new rabbit acting depressed (sorry if wrong thread im new to this)

[eastern_ash]

I have recently become an owner of a baby rabbit completely unprepared because I just found my dog destroying a nest and saved the last one still alive and I want to keep it that way. so I created an enclosure for him out of a large cardboard box and gave him plenty of water and veggies. but now after about 2 days, he is barely responsive not pooping not eating, and seems like he is sleeping all day. I’m not sure what I should do about this and how to make him better. I’ve tried giving him entertainment items and completely cleaning out his litterbox. what could be causing this? and how can I make him better?

again sorry if wrong thread I can move it if you let me know

 

[peanutdabunny]

did you give any hay?? Don't give veggies unless its grass from outside or from the store.

 

[eastern_ash]

(edit replied in wrong spot)

 

[peanutdabunny]

Feel the stommach of the bunny, if its hard get some baby gas drops, if its soft try blending the pellets and adding water to make some soft food. Syringe feed it

 

[eastern_ash]

did you give any hay?? Don't give veggies unless its grass from outside or from the store.

yeah I gave it some next to its food for it to eat should I give it more?

 

[eastern_ash]

Feel the stommach of the bunny, if its hard get some baby gas drops, if its soft try blending the pellets and adding water to make some soft food. Syringe feed it

ok thank you so much ill try this out and see how it goes

 

[peanutdabunny]

ok thank you so much ill try this out and see how it goes

great! Force feed it, you can put some bannana on the tip so it smells good, I would mix in a tiny tiny bit of bananna into the blender so it tastes good. I would do a 1 to 1 ratio

 

[eastern_ash]

great! Force feed it, you can put some bannana on the tip so it smells good, I would mix in a tiny tiny bit of bananna into the blender so it tastes good. I would do a 1 to 1 ratio

i was able to get it to eat quite a bit of the pellet water mix and he immediately lightened up and started eating more and more after about 5 min of struggle to get him to take the srange after a while he would just let the food in his mouth and spit it on me so I put him back to rest ill let you know if he's feeling better later tysm for the advice

 

[Preitler]

I would call a wildlife rehab or whatever authority is responsible for such matters if this is a wild animal, a cottontail rabbit I presume, and not a domesticated rabbit. That would explain his shell shock state too. Give it rest and privacy, being around it most likely is scary for the little guy. Being trapped can be a huge stress factor for wild animals.

As for food: Grass, weeds, everything that grows outside. This rabbit has never seen processed foods, pellets, hay, bananas and whatnot, and isn't used to it. Stuffing random food into a young rabbit is not a good idea and comes with risks, no matter if domestic or wild. If it was a nest outside and a feral domestic it still is just used to grass and weeds.

Google "Care for baby cottontail", "dog wild rabbit nest", "dog baby rabbit" and such search phrases, and read what reputable sites have to say about that.

If something like this happens again, I think the best thing to do is to restore the nest, protect it from the dog and leave the rabbit there.

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

Also, how old is the bunny approx? I'll echo what @Preitler said, it'll be best to get in touch with a wildlife rehabilitator and let them take the bunny. I'd stick to grass, weeds, flowers, anything and everything (within reason) that was near the nest. Depending of the age of the bunny, it may still need it's mother which might explain why it's not drinking and eating.

https://rabbit.org/faq-orphaned-baby-bunnies/

 

[JBun]

If this is a wild cottontail baby rabbit, if it's eyes are open and it's big enough to be hopping around really well, ,it's old enough to care for itself and should be released back outside somewhere near the nest.

If it's still too young to be on it's own an there's no chance mom's still around to care for it, you need to find a wildlife rehabber and turn it over to them. It's good it's had something to eat now, but feeding it food its digestive tract is unused to, could cause major digestive problems for it, even to the point of being fatal. A baby wild rabbit needs specialized care so it can have the best chance of surviving and eventually be rereleased into the wild. Plus it's not legal to care for wildlife unless you have the proper license.

https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/wildlife-resources/orphaned-and-injured-animals/
If because of covid or whatever reason, you are given permission to continue to care for the baby rabbit, they should give you detailed instructions on it's care for eventual release. This link will also provide helpful info on raising a baby cottontail for release.

https://vetspace.2ndchance.info/eve...to-care-for-orphaned-wild-cottontail-bunnies/
If this is a feral domestic rabbit,, you can continue to care for it and keep it once it's raised if that's what you decide to do. You would know it's not a wild cottontail if it doesn't have the agouti coloring and/or if the nest was in a burrow in the ground and not on the surface. For it's care, I would suggest starting with food it's been used to eating outdoors like fresh unsprayed and treated grass, dandelions, etc, and make sure it's getting plenty of it, especially the grass. Then you can gradually start transitioning it onto dry food like grass hay and rabbit pellets, though slowly and sticking more with the grass hay at first. What's most important right now is to make sure it's eating.

If it's not then you do need to syringe feed regularly, though it would be best to get proper instruction from a knowledgeable rabbit vet on how to do this. Or at least watch some youtube videos. Force feeding a rabbit too quickly, can result in causing aspiration to occur, which will likely result in pneumonia developing, and this is often fatal. So going slow and giving the rabbit time to chew and swallow is essential.

And if the baby isn't continuing to eat well or won't swallow when being syringe fed, and/or it's developed diarrhea, you need to get it seen by a rabbit vet right away. A rabbit not eating for more than 12-24 hours is considered an emergency. True diarrhea is also an emergency.

https://rabbit.org/gastrointestinal-stasis-the-silent-killer-2/
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[eastern_ash]

just a bit of an update and some sad news. so if your having a bad day don't read.

I did everything I could and got him to eat a bit last night and even had an animal shelter in line to pick him up this afternoon but despite my best efforts when I went to check on him this morning he's was stiff in his little cardboard castle we are going to give him a proper burial with his siblings in a spot my dog can't get to the right next to an old pet chicken of mine he looked like he just drifted off in his sleep and he looked comfortable so I hope he enjoyed the last few days in a comphy large space with all the food and fun I could give him. rip

i wanna thank everyone for their advice and help on this and apologize that I couldn't get it to a wildlife center soon enough but would like to let everyone know that this experience has inspired me to go volunteer at an abandoned animal shelter i should be starting next week and i hop i can help some animals unlike i was able to today

 

[Freedom]

Aww. Thank you for doing your best to help this sweet little soul. And know that it was loved till the end.