# Orphaned Bunny Care (A few things we've done)



## Bunnylova4eva (Jul 9, 2012)

I've been working to write up everything I've done/found about rehabbing cottontails. Hope this helps you all who've recently been posting about this  Also, I'm sorry if I shouldn't have posted this in here-maybe this part of the forum is just for questions. Feel free to move it if it belongs somewhere else. 

Are they truly orphaned???
A very common mistake made with cottontail bunnies is taking them from a nest right away assuming that because the doe is not right there, they are abandoned. Many times, this is not the case. Mother rabbits only nurse their kits once or twice a day, and that is during the night or early morning hours. This is for the safety of the nest. If predators see the doe in one area a lot and smell where sheâs been, it is likely they will find the nest. If you think the mother may have been killed or a nest abandoned, you can try sprinkling flour around the nest on the ground and check to see if there are footprints in it. Also, check the kits. Are their tummies rounded and filled out? Are they warm? If yes, then the doe is probably around. Also, if the bunny is already nearing or more than 4 inches it should be totally fine on its own as it naturally already has or soon will leave the nest. Just because you have touched bunnies DOES NOT mean the mother will abandon them. This is more something said as it will keep people from bothering nests. The mother rabbit will care for her own.
However, the problem comes when you have found the mother killed nearby or a nest where the babies are cold, lethargic, and/or have sunken in tummies. These are all signs the babies are not being cared for and need some help.

Let me start out by saying that bunnies are very hard to hand raise. Domestic kits are very hard to hand raise, but cottontails are the hardest. They have a very delicate GI tract with flora that must be kept in balance. Less than 10% of cottontails cared for in captivity usually survive. Therefore, if you do come upon truly abandoned cottontails, it is best if at all possible to find a professional rehabilitator who will care for and release them. Also, in many areas it is illegal to have cottontails (or any other wild animal) in your care unless you have a license. Start out by calling around and search the internet for cottontail rehabilitators. If you have trouble finding one, find a rabbit savvy vet in your area (The House Rabbit Society has a listing on rabbit savvy vets) and ask them if they know of a rehabber. Many times a good rabbit vet will know of local rehabbers. It is important to note that if possible cottontails should be taken to a rehab that cares for primarily or only cottontails. Sometimes in bigger rehabs cottontails are fed to larger animals due to cottontails low survival rate and the need for food for the larger animals. Look for someone who is friendly, pleasant and speaks well of other rehabbers. Bunnies quickly pickup on caregivers attitude and a stressful environment can do kill them. 
If there is no rehabber anywhere in your area that you can find or need to care for them yourself for a day or so until you can get them to the rehabber, then you will need to know how to care for them. Bunnies require much time and care. Remember, the sooner you can get a bunny to a professional rehabber, the better chance of survival they have. There is little time as they can go downhill very quickly

Food
Different people recommend a lot of different things. Things such as Zoologic, goat milk, Esbilac puppy formula, PetAgâs Kitten Milk Replacer (KMR) and others are all among recommended foods for cottontails. Personally, I have had much success with KMR so that is the one I think is best. 
Kitten Milk replacer can be found at most pet stores or from a vet. For the first 6-8 feedings or so, itâs a good idea to feed canned KMR as it is a lot less potent and helps them transition from their motherâs milk to formula. Also, this is needed because orphaned cottontail are generally all expected to have dehydration to some degree and this more watery formula will help fight dehydration. After those first few days, you can begin powdered KMR with water and whipping cream. Over feeding is a huge cause of death in young rabbits so it is important not to give them any they do not want. Though the premixed cans of KMR are much more inexpensive, itâs important to know they will NOT sustain the bunnies long (more than the first couple days) as they lack much-needed protein and fat [7.5% vs. 42%] and fat [4.5% vs. 25%] Even powdered KMR alone is not high enough in fat or similar enough to the mother rabbits milk unless you add heavy whipping cream.

3 parts powdered Kitten Milk Replacer
3 parts water
1 part heavy whipping cream 



The formula should be mixed in a bowl and that bowl be placed inside a bowl of hot water to heat up the mixture. Do not microwave the formula as this will cause hot spots and will not thoroughly heat the food. Also, microwaving can destroy the vitamins in the food. The final temperature should be warm to the touch, but not too hot.
I donât recommend mixing up more than once feedings worth of food at a time. Once the formula is has been heated once, it quickly will go bad and this alone would kill the kits. 


How Old Is This Bunny???
Furless or thin fur: 1-7 days
Ear are closed: 1-7 days
Eyes open at: 5-7 days
Ears stand straight: 9-12 days
Complete hair coat: 14 days
Interest in nibbling on things: 12-15 days
More active and begin to leave nest: 15-20 days
5-6 inches long: 17-22 days
Nervous, jumpy, spooky, etc: 21 days


How Much To Feed
When they are 10 days or younger, they should be taking anywhere from 1-2.5 mL per feeding. Until they have fur, some recommend feeding 3-4 times a day. Once they have fur, 2-3 times daily is plenty. We fed ours twice a day, 8 am and 8 pm. As they get older, they appetites will increase (approximately 2.5 mL per week until 4 weeks when you will add in greens) and you can give them more until they arenât taking it as well. If they seem to be eating a ton more than the approximations here, limit the amount they are fed as that can cause bloat and GI disbiosis. You can gauge the amount to feed by the size of their tummies. Their stomachs should be somewhat rounded and firm but not hard or taught. Overfeeding leads to all sorts of stomach problems including disbiosis and diarrhea which will kill them as well.

Feeding
I chose to feed our kits using extra 1 mL syringes without the needle that we had from our domestic rabbitâs medication in the past. If you donât have any of these, check with a vet and see if you can get some from them. Most pet stores also carry bottles for kittens which may work, depending on how old the kits are. Otherwise you can look online for a squirrel feeding kit which works very well for bunnies.
Before feeding, we would place a soft rag on our lap and occationally while they ate wipe them off. They sometimes drool a lot of formula out as they eat and if you donât clean it off, the other kits will eat it off of them and pull out the fur in that area.
Feed by placing the tip of the syringe in the corner of the bunnyâs mouth and slowly give them formula. Bunnies like to take their time eating and therefore you need to be very patient. Hold them in the position that you would imagine them to eat in the wild-head slightly tilted up. Donât hold their head tightly so they canât breathe and do not hold them upside down or on their back. Never rush them eating or make them eat food they do not want as this can cause aspiration. Aspiration which will lead to pneumonia and ultimately death! 

Environment During Rehabilitation
Keep the kits in a qiuet, stress-free somewhat darkened, room. For fully furred kits, 78-80 degrees should be warm enough provided that you were able to obtain the nest when you got the kits. Smaller bunnies, bunnies kept at a lower temperature and chilled bunnies will need additional heat. A heating pad on the lowest setting on 1/3 â Â½ of the box should be enough. Too warm or an environment can be just as damaging as one that is too cold!
Bunnies without a full fur coat really need an incubator to keep them warm enough. You can use a low wattage light bulb to warm up a box/terrarium. The biggest part is that you get it warmed to a constant temperature before you add the bunnies. 

Probiotics
I CANNOT stress how important it is to give kits probiotics. Rabbitâs have very sensitive âfriendly bacteriaâ or flora in their gut. The smallest thing can set them off, send them into disbiosis and boom, the bunnies are gone. The best type of good bacteria is the one kits would receive from their mother-cecotrophes, which they should receive once they are 3 days or older. Place a pea-sized amount right inside the bunnyâs mouth. These are ESSENTIAL to the bunnyâs survival. The easiest way to obtain cecotrophes is by closely watching and taking them from a healthy rabbit that is not on medication. If you do not own a pet rabbit that you can get cecotrophes from, check with local 4H or FFA members who may own bunnies. 
If it is impossible for you to obtain cecotrophes, you can try a probiotic for small animals like PetAgâs Benebac. We used the powdered form and mixed it into their formula one feeding every other day. 
Do not simaltaniously give probiotics and cecotrophes. Lactobacillis/bifidobacter promotes an acid environment while cecotrophes do not thrive in that. 
Bunnies are not born with good bacteria in their GI tract. They normally receive it from their mother. If you do not add cecotrophes or probiotics, they will have none of the good bacteria necessary to digest food. Therefore, you will definitely lose the kits. 

Check Output
Make sure the bunnies are going to the bathroom. This is extremely important and they will not survive if you donât do this. Rubbing their tummies will help a lot-once their eyes open there is no need to do this anymore but until then, rub each of their tummies several times a day, each time until you see them go. If you arenât sure if they are going you can try putting paper towels on the bottom of their box and check it. One other sign they are not going is if they are overly bloated but have not been overfed.

Weighing
Weigh the bunnies at least once a day or preferably before each feeding. They should steadily be gaining at least a few grams every day. A postage scale, baby scale, or any digital scale that will measure in grams will work. Any flat weight for 1 day or more is not a good sign. If you notice this, look closely for any other symptoms of why this could be happening.

How Much to Handle
This one is a fine line. You want the bunnies to not be too tame as they will need to be released. However, if you handle them too little and they are too scared of you, feeding will be difficulty and so stressing on them that they will likely not survive. The best way Iâve found is to hold them for feeding etc. but no more than necessary and donât leave them in an area of the house with people or much noise.

The Switch from Formula to Solids
Weaning cottontails is one of the VERY hardest parts. If they survive the beginning stages going onto formula, it is likely they still will have problems digesting greens. We waited until around 3 weeks to introduce anything. The first thing we added was a few tiny pieces of orchard grass hay. When they did fine on that, we added a bit more every day for days until we finally started adding in a bit of grass every day as well. Some people give rabbit pellets but this is not a good idea. The kits tend to fill up on pellets but will not know in the wild how to forage for greens and other foods. Stick to foods they would naturally find in the wild. I just fed grass and a mixture of grass hay to provide interest.
WATER: One of the most important parts in weaning the kits is water. Find a very small dish and keep water inside. Watch closely to be sure the bunnies donât get wet or chilled. Kits quickly become dehydrated and this is even easier when they are eating dry food instead of formula. If you notice huddling away from the others, brown urine, shaking, and little to no appetite, it is very possible the bunny is dehydrated. 

Preparing for Release
Once the bunnies are on all solid foods and are 4-5 in long (head to tail) they should be ready to release. Some recommend 3 weeks or less in age, but ours were not ready until almost 5 weeks. Though many have better âsurvival ratesâ releasing earlier, ultimately those younger bunnies are often not prepared to be wild yet as their GI tract is not fully developed for eating those plants in the wild. Thatâs one more reason why itâs best to still with mainly grasses when weaning them off formula. Here a few signs that the bunnies are ready to be released: they should be active, jumpy, very quick, spooky, and some even ready to attack your hand when you reach in to care for them. At this point they are ready to live on their own in the wild. 


Release
Look for an area with many plants and plenty of covering as well as a source where they can find water. Watch to see how the wild rabbit population around that area is doing. If you donât see any bunnies, there is probably good reason (predators, hunters, etc.) though at the same time, if there are too many in an area, there likely will not be enough food to sustain the local bunny population especially in winter. Look around and see if you notice lots of hawks/birds of prey, coyotes, foxes, etc. 
If you want to release the bunnies on some elseâs property always get permission from them before releasing. Some ideas might be a church yard, cemetery, quiet neighborhood, big country estates, or similar areas. Avoid anywhere near busy roads and parks that allow pets. As a general rule, the tamer the animal is, the further away from people it should be released. Land that says âfor saleâ isnât generally a good idea. Generally, areas with heavy brush and thorns is good as it offers much protection. 
Once youâre confident they are mature enough to release, watch the weather and wait for a day when it wonât be raining for at least several days after releasing. It is best to release at dawn or dusk as bunnies are most active at these times and this will give them the best chance.

Can This Bunny Be Kept as a Pet?
NO! 
Absolutely Not! You must remember: cottontails are a wild animal. They were in the wild before you began rehabbing them, and MUST be returned to their natural environment. It is illegal to keep a cottontail as a pet. Beyond that, in captivity, they still will become like any other wild animal, can carry disease, and likely could die from the stress of being in captivity. If the bunny ever was to become sick, you could not take it to a vet. I repeat, the bunnies MUST be released back into the wild as soon as possible!


----------



## fuzz16 (Jul 9, 2012)

We used warm water bottles instead of a heating pad to let the baby get away from the heat if needed, also. 

Good article.


----------



## Bunnylova4eva (Jul 9, 2012)

That's a good idea-never thought of that~ I'll keep that in mind for the future


----------



## fantaysah (Jul 9, 2012)

Thank you for this.where i live its either try yourself or let them die no one will take them ... id rather at least try and this will give me the confidence i need to do it.


----------



## Bandit8 (Apr 21, 2013)

Great info. Thanks


----------

