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Yesterday my husband was mowing the lawn and ran over a ...

Sent to Pet Experts May 19 2006 at 4:19 AM
   

Yesterday my husband was mowing the lawn and ran over a rabbits burrow.
There were a little of baby bunnies about 2-3 inches long there eyes are still closed . None of them have been hurt we tryed to (using sticks) fix the fluff and grass and whatnot but the mother bunny hasn't come back yet that was about 20 hours ago. The nest area hasn't been touched since we fixed it up. I need to know what i should feed them. they have to be starving by now and it doesn't look like the mother will be comeing back . that happened at around 12:30 Thursday the 18th its now 930 in the morning on friday. When should i interveen and bring them inside, is the big question . And when i do what should i have ready to feed them .

 

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Breed: Rabbit

Already Tried:
The babys can't be more than a few days old i will need to know what they eat and how to feed them. um i havn't tryed anything yet
/p>

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
May 19 2006 at 4:36 AM (16 minutes and 31 seconds later)
         
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Hi,

Rabbit mothers nurse their babies for approximately 5 minutes a day. They will be in the nest or nest box early in the morning and then again in the evening. The milk is very rich and the babies "fill up" to capacity within minutes. Mother rabbits do not "sit" on the babies to keep them warm as do some mammals and birds. They build a nest with fur and grasses which helps to keep the babies warm in between feedings.

Very young wild baby bunnies with eyes closed and ears back rarely survive in captivity, even given the most expert human care; and so it is very important to determine whether they really need help. Try to assess whether the infants seem warm and healthy or cold, thin, and dehydrated. One test for dehydration is to gently pinch the loose skin at the back of the neck. If it stays in a "tent," or does not spring back in one second, the bunny is SEVERELY dehydrated and needs rehabilitation IMMEDIATELY by a professional rabbit vet or rehabber. Another test is to stroke the genital area to stimulate elimination. If the pee is brown and gritty, the mother rabbit has not been there to help the bunnies urinate. The brown, gritty urine is toxic, and the infant bunny must be cared for by a professional. Please contact a Wildlife Rehabilitator or rabbit vet immediately.

I am including a link on how to care for the rabbits if necessary.

Walter



Edited by askwalt on May 19 2006 at 4:38 AM



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