Baby Wildie...Cookie has passed away

I have just found a baby wildie while out running, crawling about on the path. Came straight home with him and straight to my vets to be checked as it has scratches/wounds. Wounds look to be superficial, looks like it has been dragged out of the nest. He is bright and active.

Vet said it is worth a go hand-rearing and I've come home with milk, bottle, teats etc. I know the prognosis isn't good, but I feel I have to give him a chance. He's just starting to get his fur, not sure of age.....probably only a few days old??

Have just had a go at feeding but I am scared of giving him too much (have just read about inhaling into lungs if feeding too quickly). He has taken a few drops and was quite eager, but now seems to be resisting. Will he let me know if he's had enough?

I'm using the feeding bottle and teat which came with the milk substitute, but it's difficult to know how much he's had, particularly as I keep squeezing some onto a tissue to make sure it's still coming out. Would I be better to use a 1ml syringe?

Do I need to do something to make him wee/poo. I've read something about tapping the stomach, but I'm reading in a panic so not sure how good the source of info is.

I have him in a cardboard box, lined with fleece blankets. A snugglesafe heatpad at one end. He's in a little fleecey 'cuddle cup' bed. Is this OK.

Have also got some antiseptic from the vet to put on his wounds which I will do next but wanted to try and get some milk into him first.

Sorry for all the questions and the panicky post. I thought I'd be OK, but I'm starting to feel out of my depth.

It says this:

If the babies are under 6 days old you usually will need to stimulate urination. This is a straightforward task. After each baby has been fed, wet a finger or cotton bud in warm water and gently tap or stroke the genital area. Have a tissue ready! Some babies, however, manage to urinate on their own from the start, so if after several attempts at each feed you get no results, it is likely because they are managing independently. Also, be aware that sometimes the droppings can accumulate around tail area and can cause a blockage, with very serious consequences if not attended to straight away. Gently wipe away the accummulation with some moistened cotton wool to allow the baby to pass droppings normally again. You may find that a lot of droppings are passed immediated after the problem has been cleared! Make sure that you keep the mouth and chin area clean and dry after each feed. This is very important otherwise the fur will start to fall out around the mouth due to a fungal infection setting in.

Here:
http://www.cottontails-rescue.org.uk/handrear.asp

Are his eyes open? That's an easy age marker, they open around day 10/11.

I found the 1ml syringe easier. If he's a little older and keen you could always try a bottle lid with milk and see if he'll slurp.

Thank you :wave:

I've just bathed his scratches. He got quite upset so I think maybe it stung a little. He seems to have settled back down now.

I will try a bit more milk in an hour and will do the tummy tapping then. I don't want to disturb him again so soon after upsetting him with the antiseptic. His tummy seems quite round, so maybe he was already full so didn't want much when I fed him.

Tamsin said:

Are his eyes open? That's an easy age marker, they open around day 10/11.

I found the 1ml syringe easier. If he's a little older and keen you could always try a bottle lid with milk and see if he'll slurp.

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No eyes are closed. He is very tiny. Will try and get a pic.

I think I will try the syringe next. The bottle just feels too hit and miss for me.

Tracy said:

Thank you :wave:

I've just bathed his scratches. He got quite upset so I think maybe it stung a little. He seems to have settled back down now.

I will try a bit more milk in an hour and will do the tummy tapping then. I don't want to disturb him again so soon after upsetting him with the antiseptic. His tummy seems quite round, so maybe he was already full so didn't want much when I fed him.

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I think it is the genital area, rather than the stomach, that you stroke.
Good luck!

He is so lucky that you found him

He's about 3" long and has a very thin/flat coat of fur.

Aw bless, he's so tiny and so lucky you found him, sending lots of vibes xxx

Oh my, he's tiny :shock:. Sending mega vibes and hoping he pulls through. You're a lovely person for giving him a chance.

Aww bless... sending vibes for this little one

Aww, he's tiny, 3/4 days maybe!

What about calling Brinsley Wildlife rescue 69 Hobsic Close Brinsley, Nottingham NG16 5AX
0845 458 2813

Our local wildlife rescues are brilliant at helping with all wildies...

aww poor little guy!!! i had a look at my photos from my recent litter and id guess by how thick his coat is hed be about 5-6 days old? just cos he doesnt seem to hav any bald patches left, but dunno if wildies coats come in faster. his best chance is if u can find anyone with a mum nd litter about the same age and see if he can be integrated cos the main problem with hand rearing is that once the bun starts nibbling at solid food he needs another rabbits poops to nibble on too, a mother bun will leave cecotrophs behind for the babies once they start hopping about, and this is essential to establish the good bacteria in the babies gut. without this bacteria proper digestion is impossible and eating any solid food can be fatal.
get urself a 1ml syringe in the meantime cos its easier to control how much comes out. try rubbing his lower abdomen with a cotton bud dipped in warm water, and stroke him with it firmly with lots of short movements like a bunnys tongue wud lick u normally (never had to do this with buns but hav rescued kittens before). the mother would normally press pretty hard which feels wrong on something so tiny but try not to be too gentle or it wont work. the best signs of good health in babies that small are a rounded belly and they shud be wriggly as anything wen u pick them up out the nest.
give him some cuddly toys to snuggle with too as he must be missing the security of his littermates, they like to huddle. and yes heatpads and fleecey fabrics are ur best bet for bedding, warmth is essential. u shud give him something to burrow into tho, i think ive seen animal-friendly fluffy bedding in P@H, it looks like coloured cotton wool. i think its for mice or sumthing but itll work like his mothers fur to build a nest if u pull it to thin it out, the babies only instincts at this age are to burrow, huddle and hide.
then leave him quiet in there and go crazy contacting rescues, breeders and anyone else that cud possibly hav a litter of buns.
well done for saving the little guy and good luck, ill keep my fingers crossed for him xxx

Poor wee mite, I hope he does well in your care x

Poor little bunny , I do hope he pulls through and thrives.

Sending tonnes of vibes for the little one, I do hope he will be okay.

Thanks everyone for your advice and good wishes.

We're getting the hang of feeding him and finding it so much easier with a 1ml syringe. Little bunny is also getting the hang of taking milk from the syringe, it must be very alien to him so he's having to learn too. Have just done a feed and managed to get around 2ml into him, from what I've read I think that is about the right amount for a single feed. My OH seems to be a natural, he's so much better at it than me. Little bunny is really active, wriggly and very strong for his tiny size.

I've also read that you should put a pinch of probiotic in with the milk for every other feed as baby will be missing the good bacteria from mum's milk. Does this sound right? I've got Avipro Plus, so can start adding this in if it is advisable.

He's nice and cosy in his fleecey bed. His box is just outside the airing cupboard and I've left the cupboard door open so that he has very gentle heat. He's also got a snugglesafe pad buried beneath the layers of fleece. So he should be cosy, but not too hot.

It looks about the same size as Sparrow when she arrived- so between 7-10 days old.
We syringe fed her, it needs to be double strength cimicat, compared to kitten, so one scoop to 10mls rather than one scoop to 20mls. We added a pinch of bio lapis to the food too.
I think we helped toilet her for 3-4 weeks, it's obvious when they start to go themselves, the rate of growth is amazing, we are hand rearing 2 kittens from a week old. So going through it all again.
Sparrow, by the way is coming up for 2, was recently spayed ( too small previously) and we are in the slow process of trying to bond her with Hugo.
Good luck.

halfpenny said:

It looks about the same size as Sparrow when she arrived- so between 7-10 days old.
We syringe fed her, it needs to be double strength cimicat, compared to kitten, so one scoop to 10mls rather than one scoop to 20mls. We added a pinch of bio lapis to the food too.
I think we helped toilet her for 3-4 weeks, it's obvious when they start to go themselves, the rate of growth is amazing, we are hand rearing 2 kittens from a week old. So going through it all again.
Sparrow, by the way is coming up for 2, was recently spayed ( too small previously) and we are in the slow process of trying to bond her with Hugo.
Good luck.

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Thanks for this info. We've been doing one scoop per 20ml as the instructions, but will now do per 10 ml.

I've been tapping/stroking his tummy and genitals after we've done a feed, but not had anything come through yet.

Tracy said:

Thanks for this info. We've been doing one scoop per 20ml as the instructions, but will now do per 10 ml.

I've been tapping/stroking his tummy and genitals after we've done a feed, but not had anything come through yet.

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When I had kittens to foster (2 days old) I found using damp cotton wool and sort of imagining that it was a mummy cats tongue helped. It's not a tapping motion, more of a gentle wiping, as if it were a tongue licking. There are lots of videos on youtube on how to stimulate kittens I found them useful.

Good luck!