Look what we found!

chadspad · Post: # 98045Post **chadspad** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 2:59 pm

My parents have moved a pile of sand and found 6 baby rabbits! Theyre tiny. Now they have no home and I cant leave them out for their Mum as there are several cats about. Im going to have to try to hand feed them.

ina · Post: # 98062Post **ina** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:52 pm

They look extremely young to me... Good luck with the feeding!

chadspad · Post: # 98063Post **chadspad** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:55 pm

Thanks for that! They are really tiny, thats my 6 year old holding it so his hands are small anyway.

marshlander · Tue Apr 22, 2008 6:02 pm

OMG

can anything so precious survive? Good luck!

theabsinthefairy · Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:36 am

Good luck, baby rabbits are extremely difficult to hand rear, as they have an open palate between their mouths and their windpipes - not sure how else to describe it, as the above is not quite right biologically - but what it means is that when you feed them, the milk can very easily tip into their lungs and they develop respiratory problems, and unfortunately die.

I know as we had to hand rear some of our babies lest year - and only managed one out of litter of five.

The mums only feed once - normally during the night, so they tend to leave the babies alone a lot, and they can easily become prey that way.

chadspad · Post: # 98148Post **chadspad** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:33 am

OK, thanks for the advice. Im not expecting many to survive but whatever I can help will be a bonus. Theyve all survived the night which surprised me.

Teasal · Post: # 98370Post **Teasal** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:04 pm

My OH found some baby rodents in the dry stone walling he was re building. Insisted I try to hand rear them. They were so tiny, it was hard to hold them. Even the hamster bottle was too large. Had the brainwave of using the dropper from the top of my Rescue remedy, and dropped milk into their mouths every few hours - even fed them in the night the first couple of nights. I was amazed when they survived, as they could only have been a few days old when they came. They soon cottoned on to what the dropper held, and could hold it in their mouths after a week or so!

Good luck with the rabbits.

chadspad · Post: # 98403Post **chadspad** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:53 am

They all died last night unfortunately

Least I tried.

Annpan · Post: # 98405Post **Annpan** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:56 am

Sorry to hear that Chadspad

chadspad · Post: # 98414Post **chadspad** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:17 am

Thanks Annpan.

theabsinthefairy · Thu Apr 24, 2008 10:04 am

Sorry to hear they died chadspad, unfortunately baby bunnies are just so hard to rear, there is a very low success rate, but you tried.

tim&fatima · Thu Apr 24, 2008 12:13 pm

Sorry mate.

Teasal · Post: # 98459Post **Teasal** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 12:25 pm

So sorry. But you did your best to help them and there was not much else you could do. I have it with the baby birds my farm cats catch - a lot of those die, with the odd success story.

Post: # 98463Post **MKG** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 12:39 pm

I was going to post when I first saw this to point out that they had little chance - they were SOOOO small - but then thought I'd just keep my fingers crossed for you. You tried, and that's all you can do.

chadspad · Post: # 98530Post **chadspad** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 4:33 pm

Thanks for the kind words eveyone. Son is very upset. Looks like Daddy might be buying him a pet rabbit now lol.