kbpaulie Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 We weren't sure if we should get a rabbit. You gave great advice.... http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=100931 We did adopted bun 3 days ago. Was atttacked by a cat. Injured hip. Vet said not preg. Found 8 babes in the cage today, in 3 different spots, incl. a puddle of H20 she'd spilled. No nest. Now what? Nest suggestions? Can't hop high. How I know nursing? Thanks for help! Karena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 They will not nurse very often--just a few minutes a day. They will not live long if not nursing... You can pinch the skin on the back of their neck--if it stays standing up they are dehydrated. If it smooths back out they have been nursing. It is nearly impossible to hand raise newborn buns...they need enzymes from their mom (in pellet form from a 'special' morning dropping). Buns that are around a week old are easier to bottle feed if they lose their mom... Baby buns are VERY-EXTREMELY fragil. It takes only a tiny bit of pressure to break their back/neck. Jann--who has successfully hand raised a newborn cottontail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Oh boy. Hopefully she cares for them and you will just get to enjoy baby bunnies in a few weeks. Here is some reading to guide you through what is normaly and not. However, I have never used this formula so I cannot speak for its quality. http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/orphan.html If you have any experienced rabbit breeders in your area I would be claling them asap. You can find rabbit breeders bu looking up through ARBA. Good luck and keep me posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 A wildlife rehabilitator (sorry for my spelling), would be an excellent person to contact. They have everything you need, including all the information you could possibly want :) The dog warden, game warden, or animal control office should have contact info. for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 You WILL know if they are nursing because a freshly nursed kit (baby bunnie) will have a big, full stomach - very noticeable. She will only nurse twice daily so don't worry if you don't see her. You can just put babies in a clump of shavings or hay and cover them with her fur (after you make sure they are warm, heat them in a heating pad if needed). Go ahead and brush her belly or anywhere with a slicker brush to get some fur out if she hasn't pulled some. I normally put a box of some sort in, but if she can't hop in that won't work. Do NOT try to feed the kits with a dropper. It almost NEVER works. They just fight it and inhale the liquid, get pnumonia and die. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 A wildlife rehabilitator (sorry for my spelling), would be an excellent person to contact. They have everything you need, including all the information you could possibly want :) The dog warden, game warden, or animal control office should have contact info. for you. this is not a wild bunny so the wrong person. Care can be quite different for domestic vs. wild bunnies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 (edited) whoops - never mind. I just realized she was injured and probably wouldn't be able to get into the box. Maybe if you left the front off until she heals? Anyway, for future reference here is how you make them (We never used mesh bottoms): http://www.thenaturetrail.com/BuildingNestBoxes.htm Edited June 7, 2009 by darlasowders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbpaulie Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share Posted June 7, 2009 We have the babes in a shoe box lid w/ cotton balls. 7 are black and 1 is pink. Is this normal or is the dark color a bad sign? Thanks for everyone's help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 If they came from a shelter, the shelter people should have some advice for you. A cozy box with one side low enough for the mom to hop in and out should work for a nesting box. The mom should pull out some of her own fur for the nest; if she doesn't, you could try gently pulling out some loose hair from her coat and put it in the nest so she'll get the idea. Put the cage, with mom and the nesting box of babies, in a quiet room and try not to bother her too much, so she'll feel safe. Don't worry that the mom isn't in the nest with the babies; rabbit moms hop in to nurse (and less frequently than you'd think), then hop out. As long as the babies are growing, and pooping and peeing, she's feeding them. I hope they're all okay! Be prepared that it's very common for one or two of the babies not to thrive. There's often a runt that doesn't make it; sometimes more than one. If you need more advice, I can put you in touch with some experts. It is important to find a good rabbit-savvy vet in your area; rabbits' needs are different from cats and dogs, and it's important to have a vet with lots of rabbit experience. You can find a vet referral (and more info, too!) on http://www.bunspace.com. Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 We have the babes in a shoe box lid w/ cotton balls. 7 are black and 1 is pink. Is this normal or is the dark color a bad sign? Thanks for everyone's help! Bunnies come in all colors. The pink ones grow up to be white. Do you know what kind of rabbit she is? I used to raise bunnies as a kid and occasionally got unexpected colors. Sometimes even purebred rabbits will have one out of breed standard bunny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbpaulie Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share Posted June 8, 2009 24 houra later... mom never built a nest nor had any fur we could gather. We cut some hair away from her nipples. It didn't seem like she touched the nest over night. We put each rabbit to a nipple and tried to help them drink. We did this last night, this morning and this afternoon. Some success. In addition this afternoon I held her while we had the babes under her. Seemed like there was some nursing. And she was doing some baby licking. Thanks for all the advice and help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbpaulie Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 Thanks for the help. We lost 3 of the 8 today and I think one more is well on his way. My husband and I have realized that we're not cut out to be farmers. This is nerve racking... and they are just rabbits. Karena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Is she nursing them at all? Do they have nice round bellies? Did she pull any fur for the nest? It may be she is too stressed out from her injury, and this may be her first litter. Have you been able to get any more help with them? So sorry you've lost some of them already. I volunteer at a rabbit rescue, and a couple of weeks ago, I held a little bun (6wo) who just wasn't thriving. He couldn't even hold up his head! His mom was feeding her litter, and all the rest were healthy, but something was wrong with him. There was nothing anyone could do. So sad. This little bunny died an hour after I got to hold him. Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbpaulie Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 Thanks for the help. We lost 3 of the 8 today and I think one more is well on his way. She never pulled fur and the nest is undisturbed. I don't think she nurses them at all. We're trying to help the babes nurse. For the weaker ones we tried under her belly but they weren't even getting close to the nipples so we hold her on her back and put them on her belly. This way we can see if they are nursing. We also lay them under her, but they didn't move towards her. For the stronger ones I'm able to set her down and pet her. I don't want to pull her legs to get her closer to the ground due to an injured hip. They can get to most of the teats. And the buns go crazy. While I know they only nurse once or twice in the wild, we were "offering" it more often b/c I didn't think most of them were getting much. Tonight was the first time I saw the full belly. This was only on 2 of the 5. But it was a relief to see this. My husband and I have realized that we're not cut out to be farmers. This is nerve racking... and they are just rabbits. Thanks! Karena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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