Help! Caring for a very young wild bun

[Ozzie]

We got a call from my father-in-law this morning. Yesterday his dog found a wild bunny nest and killed all of the little ones except one. He kept the surviving one in his house overnight and since it was still alive this morning he called us and asked if we wanted to come and get it. (Of course we now know it would have been better to leave it in the nest and keep the dog in the house, but by the time he called us it was too late for that.)

We were expecting that this bun would be small, but he/she is TEENY! We brought Bugs home when he was a month old, and he was more than twice as big as this little one. I did some research and all we know is he is at least 10-11 days old because his eyes are open. From head to tail he's a little bigger than an egg (i.e. an egg that you'd make for breakfast.)

We fed him some Vitamin D milk and also some water from an eye dropper. We've tried offering hay, clovers, and even crushed pellets, but so far he hasn't really eaten any of those. He goes from moments of being active to moments of just sitting still. We don't know if he is frightened, relaxed, sick?

For now we are keeping him in a little pet carrier with plenty of straw. We made him a little burrow and then rolled a couple socks into a ball for him to snuggle against. Also we've talked about taking some of the fur our big rabbits have shed and putting that in to help keep him warm, but we're afraid this might scare him. For now we are definitely not putting him near our big bunnies.

Please tell us what we can do to keep this little guy/girl safe until he/she can go back into the wild. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[slavetoabunny]

Can you find a wildlife rehabber close to you? That would be the best chance for the bunny to survive. The bunny shouldn't be getting regular milk. KMR (kitten replacement milk) is a better choice. It is available at Petsmart and Petco. If you can tell me exactly where you are at in Wisconsin, I will contact some people and try to help you find a rehabber.

 

[Ozzie]

So far he actually seems to be doing quite well. Last night we were worried because he seemed less than thrilled about the idea of staying in his pet carrier. When we would put him in, he would jump against the door... he didn't want to be alone! So we put my wife's shirt over one end and some other cloth of hers in the carrier with him. Since then he doesn't seem nearly as insecure. Tonight we decided to brave letting him meet two of his three "brothers", and not only was he not scared, he actually seemed like he wants to run free! I am optimistic that once he is old enough, he will want to return to the wild.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

ray:

 

[Ozzie]

Hey folks. Sorry it's been so long since I've been on here, in case anyone was wondering what happened. My wife and I disagreed at first over what to do with our newest "child." I felt strongly that we should let him/her run free as soon as he/she was old enough, since he was wild and not born domesticated. "Mom" on the other hand felt he'd be fine since he was young enough to adjust to being kept like he was domesticated. Those of you who are married can guess who won that debate.

So anyway we're still taking care of the little one, who we call "Baby" since we don't know if he's a "he" or a "she" yet. We've done some research on how to sex a young rabbit but haven't actually done so yet. Mom is hopeful that Baby is a girl so she could live with Hoppy, who can't seem to get along with his brothers.

Here's Baby with Bugs and Thumper:

Here I was trying to take a picture of Thump and Baby "kissing" when Baby abruptly started to bink:

So far, Hoppy doesn't seem bothered by Baby, and may even be a little fond of him/her:

Um... do I know you?!

If nothing else, there's a small zoo in our area that has some wild rabbits, and we may contact them to see if they would like to take in Baby. However Mom has gotten quite attached to Baby so I imagine he'll be staying with us for a while longer.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Very cute. I know who'd win out here too.

 

[Pharfly]

Baby is so cute!!! Looks like he/she is doing good!

 

[plasticbunny]

It is not only immoral, but also illegal to keep wildlife as pets in many areas around the world, including your state of Wisconsin.

A wild rabbit will not adapt to life as a domestic bunny simply because it was introduced to a domestic lifestyle at an early age. Just as a tiger that is raised from kittenhood will turn on it's owner once it is older, your bunny will one day feel the instincts that a wild bunny feels... And you will not be able to give it what it needs.

Please reconsider releasing this animal back into the wild where it belongs.



http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2010/05/wisconsin_dnr_keep_wildlife_wild_051010.html

 

[onelilmermaid]

I'm no expert, but I have been in a similar situation. I live right next to a conservation forest, and have gotten a couple of baby buns from my dogs. From what I can tell, he/she looks fine and definitely old enough to survive, with you or in the wild. If you still would like a little guidance, you should be able to call any wild rabbit rehabilitator and ask for advice. They always start out with "Bring it to me" but I'm sure if you explain the situation they will be happy to give you a few tips. Good luck!