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Help!! with Cotton Tail Rabbits!!!

AllForTheAnimals

Warren Scout
My dad was bailing hay today and he found two nests of cotton tail rabbits. one had bigger rabbits in it but they ran off but the other nest had 4 or 5 day old kits in it!! since he had two options 1) dispose of them by squishing them or 2) put them in my rabbit hutches so he picked op. 2 and when I came home I found Sable had three more babies!!! What do I do I know they can't take care of themselves because they can't even walk good and are nursing off my doe (she is a very good foster mum) ?????????? HELP!!!!!!!!:shock::shock:
 
Yes they are I have studied them and have found that they aren't ready to be away from mum until their white is gone and they still have tons of it I am going to raise them naturally if I have to raise them at all on the natural foods out in the wood and field where they came from that'll be a lot of gathering:shock:
 
You need to contact a specialist cottontail rehaber. They'll deal with the rearing and releasing though if your doe is happily feeding them they might suggest leaving them there temporarily and then taking them when they are ready to start the release process.

Try calling local vets or humane society they may have a contact for wildlife rehabers in your area.

Cottontails are a different species to domestic rabbits and don't do well in captivity.

Tam
 
Thanks Tamsin I will try to but we have ran into this problom more than once our rehabers around us won't take them they are doing fine they just got here today they fit through the holes in the cage and get extra feedings from my other doe with five kits and cuddles up with the daddy he is really caring for kits ill try the rehabers again though
 
Sorry, but why would your father "squish" them? That surely isn't an option - aren't you a breeder, you should know how to rear young buns :?
 
Yes I do my dads like that he doesn't really get me and animals I was gone so I didn't know and yes I know how to rear them I have done it before but I didn't know exactly for Cottontails because compared to domestic rabbits they are more difficult to rear as they have certain times to nurse and how long it's been a while since I last reared one as it was fostered by my first rabbit that didn't ever have kits but cared for it as her own but I've been doing research and nursing them and setting up their cage oh He almost squished them as he was on our tractor and didn't see them if it wasn't for one jumping 3 feet in the air but he new I would figure something out to do them and so far it seems as I am going to be the rearer and releaser thanks for your question though now other people will know and I won't have to answer it later
 
AllForTheAnimals (sorry I don't know your name) is right. Rearing Cottontails is not the same as rearing baby domestic rabbits or uk wild rabbits (European rabbits). Cottontails are a different species and have different rearing needs. They are meant to be extremely difficult to handrear successfully.

If you can't find a local rehabber that can take then then perhaps you can find one further away that could at least walk you through how to do it so they have more of a chance.

Most of the forum members on here are in the UK so we don't have contacts I'll pm you some US contacts to try :)
 
Thanks Tamsin Oh my name is Karlie I will try to find one as good as I can so far has been success with them they were nursing about a half hour ago!!:D
 
Im confused...if your dad found nests shouldnt he have just left well alone? How did he know mum wasnt still feeding them? They dont feed often during the day as im sure you know
 
Im assuming that as he was bailing hay he would have destroyed the nests with his tractor, thats how i read it.

Good luck!
 
JellyBelly you have it all right MaxiandScottandBuns umm we had to do hay and he didn't have anywhere else to put or do with them
 
I think cotton tails build a scrape for their young not a burrow so if he was baling the nest would have been destroyed & it unlikely that the mum would return as all their shelter from the long grass would have gone.

No idea about hand rearing them though sorry....as others have suggested you need to talk to the equivalent of a rescue on your side of the pond. I would have thought suckling from your doe is the best thing for the moment as long as she has enough milk but they do need to be rehabilitated if possible.
 
I think cotton tails build a scrape for their young not a burrow so if he was baling the nest would have been destroyed & it unlikely that the mum would return as all their shelter from the long grass would have gone.

No idea about hand rearing them though sorry....as others have suggested you need to talk to the equivalent of a rescue on your side of the pond. I would have thought suckling from your doe is the best thing for the moment as long as she has enough milk but they do need to be rehabilitated if possible.

Thanks for the well advice I guess I could call it that yes they build scrapes so yeah he would of destroyed it
 
AllForTheAnimals (sorry I don't know your name) is right. Rearing Cottontails is not the same as rearing baby domestic rabbits or uk wild rabbits (European rabbits). Cottontails are a different species and have different rearing needs. They are meant to be extremely difficult to handrear successfully.

If you can't find a local rehabber that can take then then perhaps you can find one further away that could at least walk you through how to do it so they have more of a chance.

Most of the forum members on here are in the UK so we don't have contacts I'll pm you some US contacts to try :)

I see, sorry I didn't realise they had special needs. Hope they get on ok and grow healthy and strong :)
 
I see, sorry I didn't realise they had special needs. Hope they get on ok and grow healthy and strong :)

Thats OK I didn't know when I was first studying them It seems they would be the same though (I forget and can't find it in the rules are you aloud to post your websites here like in your signature?) :wave: Thanks
 
AllForTheAnimals (sorry I don't know your name) is right. Rearing Cottontails is not the same as rearing baby domestic rabbits or uk wild rabbits (European rabbits). Cottontails are a different species and have different rearing needs. They are meant to be extremely difficult to handrear successfully.

If you can't find a local rehabber that can take then then perhaps you can find one further away that could at least walk you through how to do it so they have more of a chance.

Most of the forum members on here are in the UK so we don't have contacts I'll pm you some US contacts to try :)

is karlie from us? and when you mean that your gonna search for a us contact as in someone in the us on the forums help her find a rehaber?
 
Thats OK I didn't know when I was first studying them It seems they would be the same though (I forget and can't find it in the rules are you aloud to post your websites here like in your signature?) :wave: Thanks

Yes I believe so, you're just not allowed any direct advertising on your posts, but in your siggy is ok (better ask Tamsin though ;))
 
is karlie from us? and when you mean that your gonna search for a us contact as in someone in the us on the forums help her find a rehaber?

Yes I am from the US and yes thats what she means. I didn't really know this was a UK based forum till I joined but I like the people on here so I am going to stay on this as well:D;)
 
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