Bunnies

III · Apr 7, 2008

Yesterday our dog, Buddy brought me a newborn bunny rabit in the back yard. We found the empty nest that the mama had dug out, but no mama bunny. So we cleaned it, wrapped it up and put it in a box. The pet store told us to feed it kitten formula once a day using a syringe, so we did that.

This morning, Buddy dropped another newborn bunny on our back patio. We looked throughout the back yard but couldn't find the mama. So we cleaned it up and brought it in. And yep ... about fifteen minutes later Buddy found another baby bunny in the grass. So now we have three newborn bunnies. Their eyes aren't even open and their ears are still slicked back to their heads. They're about the size of large hamsters.

Anyone have any advice? We're keeping them in a quiet, dark spot and feeding them twice a day. The kids are thrilled, but we're just hoping to keep the bunnies alive.

cray · Apr 7, 2008

soak rabbits in salt water several hours; rinse
with clear water. put in a kettle and cover with
water, adding onion studded with cloves. when
tender, remove from pot, roll in flour and fry in
fats until brown. just before it's done, add
cinnamon and vinegar; cover and let smother a
minute or two. put rabbit on platter, make gravy
with pan drippings and flour, then add cooking
liquid from boiling the rabbit. pour gravy over
rabbit and serve.

CatSlave · Apr 7, 2008

III said:
Yesterday our dog, Buddy brought me a newborn bunny rabit in the back yard. We found the empty nest that the mama had dug out, but no mama bunny. So we cleaned it, wrapped it up and put it in a box. The pet store told us to feed it kitten formula once a day using a syringe, so we did that.

This morning, Buddy dropped another newborn bunny on our back patio. We looked throughout the back yard but couldn't find the mama. So we cleaned it up and brought it in. And yep ... about fifteen minutes later Buddy found another baby bunny in the grass. So now we have three newborn bunnies. Their eyes aren't even open and their ears are still slicked back to their heads. They're about the size of large hamsters.

Anyone have any advice? We're keeping them in a quiet, dark spot and feeding them twice a day. The kids are thrilled, but we're just hoping to keep the bunnies alive.

Google 'care for orphan rabbits' for a start. Good luck.

http://www.3bunnies.org/wildlife.htm

maestrowork · Apr 7, 2008

I had some bunnie babies about a year ago. Unfortunately, the mamma did not know or care about how to nurse, so I had to take over. Instead of feeding kitten formula, you need something even richer than that. My vet told us to get the intensely care food -- a highly concentrated, rich food for sick cats or animal babies. Also, since there's no nest, you need to build a next for the babies and keep them warm. If you feed them the highly rich food, you only need to feed them once or twice a day. Don't overfeed and also it helps to rub their bellies to promote digestion and elimination.

Unfortunately, the babies didn't make it. They eventually stopped eating. These younglings are very fragile.

Best of luck, and I hope everything turns out okay.

Haggis · Apr 7, 2008

cray said:
soak rabbits in salt water several hours; rinse
with clear water. put in a kettle and cover with
water, adding onion studded with cloves. when
tender, remove from pot, roll in flour and fry in
fats until brown. just before it's done, add
cinnamon and vinegar; cover and let smother a
minute or two. put rabbit on platter, make gravy
with pan drippings and flour, then add cooking
liquid from boiling the rabbit. pour gravy over
rabbit and serve.

Serve with spatzen.

Esopha · Apr 7, 2008

Enlist the help of a professional. Call a wildlife agency.

Rabbits and deer don't actually abandon their babies. They let them run around while the moms go off gathering and eating food, so the mom is probably out there wondering why her kids are staying out so late, or something.

Can you try to observe the nest area and see if the mother returns? If she does, I would fence off the area so your dog can't get into it and leave them to their own devices. Unless, of course, you want pet bunnies.

maestrowork · Apr 7, 2008

cray said:
soak rabbits in salt water several hours; rinse
with clear water. put in a kettle and cover with
water, adding onion studded with cloves. when
tender, remove from pot, roll in flour and fry in
fats until brown. just before it's done, add
cinnamon and vinegar; cover and let smother a
minute or two. put rabbit on platter, make gravy
with pan drippings and flour, then add cooking
liquid from boiling the rabbit. pour gravy over
rabbit and serve.

Alex, is that you?

(not so obscure Fatal Attraction reference)

maestrowork · Apr 7, 2008

Esopha is correct. Rabbits don't "nest" with their babies. They basically let them romp around -- mommy only feeds them once a day. So it's possible that the mommy's still around and is now wondering where the babies are.

writerterri · Apr 7, 2008

Cray! You bad dog!

III, take them to the Humane Society or a wild life agency. In most counties it's illegal to keep wild bunnies. They will raise them and let them go again. They may let you guys foster them but I'm not sure. Check it out, you may be able to keep them.

Cut

Good luck!

KTC · Apr 7, 2008

Buddy the rescue dog!

KTC · Apr 7, 2008

maestrowork said:
Esopha is correct. Rabbits don't "nest" with their babies. They basically let them romp around -- mommy only feeds them once a day. So it's possible that the mommy's still around and is now wondering where the babies are.

Yep. They leave and come back. We had a nest of them right on our front lawn once. Momma came back only once a day, roughly. We were always worried they were being abandoned...then, bang, there she'd be.

Stew21 · Apr 7, 2008

For Haggis

maestrowork · Apr 7, 2008

Somehow, seeing "stew" in a bunny thread makes me nervous....

III · Apr 7, 2008

CatSlave said:
Google 'care for orphan rabbits' for a start. Good luck.

http://www.3bunnies.org/wildlife.htm

Wow, that website said wild bunnies taken into domestic care have about a 1% chance of survival. I don't like those odds. I'll take ya'lls advice and we'll bring them to the SPCA. The kids will be bummed, but not as bummed as having to eat Cray's Rabit Stew.

ETA: I hesitate to just put them in the back yard since there are so many dogs in the neighborhood and we have the occasional coyote pack in the woods behind us.

maestrowork · Apr 7, 2008

I wouldn't eat cray's anything.

My bug soup, on the other hand, is legendary.

reigningcatsndogs · Apr 7, 2008

I found this information... maybe it will help?

http://www.rabbit.org/care/newborn.html

Esopha · Apr 7, 2008

Bunny stew is delicious, actually, if you can ignore the mental images of fluffy critters frolicking in your lawn.

III, most SPCAs or wildlife centers will let you check in on your rescued animals. It could be a learning experience for the kids (I don't know how, I'm sure you can come up with something creative) so look into it.

Williebee · Apr 7, 2008

Keep the dog inside? Or stop taking away her snacks.

auntybug · Apr 7, 2008

maestrowork said:
My bug soup, on the other hand, is legendary.

Excuse me????

*stomps off*

Jersey Chick · Apr 7, 2008

I don't have any bunny advice - but I hope they beat the odds...

Buddy the rescue dog - or he thought he was going to get treats for fetching

Jenan Mac · Apr 7, 2008

maestrowork said:
Somehow, seeing "stew" in a bunny thread makes me nervous....

You think it makes you nervous???

AZ_Dawn · Apr 7, 2008

I must admit to being amused by the bunny demotivator, even though I had a beloved bunny once. He was a grumpy little biter, but we loved him.

III said:
I'll take ya'lls advice and we'll bring them to the SPCA. The kids will be bummed, but not as bummed as having to eat Cray's Rabit Stew.

Good call. Dead rabbits are traumatizing at any age.

Matera the Mad · Apr 7, 2008

Nothing's much harder to keep alive than a baby bunny. Even my kitten-rescuing sister failed at that.

They are excellent roasted with apples when older...

III · Apr 7, 2008

The runt passed away this evening (SPCA is closed on Mondays so we need to wait til tomorrow to drop them off). The other two seem to be doing well and even hopping around. Hopefully they make it another day. They're so darn cute. A bunch of kids in the neighborhood conducted a funeral and buried the bunny with fanfare. I told them they need to be in charge of my funeral when it's my time to go to the big bunny cage in the sky.

bluntforcetrauma · Apr 7, 2008

When I was 9, I found some baby bunnies in dad's corn patch. I put them on top of the corn in the gunny sack and took them to the house. Mom made me put them back. That night, our dog killed them. You can't imagine how that hurt.

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