Wild Baby Not walking right?

[Havocme]

Thursday, my fiance found a couple of wild rabbit at the horse barn she works at. We know that they weren't just left for the day night feeding later, parts of an adult were found near the nest they were found at. They were very tiny, you could fit both of them in your hand. Both their eyes were shut. They live with us now, they are named Mike and Ike, and we are doing our best to raise them. We do as much research as we can, wedding planning not withstanding. Their eye opened Friday. Mike is very shy, doesn't really want to eat. Ike didn't want to eat much either. We were using KMR powder mixed 1:1 with unsweetened heavy cream. The best we could get them to do was to put drops on their lips to get them to clean the lips and suck up the milk that way. Monday morning I got a nibble on my hand from Ike, so I figured I would try romaine, and he went for it. They not have romaine pieces, sliced carrot, and juvenile grain in the cage. Also a water bottle, after being introduced to it. Ike is taking this all very quickly, Mike wants nothing to do with anything, just to burrow and hide. Being as they are wild babies, we don't expect major companions, just to hopefully give them more of a life than they would have gotten being left in the field.

The issue I am posting here about is with Ike mainly. He doesn't walk right. I uploaded a vid of him walking on YouTube so as to best describe what he is doing:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLin7RwOZeI[/ame]

Mike walks fairly normally, but Ike isn't. I don't know if it's a physical issue from a prior ingury, neurological due to the many stress problems wild rabbits get, disease or who knows.

Any ideas?

 

[Holly83]

Poor little guy!

I just joined the other day, basically because I am in the same situation - trying to nurse a cottontail back to health. Let me know how it works out! I will keep an eye on this thread!

 

[butsy]

wow, i wasnt expecting that,hopefully someone with more experience will comme around ! goodluck

 

[tonyshuman]

Hi, I'll look at the video in a minute, but do not give heavy cream to bunnies. They cannot tolerate cow's milk and just plain KMR is best. The way you were feeding them is the best for feeding milk replacement because if you force the liquid down their throats it often gets into their lungs.

I do want to state strictly it is illegal to keep wild animals in your home unless you have a wildlife rehab permit in most states. Since one is acting normal, the best thing really would be to put it back near the nest, keep the dogs away from it, and see if the mother returns. Mom bunnies only visit the nest a couple of times a day to avoid attracting predators, so she may be visiting when you're not watching.

When baby bunnies have their eyes open, provided they are healthy otherwise, they are old enough to survive on their own in the wild. If the nest isn't an option and you think Mike has a proper fear of predators, it would be best for him to be set free in the wild in a safe place.

Although we want to help cottontails, they are wild animals, and not having a wildlife rehab permit can make it difficult to get future vet treatment for one that you keep. Some vets will not treat any wild animals kept as pets, whether they are suitable for wild release or not, if the owner is not a certified rehabber. We had a forum member who took in a cottontail with a bad leg and her vet would not treat her even though she would not have survived in the wild. On the other hand, we have another forum member with a cottontail that had a bad leg, and that member was able to have her vet treat her. It's just something to think about in the future.

I am totally ok with keeping wild animals that cannot survive on their own, provided they will not be really upset about being in captivity. Some will not tolerate being in a cage, but since these guys are small, they can probably get used to it.

The best thing to do for the buns is to set Mike free and take Ike (or both) to a certified wildlife rehabber. Unfortunately that's what the law says, and I have to let you know that that's the law here.

I will take a look at the video and tell you what I think about Ike's condition and how you could treat it if you cannot find a rehabber.

 

[tonyshuman]

Ike looks very ill. It looks to me like a neurological problem. It's possible he has some spinal or even brain damage. He is young, but to be honest he will really need some vet care. If that is absolutely not possible, the only things I can recommend are decreasing the area he has access to by putting rolled up towels in the cage so he doesn't roll around quite so much. Just give him enough room to get to the food and water. You can also give an anti-inflammatory drug like Metacam (a veterinary pain med/NSAID) or ibuprofen. You can get the baby liquid ibuprofen and give the appropriate dose. These can help with what I assume is some swelling on the spinal cord/brain stem that may be causing the movement problems. Bunnies sometimes do recover from spinal cord injuries if they receive anti-inflammatories.

Drug dosage calculator:
http://homepage.mac.com/mattocks/morfz/rx/drugcalc.html

How to find a wildlife rescue:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm

Another option is to contact the local humane society or humane law enforcement. Usually you can get this by contacting the police via their non-emergency number (ie not 911). It really would be best for this guy to be in skilled hands.

I will try to direct the attention of one of our Mods who is a wildlife rehabber to this thread. He is very busy during this time of year but may be able to help.

 

[Havocme]

Thanks for the replies so far. We would have loved to left the babies there, we know we are no where near as good as the mother would be. But all signs pointed to her being eaten, as they was bloody rabbit fluff and what not near the next. :/

I posted this problem on another rabbit forum, trying to get the most replies as possible, one person suggested it was ataxia, most likely due to lack of B12. Given that they had such a hard time eating, it would make sense. Another person said it may be a middle ear infection. But I am not a vet, so take those opinions for what they're worth.

 

[tonyshuman]

Yes, vitamin deficiency can cause ataxia, and ear infections do cause loss of balance, but it even seems like the legs don't move right in the first place, not just that he's lost his balance, at least to me.

 

[ra7751]

I am a licensed wildlife rehabber that specializes in cottontails. I would certainly urge you to contact a licensed rehabber in your area. First it is illegal in most states to be in possession of wildlife without proper permits. Next, this rabbit needs the attention of a skilled wildlife vet as it appears this is something going on in it's head. And wild rabbits can carry a very nasty bacteria known as Tularemia which causes a condition that is generically known as "Rabbit Fever". Humans have little or no natural immunity to this bacteria. And the drug that treats it is almost as dangerous as the condition it treats.

Based on what I can see in the video, this is classic head injury. It appears the rabbit does have control over it's rear legs but has trouble with spacial orientation. This is usually an issue with either the middle and/or inner ear or possibly the brain stem. Depending on exactly what is happening, it may be possible to treat by someone that is skilled in rabbit medicine. This size rabbit should not be fed formula as it is old enough to be on it's own. Do not feed grain/pellets and do not offer a water bottle. I do not give water to my cottontails. They get their water from the greens they eat. If a cottontail has to go to a "watering hole"....it is vulnerable to attack. I feed all my cottontails grass and other vegetation from my yard (no pesticides) or commercially available Spring Mix salad which roughly mimics a wild diet.

I would suggest contacting local vets or your state natural resourse or wildlife division to find a rehabilitator. In the mean time, the right thing to do here is to place the ill rabbit in a quiet place and limit human/pet contact. While the rabbit may appear to be OK with contact, I can assure you that it is very stressful and stress can cause death quickly in a cottontail. As far as the healthy cottontail, the right thing to do is to release it. We usually release cottontails early in the morning or just before sunset. We find a grassy field surrounded by brush or woods. Most cottontails will not survive long in captivity. You may see one or two that might do OK but usually they will die of stress.