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Some advice please

Suki1964

New Kit
Husband working on a building site and a warren was disturbed, crushed. Mum and one baby got out but mum was killed by accident. Baby was rescued by husband

We have been bottle feeding it and so far it's survived 3 days now

Today we built a run and it's venturing out of the cat carrier we have been keeping it in and is nibbling the daisies :)

No idea how old it is but it fits in one hand, probably the size of an average potato

Two questions, how do I know when it's big enough to be released back into a field where there are other rabbits?

Or, would it ever be OK to keep it as a pet? Husband has really taken to it and would like to keep it. I say it's a wild animal and should be released as soon as its viable

Any advice or thoughts please
 
Husband working on a building site and a warren was disturbed, crushed. Mum and one baby got out but mum was killed by accident. Baby was rescued by husband

We have been bottle feeding it and so far it's survived 3 days now

Today we built a run and it's venturing out of the cat carrier we have been keeping it in and is nibbling the daisies :)

No idea how old it is but it fits in one hand, probably the size of an average potato

Two questions, how do I know when it's big enough to be released back into a field where there are other rabbits?

Or, would it ever be OK to keep it as a pet? Husband has really taken to it and would like to keep it. I say it's a wild animal and should be released as soon as its viable

Any advice or thoughts please

Hello

It is notoriously hard to hand rear an orphaned kit. What sort of milk replacer are you feeding him/her ?

This link may be useful to take a look at

http://www.cottontails-rescue.org.uk/health/hand-rearing/

Personally I would contact a Wildlife Rehabilitation centre, if there is one near you.

Or give these folk a call (assuming that you are in the UK) They may be able to advise you of contact details of a Rehabilitator near you

http://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk/
 
Oh I know it's hard, I've been sat with it wrapped in a tea towel for hours trying to get a few mls in him. I was given cimivet by the vet. And he would only take a few mls, but it's kept him alive

He's been kept in a cat carrier with a soft toy and tea towels to snuggle into so he's been kept warm

He seems very happy to be back out doors and is munching daisies and a bit of carrot ( up to now he's refused all solid food). I've also been to the shop for a water bottle and rabbit pellets

It's pretty cold and wet here ( Northern Ireland) so Im bringing him back in doors

I tried a wildlife rescue, haven't received a reply as yet

I shall get in touch with tiggywinks
 
Oh I know it's hard, I've been sat with it wrapped in a tea towel for hours trying to get a few mls in him. I was given cimivet by the vet. And he would only take a few mls, but it's kept him alive

He's been kept in a cat carrier with a soft toy and tea towels to snuggle into so he's been kept warm

He seems very happy to be back out doors and is munching daisies and a bit of carrot ( up to now he's refused all solid food). I've also been to the shop for a water bottle and rabbit pellets

It's pretty cold and wet here ( Northern Ireland) so Im bringing him back in doors

I tried a wildlife rescue, haven't received a reply as yet

I shall get in touch with tiggywinks

I'd try to give him/her hay rather than carrots. Could you get some hay ? The GI tract of a Kit is incredibly fragile. Is he producing normal faeces ?
 
Yes it's started to poo now. They appear normal, little black dots

We have hay, he's not interested. He's got grass and daisies and pellets, baby ones
 
Oh I know it's hard, I've been sat with it wrapped in a tea towel for hours trying to get a few mls in him. I was given cimivet by the vet. And he would only take a few mls, but it's kept him alive

He's been kept in a cat carrier with a soft toy and tea towels to snuggle into so he's been kept warm

He seems very happy to be back out doors and is munching daisies and a bit of carrot ( up to now he's refused all solid food). I've also been to the shop for a water bottle and rabbit pellets

It's pretty cold and wet here ( Northern Ireland) so Im bringing him back in doors

I tried a wildlife rescue, haven't received a reply as yet

I shall get in touch with tiggywinks


Hi Suki and welcome to the Forum:wave:

I hope you manage to get in touch with a wildlife rescue regarding the baby rabbit :)
 
Hi, I would give him/her a bowl to drink from rather than a water bottle. It may not be obvious to him what it is for. Don't give a deep bowl though, he may drown in it (stranger things have happened) just a shallow bowl will do. Good luck, as Jane has said, they are very difficult to rear, I help out at a rescue and we have wildies in sometimes, we have two at the moment, one is doing well, the other not so well, but we keep going. You may find it will become increasingly difficult to handle as it grows up, becoming frightened of you going near. We have a 'soft release' arrangement with some supporters who live in the countryside, they have a shed and run, keeping wildies until they dig their way out of the run and go back to being wild. It's quite a hard decision, knowing when to let them go, but bear in mind they would be weaned from the mother and on their own at about 4-5 weeks old, when she would probably have another litter. Hope everything goes well for your little one.
 
It's day five now

He's taking around 15mls of milk now once a day

He's also eating corn and broccoli, as well as grass and daisies and dandelions:)

We think he's also having the odd pellet

I think he's around 4 weeks old bearing in mind he was still with mum yet leaving the nest

He's spending the day in the run and seems to be happy enough, eating and pooing well. I will get a water dish, any suggestions on what? I'm using a jar lid for his pellets. Remember he's in a cat carrier when not out so not much room. He snuggles up to a soft toy and a tea towel to sleep. He's definitely gotten bigger and put on weight in the five days he's been here. I hope he is going to make it.
 
Glad little one seems to be doing well, I'd stop the corn if sweetcorn as it doesn't digest and can cause rabbits GI stasis issues
 
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