New Babies?!?! Quite Unexpected

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lelanatty

lelanatty

Natty Dwarfs Rabbitry
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
918
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Location
Dallas, Texas, USA
I came home from school to find a mysterious shoebox on my doorstep. In it were four baby wild rabbits. My grandmother had brought them to me because some kids in her neighborhood found them, and there played out the classic "Oh, these must be abandoned babies" scene. So from my grandmother's country home to mine they came, just like a gift. Bonnie, my only doe who currently has little ones of her own, has graciously tolerated me flipping her over on her back and feeding the babies from her. They are very lively and hardy little critters. Their eyes are open, so I know they are at least two weeks old, and they keep climbing out of the nestbox I put them in. Nevertheless, It will be a fun experience raising them. Here they are:

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**Note: This is the original "nest" that they came to me in. They have since been moved to a regular nestbox.**
 
They are SOOO cute! Good luck with them! c:

They remind me of the wild bun I took care of:
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(My dad's employee who brought the poor girl (I named her Almond, but I called her Fatty more often than not because she seemed to eat so much! XD) to us claimed that the bun had been hit with a weed whacker. She was completely fine, and we released her after a couple of weeks with very little handling, just to make sure. We had to pick her grass, clovers, etc every morning, afternoon, and night. It was what inspired me to get rabbits, and what influenced my parents decision -because I took such good care of the wild one.)

c: she was a crazy one alright, and we think she had babies in the yard because this summer there was lots of little ones runnin` around c:
 
Momto3boys wrote:
Wow, I guess it would be a fun experience, they are soooo cute!

So will you set them free once they are old enough?
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That is a concern that I have. I am not sure. Their being raised in captivity will have a negative effect on their ability to survive in the wild. They will not have the foraging skills that they will need to stay alive. I can't simulate their natural wild habitat inside of a cage. On the other hand, they are wild rabbits, and I will keep this in mind as they get older. Their tameness or lack of it will tell me whether or not they might be capable of surviving in their natural habitat.
 
Are yous allowed to keep wild rabbits as pets over there?
I know where not allowed to over here.
 
T.A Bunnies wrote:
Are yous allowed to keep wild rabbits as pets over there?
I know where not allowed to over here.
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I don't know if we are allowed to, but baby animals get lost and then get hand-raised by people a lot aroud here. I was once offered to raise some baby raccoons that had been found. I do not plan to keep these babiesas pets, I would like to release them if it would be in their best interest. Since I have the capability and the resources to raise them, they will stay with me for now.
 
Welll here in Texas it is not against the law here to raise wild rabbits one bit.I raised a wild cottontail along time ago and it did very well. I think whenyour wild bunniesare old enoph that they will be able to set them free. The best way to find out is ifyou have a ground cage let them in it with no water for only an hour or 2 but keep a bowl of water on the out side of the cage and keep moving it around the cage in deffrent places and see how they act if they keep going to the side with the water they will be just fine in the wild cause wild rabbits will eat any kind of food the problem with raising wild rabbits is not finding water so this will show you if they can find where the water is located in an area.......Toby
 
Since mentioned on returning them to the wild..... The negative side besides not being able to forage, is its late in the season, they can pick up stuff from your rabbits (not saying your rabbits have anything).....but stuff from your rabbits that is not common in wild rabbits. And some states it is illegal to return them to the wild.


I'd see how they act towards you when they're 4,5 weeks old.
 
Do NOT let them nurse from your doe, or let them anywhere near your own rabbits!
They can transmit illnesses to her, and her babies, as well as your other rabbits. And like Crystal said, they can get illnesses from your rabbits, as well.
You are going to have to handraise them, or find a wild animal rehabilitation centre that is willing to take them in for you.

Emily
 
Cottontails can be released after raising in captivity. I know a wildlife rehabber that constantly has cottontails brought to her. When they get old enough to wean and are eating hay slowly introduce grass by bringing it in or the best way is to build a quick outdoor pen and set them on the grass for increasing amount of time. You'll need the pen anyway because the next step is to leave them outside in a pen with some hay and water but on the grass. Always provide a hide out for them because cottontails are very skittish and will kill themselves bouncing around the cage if they don't have a safe place to hide. After they've been outside for a few days open the door or remove one side of the pen and leave them. They will come and go for awhile and you can lessen the amount of food and water you leave for them until they are no longer returning to the pen. They'll usually hang around your house and may approach you but they remain nervous around strangers and other animals. It's still best not to handle them too much to help keep them wild but even hand raised cottontails can usually be released successfully. I've done this with 4 cottontails so far. If you have predators like I do your pen has to be a bit sturdier and staked to the ground or with a bottom that has large opening so they can eat grass through it.
 
Thank you all for your input. My doe's milk is starting to dry up now as she is starting to wean off her 4-week old kits, so I will hand feed them from now on. Sadly, two of them have died from getting chilled. I feel very dumb for this, but there's nothing I can do now. I have taken extra precautions for the remaining two, and now they are inside the house with me.
 
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