[kastillo]

Would domestic bunny poo work for the cecotropes??

[magna]

Been emailing and the bunny is up to 70g and eyes just opened, doin good so far. Keep up the good work and never give up on them. Chris's squirrels has the teenie tubes for feeding, shouldn't need it now unless it goes down.
:wahoo

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

At 70 grams, you would need a 5 french tube, do not get the tiny one or the bunny will just chew a hole right through it. The tiny one is for opossums under 20 grams, baby mice that weight like 3, or tiny baby bunnies that are under 30.

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Yes cecotropes should come from an adult domestic rabbit. You need to put a funnel collar on them so they can't eat the cecotropes and put them in a wire bottom cage so the cecotropes fall through. you can't just use any bunny poop, though, it has to be the cecotropes.

[Cooper]

Hi All, My little bunz is doing well. Eyes open, alert and hippidy hoppy. I used a 1cc syringe, small nipple, Fox Valley/Goat milk mix and Peters Rabbit Probiotic from Marshall Pet (buy it on Amazon). I was not shy about using plenty of the probiotic in the formula. At first when bunz was 43g fed 3x a day. Amazed at how well Bunz nursed. Now Bunz only wants formula 2x a day, always giving as much as it wants and do not force it if he/she does not want much. Starting to nibble on solids now. Little bits at a time. Timothy hay and timothy complete pellets (kaytee). Lots of prayers too! :thumbsup

[kastillo]

Awesome update!
Glad yours is doing well.
I have not been able find ceco's yet.

[magna]

Our babies always get dandelion from the woods if we can find it and if not cilantro from the store for the first nibbles. They digest well and don't seem to cause any upset.

[kastillo]

Our babies always get dandelion from the woods if we can find it and if not cilantro from the store for the first nibbles. They digest well and don't seem to cause any upset.

Great idea!! I have tons in my yard (my weed eater broke :rotfl )

I hope you don't mind me posting about my bunny here, too, Cooper??

She took 7cc willingly this am. The most she's ever taking in a feeding. She's 72 grams before feeding 77 after. Putting probiotics in her FV/GM 50/50 formula.
She peed, and her poops look like the formula is moving through her system.

How can you tell if it's a boy or a girl??

[magna]

OK so boy or girl. Let's start by saying we purchased a pedigreed doe for showing and the breeder is an avid ARBA competitor and very good. Our doe's name is Black Magic...er HIS name. It is very difficult to tell when they are under about eight to ten weeks. You will have to hold them by the scruff of the neck and lay them back in the same hand. Move the fur around the genitals placing a finger on each side, tummy side and tail side then GENTLY press in and spread your fingers. A male looks pretty much just like a female except for a small protrusion in the middle of her who-haa, then its a him. The head of the penis will protrude out of the sheath as you push in and spread it open a tiny amount. If it has a split penis :osnap then till he gets do-dads it's very hard to tell. Good luck I can get it right about 70% of the time when they are little, that's why I always say it looks like a.......

[kastillo]

Hey Magna,
Here's my rabbit today.
It's starting to nibble greens.

http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/s418/KrissiStitt/DSC00334_zpsc14b3aca.jpg

[magna]

Wow absolutely beautiful. :jump My four are doing good :wahoo smallest is 59.4g, eyes open and hoppy, its biggest sibling is 119g eyes closed other two are just over 100g one has eyes open!!! Talk about a runt this little one looks like the walking dead size wise, strong and very alert though. Supplementing with some vitamins and GM undiluted to try and get some meat on it, couple cc's here and there. Will try and post some pics tomorrow.

[acorniv]

I have experience with squirrels....yesterday I got a tiny cotton tail baby bunny. Furred eyes closed 101g. Warmed given pedialite last night. Started FV 32/40 diluted 3-1 now 2 feedings. I know they are very fragile! Any input from more experienced board members will be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!!

I've been where you are and the one thing I knew was they are so sensitive they often startle, have heart attacks and die when they're rehabbed - great knowledge to start with!

So I gave my litter Rescue Remedy first off and every time I approached them while they were asleep or I thought were otherwise likely to startle for the first couple days.

Rescue Remedy has been around since the 1930's and I would not rehab without it. ten bucks at your local non-GNC health food store will buy you a bottle that will last you several years. I use the original, not the animal sort. I find it works better. I put a drop on my finger and rub it in their ear,and remarkably, the same dose works for bunnies as for horses. It has a calming affect with no side effects and no narcotic affect.

I also put them in a storage tub on a bed of grass ( where I knew they came from) and clover, (knowing my wilds love it.), so the scent woudl be welcoming and familiar, and I put then in the quietest room in the house, and spoke to my teens and loud husband about the need to keep it down, because humans are nowhere near as sound or smell sensitive as animals.

They did great. They ate great, they thrived, and soon weaned themselves by chewing on fresh batches of their bedding and some commrcial food ( which they mostly ignored).

My one warning: check your weather when you release him. I planned a soft release, so took them out into our clover patch, in a corral I thought would hold them. BAM - one immediately made it under the fence and headed for the woods. I let the others go, thinking safety in numbers was better than having them out one by one. And dared if we didn;t have flash flood that night! You can imagine how I worried! However, our woods are dense, and full of places an anmal can tuck in and stay dry, and rainy nights have fewer predators, so maybe it was a bit of good luck.

I never saw them again - until the following spring, when one by one, I was visited by four adult rabbits who uncharacteristically hopped up the walk to my house. They each startled and then paused and stared at me when i spoke to them. Each stayed as long as I spoke to them. I hav not ever experienced that from other wilds, so I think it might have been my bunch.

That's the advice of someone who only did it once, mind you.

[kastillo]

When would I release this little dude?
Yes, it's a boy, I checked, thanks Magna!!
he's 100g, and seems restless in his carrier, is eating clover, kale, dandelion, grass, but still takes some formula 2X a day.

When can I release, I believe he's 4 weeks old.

[magna]

They are out and roaming and curious at 4wks I would say by six he should be good to go. Just know that they are one of the most sought out prey animals so cats and raptors or fox in the release area are not good. If you kept him until 8 or 10 wks it won't hurt, and may give him a better chance. I haven't had one tame up much at all, we don't cuddle and love on them though, you open the cage and they are gone lickety-split in the woods. The thicker the foilage the better, then they are protected somewhat.

[kastillo]

Thanks, we have all those predators around here, but anywhere I release him it will be the same, I'm in a rural area.
But the good news is,
There are lots of cottontails around here too, and I know of a great thick brushed place just a few hundred feet up my dirt road where I see them all the time. I think I'll release him there or maybe at the wildlife center. But the center also has coyotes and an osprey nest nearby, ugh, either way there is danger. But I've seen many rabbits here in that one area, so that's probably where we'll release him.

[magna]

Excellent there is safety in mumbers, if one is taken his odds are a lot better if there are lots of them. That is an excellent picture and he looks very healthy. I was worried about our tiny guy, lost almost 4g over three days but supplementing has worked out great and he is up 10g still 50g short of his closest sibbling though. Gonna try and get some pics this eve if they cooperate.

[farrelli]

Got any raspberry bushes or any other thorny bushes? I have big swaths of them by me and they seem to be bunny heaven, at least in the summer. They exist in the bunny sized space between the ground and where the branches begin. Not much can follow them in.

[magna]

Here's the boys, Binky,Boing,Sprocket and Cog. Best guess is three weeks. Binky and Boing had their eyes open last Saturday. The other two are kinda squinty now.

[magna]

Cooper how bout some pics and let us know how it's doin!!:poke

[kastillo]

Aw, Magna, they are soooo cute!!

[kastillo]

Cooper! Pictures?:poke

[pappy1264]

Never release before they are 150 grams, I like to wait until about 250 (as long as they are handling everything ok. Have even done longer then that depending on the situation). Cute little ones....