Baby rabbit caught by cat.. RIP baby Celandine

[parsnipbun]

Warmth, quiet, hay, put some dryish grass in as a nest - familiar scents - though I suspect its far too young to eat any. Have you a 1 ml syringe? Try just small drops of water or goats milk (this wont work long term but just a one off) iy may ignore at first .

They usually feed on their backs (laying under the mother) but this is dangerous when syringe feeding in case water/liquid goes down the wrong way - try holding n one hand and then tipping slightly back and to one side -

Though steve always did it just with Pippin standing!

 

[Tracy]

Just checked the kitten milk we have and it is now out of date, so no point me getting that up to you. The one we used was Royal Canin baby cat milk.

There is some really good info on Cottontails rescue website about hand rearing. I referred to this quite a lot. They suggest full cream goats milk as an alternative if you can't get the kitten milk.

I used fleece blankets for Cookie, he liked to burrow/snuggle into them.

Will keep everything crossed for this little one. xx

 

[Bunny Buddy]

Warmth, quiet, hay, put some dryish grass in as a nest - familiar scents - though I suspect its far too young to eat any. Have you a 1 ml syringe? Try just small drops of water or goats milk (this wont work long term but just a one off) iy may ignore at first .

They usually feed on their backs (laying under the mother) but this is dangerous when syringe feeding in case water/liquid goes down the wrong way - try holding n one hand and then tipping slightly back and to one side -

Though steve always did it just with Pippin standing!

Thanks. I think our Tesco is 24 hours, i'll try to get goats milk on the way back. Just putting warm snuggle safe in carrier and setting off.

 

[parsnipbun]

Bunny Buddy and Tracy - we cant collect as both due to leave home at 6.30am for mtgs tmw morning BUT Steve (OH who does all the bringing up of babies etc) says he will take it on if someone can get it here (Peterborough) tomorrow afternoon.

He will be home here again by 3.30pm - he wont have car as I will have it and will be heading out to speak south of us for evening - sorry we cant even get to help with a bunny run - but seriously Steve would be willing to take it on - he has the patience of a saint with syringe feedings. We have some esbilac puppy feed as well - though would need to buy some new as well asap - this is old (probably technically out of date though kept in fridge) and for emergencies.

 

[Tracy]

If he is very young, you will also have to stimulate urination. After feeding, we stroked his bits and his tummy very gently with a warm damp cotton bud to simulate the mother's licking action. After a while he will do a wee, sometimes it does take quite a while and a bit of patience.

 

[parsnipbun]

Thanks. I think our Tesco is 24 hours, i'll try to get goats milk on the way back. Just putting warm snuggle safe in carrier and setting off.

Steve says your tesco is 24 hrs - he thinks they are large and may even have powdered kitten milk or kitten milk (NOT cat milk for adult cats which is thin stuff).

He travels a lot and knows skipton so knows the tesco!!

 

[parsnipbun]

If he is very young, you will also have to stimulate urination. After feeding, we stroked his bits and his tummy very gently with a warm damp cotton bud to simulate the mother's licking action. After a while he will do a wee, sometimes it does take quite a while and a bit of patience.

mmmm - recall we had this discussion before - we never did this and our vet says wildie bunny mothers dont either (we certainly didnt see carnation lily do it to her babies she just exited as fast as poss after feed dragging some along by the teat!!) but as long as its very very careful no harm in giving it a stroke after feed in case you are right and we are wrong! We never did it with Pippin or Sunshine Daydream or Harebell but perhaps we were just lucky.

 

[Tracy]

Bunny Buddy and Tracy - we cant collect as both due to leave home at 6.30am for mtgs tmw morning BUT Steve (OH who does all the bringing up of babies etc) says he will take it on if someone can get it here (Peterborough) tomorrow afternoon.

He will be home here again by 3.30pm - he wont have car as I will have it and will be heading out to speak south of us for evening - sorry we cant even get to help with a bunny run - but seriously Steve would be willing to take it on - he has the patience of a saint with syringe feedings. We have some esbilac puppy feed as well - though would need to buy some new as well asap - this is old (probably technically out of date though kept in fridge) and for emergencies.

I can do tomorrow afternoon if needed. I finish work at 1pm on Thursdays, so can do driving to get him to you. I will log on tomorrow morning and see what Alison (bunny buddy) wants to do.

 

[parsnipbun]

off to bed now as have to get up v early -

I wont have time to check this thread again tonight or tmw before leaving to give lectures early in morning - so if anyone wants to contact me email (twigsway@me.com) and the mobile will pick it up and I can answer from there

Good luck!

 

[hoppetylop]

I found a tiny bunny afew years ago in the middle of a big carpark.It was a tiny bit bigger but not much.I took it to a local vet which had a hospital as it was out of hours, intending to get some milk for it until I could get it to St Tiggywinkles the next morning.They took him in to look after him until then.Im just wondering if that's an option?Just a thought.

 

[parsnipbun]

I can do tomorrow afternoon if needed. I finish work at 1pm on Thursdays, so can do driving to get him to you. I will log on tomorrow morning and see what Alison (bunny buddy) wants to do.

That is a very very kind offer - we will wait and see as you say how bunny buddy feels and how the bun itself is. Will have better idea once s/he is with Bunny Buddy.

 

[Bunny Buddy]

Well, we are home. The baby is quite mobile, I expected him just to be skulking in a corner but he was really wandering about. it took a while to find him when I got home as he had burrowed in the hay and found the warmth of the snuggle safe and seems to be really enjoying it! I got kitten milk but it's liquid not formula so I can't do double strength, it's the best I could get. I also got goat's milk. I'm going to have to try a feed now and I'm going for the kitten milk. I have a new 1ml syringe so will go with that. Just read up in Textbook of Rabbit Medicine ... Okay, hope he laps it up then!!

 

[Bunny Buddy]

Well, I've handled this little babe quite a bit to get him to take some milk and I'm not getting the feeling he's traumatised by it or injured particularly. With the first syringe of milk I got just about nowhere, he really objected to it and kind of spluttered when it touched his face. I spilt a lot of the milk (mainly over me!) so I refilled expecting the same but this time he had got a bit of a taste for it and I kept putting a drop on the front of his mouth and he was definitely taking some of it in, and I think enjoying it. I think I got about 60-70% of it over my fingers but I kind of sat him upright so that he didn't get wet from it or aspirate it. I think I can call it reasonably successful (to get him through, I doubt it would be a good long-term strategy).

I'm unsure whether I should take him to the vets to be checked over, whether they would be able to give any antibiotics etc as I can't see injuries. They might be able to supply me with better milk and some more syringes though so will ring to get advice, most probably.

I know I'm not the right person to get him through this (I so wish I was) as I'd love the experience of hand rearing him, I'm already attached, he just cosied down in my hand and snuggled up, it was really precious.

I'll see if he makes it through the night before making any decisions - it's the journey that concerns me, I know he couldn't be in better hands. Thank you so much Twigs/Steve for the offer to take him on, and Tracy for the offer of transporting him.

I really, really want to keep him but I know his chances of survival would be better if he goes to Peterborough

 

[esupi]

Hope the little bub is doing okay this morning.

Just to add I believe the wildlife rescue has a soft release facility for their wildies. I'm not sure if parsnipbun would be able to keep him long term or what the arrangements would be but I know it can be hard to find somewhere big enough for them.

 

[Tracy]

Hope the little bub is doing okay this morning.

Just to add I believe the wildlife rescue has a soft release facility for their wildies. I'm not sure if parsnipbun would be able to keep him long term or what the arrangements would be but I know it can be hard to find somewhere big enough for them.

Twigs has brilliant accommodation for her wildies :thumb:

 

[parsnipbun]

We are fine this end for him if needs be but can also appreciate your worries. Perhaps have a chat to wildlife centre to ensure they release in groups.

 

[parsnipbun]

PS a vet trip probably would freak it out at this stage. Pippin was caught by a cat and had no wounds. Abx tricky at that age as well. Perhaps wait till decide where he is going and then wherever he goes can moniter and decide.

 

[Zoobec]

Hoping little bun is ok, sending lots of vibes xx

 

[MimzMum]

Wow, just catching up on this thread. Bunny Buddy, a brave trip you've taken to help this wee one! Good on ya!
I really hope he will be okay and I know that no matter who takes him on he is in the most loving hands. xxxx

 

[Bunny Buddy]

He's still with us I can't tell you how happy that makes me.

I know there's a lot of ethics involved but the idea of this bunny being realised back into the wild at some point makes me shudder. The disregard and derision that wild rabbits have in this part of the world makes me sad, they are just seen as vermin. I would love him to go and live in Twigs' wildie enclosure if there's a place for him. I'm just weighing up whether that journey is the best thing for him at the moment v whether I could actually cope with his care now and he travel when he is stronger. (I haven't had much sleep, I'm probably deluding myself).

I'm just warming up another heat pad and going to do a feed at the same time as I change the heat pad. Can anybody advise if the goat's milk will be better (more concentrate) than the kitten milk I've got, given that it's not formula. I'll ring my vets when they open to ask re what sort of milk to give and to get a supply of syringes. I'm pretty sure Frances has hand reared wildies in the past but she's doing one of her CPD days today so definitely not available.