WILD/PET BABY BUNNIES :)

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Another thing I forgot to mention is that you really got to think.... Are you doing this for your sake or the rabbits?
If their getting fed, as long as the nest does not get disturb.. they will be fine. :) Dont worry about it too much... mamma Doe knows what she's doing.
 
Ok lol here are some picks:


these 2 are all black with a small white stripe the rest have a bigger stripe



IMGP0143.jpg




IMGP0142.jpg




and here is the nest:

IMGP0141.jpg








(i will get more lator)


 
Lover_Of_Lopz wrote:
The mom IS wild....i just saw her
Click to expand...

If the babies are domestic, the mother is too. The American Cottontail cannot breed with our domestic rabbits. She may be a chestnut agouti doe, which is the color of the American Cottontail. This could make her appear to be a wild rabbit.

I suggest leaving them where they are. Bottle feeding is not usually successful. If the mother is feeding them, there is no reason to intervene.
 
Oh, I was thinking more extensive white markings! Yes, those are baby cottontails like Randy said. They always have those white spots on their heads, which disappear later. If you put them back and leave them alone, they'll be just fine. Enjoy watching them grow up!
 
Are cottontails that dark when young, Randy? I would have thought that they would be brown. The white blaze reminds me of cottontails of course, though. I know Randy has a ton of experience with cottontails so he would know! Just leave them alone, then.
 
From wildlife rehabilitator experience, I agree with Randy and Naturestee. The blaze may or not disappear as they mature. Best of luck dear cottontail mom, in protecting and feeding your babies.

Good idea to thwart predator visits to your yard. Feral roaming cats, neighbor's loose cats, and dogs, along with species (raccoons, crows, foxes, hawks, et al) that naturally prey on cottontails, will eat and kill the youngens.
You can do your part by chasing any predators away -- so they at least have a chance to survive.

tonyshuman: you might enjoy this link -
http://www.linedgroundsquirrels.com/Cottontails.html

They didn't fall victim to the vast amount of loose cats in our neighborhood back then. Or the crows that flocked about. All five successfully released back in their home territory a couple weeks later. Success story on rehabbing cottontails.!! Not many have patience to rehab cottontails. Hutch beeler, one of the five, stayed about in our yard. Gave birth to her first litter in our front yard the following summer. Hutch beeler, then Beeler J. My hubby and I documented the life and sightings of Beeler J. (and hutch beeler) :D
 
Cottonails are actually a kind of purple/black when they are born. Their ears are pinned back and sealed....and their feet are many times webbed. Lots of people mistake them for moles when they are first born. They will quickly start getting their brown "peach fuzz" almost immediately and usually have a full coat of brown fur about 5-6 days old. Some do have a blaze....some don't. The body shape of a cottontail is also slightly different than a domestic. If you visit our developing web site for our wildlife rescue and watch the slideshow....there is a picture of some cottontails that are about 5 days old. The pic is somewhere about pics 8-10 in the slideshow.

http://rockymountwildliferehabbers.org/rehabbingphotos.aspx

Cottontails are much more delicate than domestics. Their weaning is absolutely violent. We have seen them hopping around and eating....five minutes later, they are dead. Lots of rehabbers decline wild rabbits since they are so difficult to hand wean. They belong outside and should be outside with their mother.....she is much better at raising them than we are.

Randy
 
I agree, our center gets flooded with requests to take in baby e/c's when mom is truly the best provider at a young age. Not all rehab persons ie. humans, are patient for the detailed care that cottontails need. They need the milk jugs that Mom has!!
 
We try to get all wildlife back with their mom if possible....opossums, squirrels, rabbits, birds....all of them. And with rabbits, we have some of the most advanced protocols of anywhere.....and we still lose some even though we do them all the same. What most people don't know is that the mom's milk changes pH during weaning....and that pH is what creates the favorable climate for the beneficial bacteria needed to break down and digest food. And we use the best professional formulas....but just like with humans, nothing is better than mom.....we can't exactly match what mom has to offer.
 
Expanding on things Randy posted:


* Kits are born with a sterile gut. Their mother's milk provides the enzymes and bacteria (flora) that produce a "curd" in the gut. That curd is congealed milk and is like the starter for yogurt. From that curd the gastrointestinal tract is then fluorinated with the proper essential elements for the kit to have a healthy system. This process is complete by the time their eyes begin to open and the weaning process _starts_ to take place.
^ from Wildlife Rehabilitation Journals

Suckling rabbits are unique among the mammals: they have a stomach and intestine devoid of living mircoorganisms. The stomach is distended with a firm milk curd. This curd has a relatively high pH which doesn't support the growth of microorganisms. A distinct antimicrobial fatty acid is produced from and enzymatic reaction with a substrate in the doe's milk in the infant's stomach. During the next 2-3 weeks the babies lose this fatty acid and gradually develop the mature stomach pH...
^ Bunnies Rehabilitation article

----------------------------------------------------
The first 7+ days with their mother's milk is essential.
-----------------------------------------------------

Anyone who's held a baby cottontail slowly gasping for air and arching his/her back, knows the heartwrenching experience when death will ultimately "release them."

Hope this helps to educate,





 
Well said. The gut issue is right up there with cat attacks as far as losing a cottontail. Those guts are just so fragile. They die a horrible death when the gut is compromised. Many inexperienced vets will misdiagnose this condition as hypoglycemia as the initial presentations do mimic low blood sugar. Many respond with sugar water or Karo Syrup....and that is the exact opposite of what is needed. And I have no shame is saying that we still lose cottontails even with our advanced protocols. Like all wildlife, keep them with their mom if at all possible....and if not, find an experienced rehabber (many states require rehabbers to be licensed...even here in NC).
 
TreasuredFriend wrote:
Expanding on things Randy posted:


* Kits are born with a sterile gut. Their mother's milk provides the enzymes and bacteria (flora) that produce a "curd" in the gut. That curd is congealed milk and is like the starter for yogurt. From that curd the gastrointestinal tract is then fluorinated with the proper essential elements for the kit to have a healthy system. This process is complete by the time their eyes begin to open and the weaning process _starts_ to take place.
^ from Wildlife Rehabilitation Journals

Suckling rabbits are unique among the mammals: they have a stomach and intestine devoid of living mircoorganisms. The stomach is distended with a firm milk curd. This curd has a relatively high pH which doesn't support the growth of microorganisms. A distinct antimicrobial fatty acid is produced from and enzymatic reaction with a substrate in the doe's milk in the infant's stomach. During the next 2-3 weeks the babies lose this fatty acid and gradually develop the mature stomach pH...
^ Bunnies Rehabilitation article

----------------------------------------------------
The first 7+ days with their mother's milk is essential.
-----------------------------------------------------

Anyone who's held a baby cottontail slowly gasping for air and arching his/her back, knows the heartwrenching experience when death will ultimately "release them."

Hope this helps to educate,
Click to expand...

Thanks Julie
Thanks Randy

Great educational info!
 
Hi hun :),

To answer your questions, yes they may very well be part wild and part pet rabbit that at some point escaped. Although, even if the father is lets say black and white it doesnt mean he was a pet. He might be a second generation and maybe one of his parents was a pet that got loose so you never know. To answer your other question about if you should keep them, the answer is simply No. Baby cottontails have a 90% mortality rate in captivity if they have there eyes closed. Also, if you say they have round bellies and the mom is feeding them, then you would being hurting them by taking them away from her. Most baby bunnies do not survive well in captivity even if you do everything right. I have been rehabing wild animals for roughly ten years and out of approx. 100 eyes closed baby bunnies that I have tried to hand rear I only hand about a 33% success rate at the beginning. Good luck and it will be nice when they get old enough to leave the nest and you get to see them grazing :)

Sincerely,
Schantal (Zoologist)
 
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