Hi guys

Hi guys Ted here, long story short we live in Florida and have rehabbed a ton of animals over the years. We just had the hurricane come thru recently and am now rehabbing squirrels which is second nature to me. Buuuutt,

We finally got our hurricane debris picked up. Wife was observing it on our security cameras. Then all of the sudden the crane operator stops and gets out and walks over to the debris he was picking up. She tells me he stopped and is looking down at the debris pile. First thing I think is, crap some type of babies.

I walk out, ask him whats up? Some animals in the debris he said. I walk over quickly fearing the worst and it happened. The crane claw had grabbed thru a nest on the ground. I saw those huge ears and realized they were baby Eastern Cottontails.

4 of them. The crane de-capitated one, squished another, paralized the backs legs of one, and one got away unharmed.

So, the healthy one is doing great pooing peeing and taking formula, hopping all around however the paralyzed one is not peeing. She poo's tiny specs and drinks, water, formula but no pee!!! Because of her condition I soak her in warm sink of water and she LOVES it but no pee. Anyone have any insight?

Thanks!!

Thanks...

What a sad story. I'm afraid I don't have experience with baby cottontails. I do know that even healthy orphaned ones are difficult to keep in captivity for rehab -- even by wildlife rehabbers.

Maybe one of the breeders on this site might have some input.

I don't have any experience either but I found this which might help if you didn't read it (maybe you can try to contact the person who wrote it to ask questions) :
http://www.2ndchance.info/bunnies.htm

It's great that you are trying to raise this baby. I hope you succeed, even though rabbits in general and cottontails in particular are not easy to handraise, from what I've heard.

I think when it comes to paralysis, if it causes them to lose their ability to urinate on their own, you could have a vet show you how to manually express the bladder, which would need to be done regularly throughout the day and night, for the rest of it's life if it doesn't ever regain it's ability to self urinate. If manual expression doesn't work, then I think you would have to have the baby put to sleep before it starts to decline and suffer because of this.