We found it by the road, and the mother was nowhere to be found. It had a hurt leg, so we brought it back inside. What do we feed it? What can we do with it? Details please, and quick!
Yes, it's a wild rabbit, but is it really illegal to keep it for one or two days until we can bringn it to a wildlife person?
Appa-Yipyip
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Call a wildlife rehabilitation enter asap. And bring it to them right when you can. Baby bunnies need to be kept warm, and fed one a day. If you cant take it to the center in less han 12 hours go to a petstore and buy kitten mlik replacement and mix it with goat milk and feed it from an eye dropper. Heep it in a safe, dark quiet room, in a box with a heating pad on low UNDER the box, and make sure ther are towels. If you feed it, after its done eating get a warm cloth and rubb its stomach so it an use the bathroom. If you do all this and take it to the enter asap, it may just survive.
Hubley
The ideal thing is to find a wildlife center who can take the baby in. Young wild rabbits have a very poor success rate of surviving when they are taken in by someone who finds them, no matter how good the intentions of the person may be. Feeding a proper formula for wild rabbit kits, finding the proper amount to feed the baby, understanding when to feed it, how to feed it, how to express the urine from the bladder (this alone will kill the baby if not done; this is why mother rabbits groom and lick their babies so intensely), the right warmth for the baby...all of these things can make a difference between death and survival. If the baby is a newborn, unfortunately his chances are very low unless someone who is experienced at hand-rearing kits can take him.
If you cannot get him to a wildlife center for a couple of days, then I'd suggest you follow the instructions in the link that were posted by the first person who answered your question, and hopefully the little guy might have a chance. Best of luck with him!
Anonymous
RABBIT MILK FORMULA
1 can of sweetened condensed milk or fresh goat's milk (don't use cow's milk)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons Karo corn syrup
1 egg yolk
Combine ingredients in a plastic bowl. Warm in microwave and heat mixture until it's slightly above room temperature. Test it by putting a few drops of the formula on your wrist first because you don't want to accidentally scald the babies.
Feed the babies with a pet nurser bottle or a feeding syringe or an eyedropper, and do so slowly. Baby rabbits are quite uncoordinated and can easily inhale fluid into their lungs. If they aspirate the formula into their lungs, they will die. Please, take it slow!
After feeding the babies, you must massage their lower abdomen with a warm, moist washcloth to stimulate urination and defecation. Feed them every three hours or so.
The baby rabbits should be kept in a cardboard box. Place a blanket or old sweatshirt inside for them to snuggle into. You will need a heat source to keep them warm. Place a heating pad beneath the box set on low (or medium, but beware of high heat - you don't want them to cook). A hot water bottle will also work for a heat source, or in a pinch, a 60 watt light bulb placed over the box (you must make sure they don't get too hot). Ideal temperature is around body temperature; anywhere from 85 to 98 degrees Fahrenheit will suffice. If the babies are restless and are trying to get away from the heat, it is too hot for them.
The babies must be kept warm at all times. Feed them only when they are nice and warm. Cold babies do poorly - their digestion falters, and they will usually die. Handle them as little as possible; wild rabbits are very sensitive and can die from the shock of being handled by a human!
After nursing them, you might be tempted to keep them as pets. Don't do this! Wild rabbits are meant to be free and do not make good pets. They are skittish, nervous, and can be very aggressive when mature. They do not deal well interacting with humans because they are very sensitive and can stress out quickly. It is also illegal to keep wild animals or game without the proper permit from the F&WS or your state Wildlife or Fish & Game department.
Note: if you find a wild baby rabbit that was caught by a predator such as a cat or dog, the baby can have severe internal injuries and will probably die from the shock alone. A loss of one wild rabbit or even a whole litter is not a threat to the species. Up to 95 percent of all wild rabbits die before they are six months old. It's cruel, but it is nature's way.
Elaine M
A wild rabbit needs to be fed a specific milk (cow milk will kill it, it's got too high a sugar and fat content). A 'few days' won't have you turning over a live bunny to anyone. Either get it to someone tonight or put it back by the road for the mother rabbit. She does not go near the babies when anyone is around, mostly she stays with them at night and for brief times during the day to feed them.
?
This is very simple. Find a box or something like it and fill it with soft bedding from the pet store, shredded newspaper, or a clean SOFT towel. Make sure you keep the box in a warm (room temperature), quiet, dark place. Don't look at the bunny to much, and make sure it's healthy, and stays lazy, and active. Find a syringe or a dropper and fill it with kitten formula that you can buy at the local pet store, and feed this to it once a day. Make sure it's belly is "swollen" so that you know it's eating. Keep it for a couple days, then take it to the vet and see if they can do anything. Don't get attached, you might have to give it up to them. Hope it helps =]