(help with wild baby bunny) Please don't judge me...

[Holly83]

Thanks for the advice and kind words all!

Bo Bunny, I would say that what I'm experiencing with Wild Bunny is kind of the same thing - not so much nipping, as a jumping up to my arm and "hiking up". I think when I get nervous and move my arm away too quickly is when he gets scared and nips (not hard, but still little nips).

With regards to our yard, it's actually a terrible place for a bunny. In fact, I'm not sure how mother rabbit managed to make her nest in our yard in the first place. It's on the corner of two streets, and there really isn't much foliage (aside from our overgrown lawn, but I digress...).

When I went to the pet store where I got the expired Bene-bac, it turned out their entire supply had expired. They refunded my money and pulled it off the shelf. I went to a different pet store to get some (the only stuff they had expires in a month. Clearly "Bene-bac" isn't a hot seller

in these parts), and gave him his first dose today. We shall see how it goes! I will keep you updated. For now, here is a recent picture of the not-so-little guy. I've read that rabbits don't need a water dish, but I provided one just in case.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Do his face and eyes always have that expression?

His/her facial expression is much different than the buns in these photos:

http://www.linedgroundsquirrels.com/PosterBoardphotos.html

Does he hide? He should be instructed/taught to hide and not sit out in the open. Cottontails who are sick or wish to be "caught" or end their life due to illness, poisoning, ignore the hiding instincts. The look on cottontail's face is a concern...

To get him prepared for life in the wild, I'd reinforce nature's instincts to Hide, stay protected. If s/he's oblivious to hiding, he won't last long in his natural habitat.

 

[Holly83]

Hi TF,

He normally does look like the cottontails in those pictures. I had been sitting there for a while before I snapped the photo. I don't want to spook him, so I wait until he knows I am there and not going to hurt him to take a picture whenever I have taken his picture.
He has a box attached to the pen where he hides when I come into the room without clicking my tongue first, or giving him a sign that it's me. He may be a little too used to me though, because he isn't too nervous when I'm in the room. If it's anyone else he will hide though.

 

[Autumnstorm]

TreasuredFriend wrote:

Do his face and eyes always have that expression?

His/her facial expression is much different than the buns in these photos:

http://www.linedgroundsquirrels.com/PosterBoardphotos.html

Does he hide? He should be instructed/taught to hide and not sit out in the open. Cottontails who are sick or wish to be "caught" or end their life due to illness, poisoning, ignore the hiding instincts. The look on cottontail's face is a concern...

To get him prepared for life in the wild, I'd reinforce nature's instincts to Hide, stay protected. If s/he's oblivious to hiding, he won't last long in his natural habitat.

He's probably going through the "Ugly Stage" Its where a rabbit looks cute once their born and growing their fur,but they eventually start to look shaggy and a bit ugly,and have experissions that are un-tellable.But they soon come out of that stage after about three to two weeks.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Holly83, whew, wiping brow... good to strengthen all his wildlife instincts OF freeze, flee, or fight.

A suggestion very helpful before you get ready to release.

Soft Release is what we did for all our rehabbed youngsters. Can read more about it here:
http://www.katskillmountaincritters.org/pb/wp_c057fc6d/wp_c057fc6d.html

or google, soft release of rehabilitated eastern cottontails

We got them ready by providing a safe enclosure with branches, evergreen boughs, sticks, wood pieces to simulate brush piles, acclimating them to nocturnal sounds.
We'd cover the top to encourage hiding and darkness in a safe cave.
Absolutely the best in a screened enclosure, long outdoor hutch. Rather than a hard release -- "open your hands & out you go"

This may not work in your backyard or area if the habitat is less than ideal.

One of my patients was found dead the next morn, when I suspect a feral cat had given him a heart attack up on our deck area next to the house. Several nocturnal cats and raccoons would get trapped in the area or lurk around the house.

In one situation, a youngster was kept until he was more robust, about 6-7 weeks. To increase his size just in case a Cooper's hawk would look at him. [ Cooper's and Red-tails will always be looking for rabbits. ] He outgrew any imprinting originally thought, along with a suspected head concern i.e., concussion, and did just fine with his heftier size (after a short time in soft-release enclosure unit).

** How's he doing? ** How are you doing?

 

[Holly83]

Great advice, thanks TF!

Bunny (who I have now lovingly nicknamed "Sir Anthony Hopkins" :biggrin, is doing very well. I gave him his last serving of KMR last night, laced with Bene-bac.
I'm doing ok. I'm a bit apprehensive about letting him go, but my hamster who I mentioned earlier is starting to look pretty bad, so I need to focus some of my attention on him in what could be his last weeks.
Thanks for asking!

Lots of great advice on the release. I desperatly wish I had a larger yard right now. I think Sunday is going to be the big day. Our dog-day-care provider has offered to lend me her big cage, so I may use it to try the soft release first. I would just like to let him go somewhere that I know there will be wild bunnies, and I haven't seen the bunnies around lately. I would like to wait a little bit, but the little guy can leap right over his play pen, so I can tell it isn't the right habitat for him.

I will keep you updated. Thanks so much again!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

was just checking to see how it was going. Sure is a cute little one.

 

[Holly83]

Just to give you all an update, the bunny is still doing well! He's been off formula since last Friday and seeing as he keeps escaping from the cage, I have been giving him free roam of the room. I didn't release him on Sunday as planned. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay after the transition from formula.


I do plan on letting him go soon. I think he will be ok, I just want to wait until the time is right, and there is no rain in the forecast for a while.

 

[Maple Front Rabbitry]

Hi, wow its really great that you saved the little guy. I hope the release goes well! good job so far!

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Holly83, Keeping an eye on the forecast and releasing in non-rainy weather is an excellent thought. !Smart thinking! It's wonderful to hear the update.

A few more tips:

1) Scout about for the best habitat, with plenty of safety havens, brush or thicket cover - as leaves will fall from deciduous trees and cottontails will need more protective hiding cover.
Also, is there a way to tell the amount of feral cats? Ferals or domestics, along with many other carnivores (raccoons, hawks, owls, hunters, dogs, foxes, coyotes) will be lurking. Smart thing to seek out suitable release sites.

2) If you need to build a New Release Spot.
We created several on our property in the years I rehabbed. We built a brush pile, with pallet underneath for youngens to retreat to or hide in initially
( yah, * I was assured there'd be no raccoons hiding already in there * ),
then piled on several sturdy weight logs, thick branches cut from trees, hefty evergreen cuttings, brush sticks, limbs, brick fortress blocks (lol), clear plastic tubs overturned with enough duck-under space, added some stored garden equipment in a nearby gazebo... is this too much info?? I kept small hiding places on my mind often creating small pockets of hide zones with at least two or 3 ecape routes. Not silly at all to create an area or three of suitable hiding havens in mature conifer tree area if you hope to observe e/c's in the years to come.

An edge habitat is best. With open area and then a denser tree zone. This helped Beeler J, Nacho, and the cottontails we observed for many years ~

I'll PM you a picture link where you can see habitats constructed.

We invest a lot of effort, patience and time into rehabilitating wild sentient beings, we strive to give them optimal survival skills and habitat.

He'll also benefit with the strength to dash as fast as can be, from approaching danger!

:thumbup