Help please

[amberfnp1973]

hello
i am in desperate need of help.
LONG story short dogs tore apart a wild cottontail nest and my daughter brought home a baby last Sunday (given my best guess 7-8 days old now)
i thought the rabbit was alright until this AM took her to general vet (live in rural MT) and he suggested I give her kittylac (from esibilac) and change from glass dropper to a newborn nipple (which seems huge)
i started reading all this bunny rehab and every website gives different advice She had clear strong stream of urine this AM, green brown mush poo no droppings and still gets excited when smells or hears me
i am thinking she may be dehydrated not sure how to hydrate or feed her

any thing to help me save this bunny would be appreciated....i tried to feed her at 8 PM without any luck, only 3 ccs today and am thinking i should feed her here in an hour or 2 so could use some tips PLEASE

thank you.
amber

I am not very computer savvy so do not know how to open instant messages and such

 

[JBun]

I don't have any experience with this, but this website seems to have good info on how to take care of cottontail babies. I do know that you have to be very careful when feeding, so it doesn't aspirate the milk.

http://www.2ndchance.info/bunnies.htm

 

[amberfnp1973]

thank you, i read it but am not sure how quickly i can get the cecotrophes and zoologic here

 

[Channahs]

We had the same thing happen to us a couple of years ago. Our dogs dug up a bunny nest. We successfully raised them on Kitten Replacement milk and set them free at about 8 weeks. Feed them with a dropper, try not to handle them at much at all. I had no idea what a cecotrope was when I rehabilitated these kits, so I'm not sure if that's valid. Absolutely do not fall in love and convince yourself to keep them. This will be harder than you think. Cottontail rabbits do not make good pets. They never will be good pets. They do not domesticate. Also know that it is very hard to rehabilitate a baby cottontail. It takes up a LOT of your time. If it happens that they don't live, don't beat yourself up about it. The website given is a very good site.

Kitten Replacement Milk is what we used. We found it at Walmart. Here's a good recipe: http://www.ehow.com/info_8714605_homemade-bottle-feeding-baby-bunnies.html

 

[Ilovemyrabbit]

I don't have much experience with this either but I'd like to say that I hope the little bun gets better.

 

[Zeroshero]

I have successfully raised pinky squirrels and pinky cottontails using a scalded milk formula which is not reccomended according to everything I have read. Channahs is right they do not domesticate! Once their eyes popped open they were vicious, they attacked eachother, then would attack me when I would reach in to doctor their wounds. If its eyes are open you can start giving it grass hay, they become pretty self sufficient quickly. A wildlife rehabilitater that I was taking injured kits to that feeds them Does Match (it is a goat milk replacer) for bunnies she just doubles the recommended amount of formula mixed in the water. The general population of veterinarians do not know anything about wild bunnies, and sometimes even domestic ones. If the bun is already has soft stool it might be too late it's best chance of survival is to find a local wildlife rehabilitator and leave the bunny in their care. My squirrels all made it until weaning, I was moving back to AZ so I couldn't wean them properly until they could be released we drove them from Cleveland, OH to Southern, OH near the KY boarder to a rehabilitator. If you would like help finding a wildlife refuge post a nearby town you are in and I would be happy to help you find one.

 

[amberfnp1973]

hi '
i live in Ramsay MT the closest town is Butte. I have not heard of any wildlife rehabilitators and am not having luck finding FFA or 4H.
her eyes have not opened her stool is and she is quite resistive to me trying to use a octon swab to clean her and encourage urination.

Thank you for your help
Ambe4r

 

[amberfnp1973]

is it going to be more dangerous to change her formula again? She had esibilac for 5 days then switched to kitty lac yesterday. Last night and this morning i mixed the powder in pedialyte becuase she is so emaciated. how do i use a dropper to feed her and how should i regulate the temperature. Also can you tell me how often you fed them and what you made their box like? i have her in a small box with dirt and grass on one side and a fuzzy sock on the other. is it normal for them to climb all over you....how do i hold her to feed her it seems i get tons all over me and then she licks and licks.

the time factor absolutely is difficult bed at 3 AM and up at 6 AM- the vet said i should try to feed her every 3 hours even if it is only a drop (prior to her getting emaciated I was feeding her 6 AM 5 PM and 11 PM

thank you amber

 

[rabbitsrule]

Hi Amber:

I have not had any experience with wild bunnies but for additional tips, The House Rabbit Society has some good info. Here is the link:

http://rabbit.org/faq-orphaned-baby-bunnies/

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Zeroshero]

Amber once they start to decompensate it happens rather quickly. I just got done feeding an orphaned bun not too long ago, this was his nursery. I used a box, with wild bunnies this is best. It is also probably better to use a heating pad to keep it warm I believe an over head light would be too much. They don't recommend putting the pad in the box in case the bun overheats so you can put it under the box. I just added an extra towel to cover the heating pad and made sure he had somewhere he could get to that was cool (just added extra towels).

 

[Zeroshero]

His set up at home was much better: If you don't have a heating pad, wrap a towel around a bottle of warm water and place it in her box. I don't know if switching her formula again will do more harm than good . If you are feeding it you have to make sure it is eliminating, they can not eliminate on their own failure to do this can result in serious complications. I know it is extremely frustrating!

 

[Tauntz]

Just to add to Zeroshero's above post, you should use a heating pad under a cardboard box. Place the heating pad only under one side so that the baby can move from one side to the other depending on its need to be warmer or cooler. I used to do wildlife rehab but never did rabbits. Wild rabbits can be extremely difficult. I wish you & the rabbit the best & leave you in the more capable hands of my more bunny/rabbit experienced RO members.

 

[amberfnp1973]

hi
thank you for your help
i have her in a smaller cardboard box (6 x8 inches, ~2 inches tall) inside a plastic container(9 x13 inches, ~8 inches tall)- i figured moving around too much would use too many calories. She has the same fuzzy sock that fits in an 8 ounce dixie cup in one corner (her rear is close to the opening and she stuffes her head to the bottom- so about 4 inches, it lies on its side) and dirt with picked grass in the other the corner. i have her boxes wrapped in a fleece blanket then shoved in a tall laundry basket. I keep her in my closet which is down a short hall with the light off. THERE is a peek hole through the blankets for fresh air and slits cut in the dixie cup to ventilate. My bedroom (6 foot picture) windows face east, south and west. i have in floor heat which is set at 64 degrees but during day my bedroom has been reading 80- 90 degrees so i keep the closet door partially open, i close it at night. i take her out to the sun room in her fuzzy sock to feed. I had put her in the sun room (thought she should get used to day/night and listen to sounds of nature) last Thursday- I think that dehydrated her PLUS at that time i had her in the larger box only covered nearly as described above but without the dixie cup for the sock.

her eyes are still closed, her ears still lie relatively flat but twitch when i talk to her and she sniffs at me when i feed her- she resists lying on her back to be fed so it easier to let her nestle in my palm, most often she licks the formula from my hands. I am not having much luck getting her used to a nipple, so i made a surrogate with plastic eye dropper and rubber padding (smallest nipple cut tip stretched over it) so she does not ruin her teeth from the chewing she does and i can not seem to get the formula at 100 degrees, it cools before she seems to get interested. she weighs 1 ounce today and is about 3 1/2 inches long. I have not witnessed her pee today and her poo is not forming real well (gave her some granules of probiotic in pedialyte yesterday). her gums are pink and she does not feel cold to touch.

Thank you for the information- if you have time to evaluate what i have written and give some feedback I would appreciate it.

Oh i give her boiled water cooled to room temp water- 1/2 tsp with 1/4 tsp kitty lac powder and 1/4 tsp heavy whipping cream and a couple granules of probiotic TRY 3 times per day and then 1 time per day try a few drops of pedialyte.

Thank you again,
amber

Another question- how in the world do you clean the dried milk from the bib area and stimulate the GI tract (dried poo between hind legs)- she hates the moistened cottonball?

 

[Zeroshero]

100 degrees is too hot for formula. I believe the reccomended temperature is around 95, if you have been previously feeding her with a syringe or eye dropper she has probably lost her ability/ desire to suckle. If she is not eating you should probably discontinue trying to get her to use it. I kept a bowl of warm water with the extra formula floating in a sandwich bag to keep warm while feeding.

You MUST stimulate her to urinate she cannot do it on her own. I have found this works best using warm water gently stimulate the area making circular motions. If the area she is in is that warm she probably doesn't need a heating pad, especially if she feels warm to touch.

 

[amberfnp1973]

Hi
Thank you for the advice- she opened her eyes today! Ate about 3ccs and peed twice, still hates the stimulation and attempts to clean her. Should I start working on a box that resembles her real environment (patches of grass, dandelions greens, etc) or keep the low stimuli for a few more days to save calories? - she goes right to her cuddly sock and dixie cup and stays facing the bottom.

 

[Zeroshero]

I wouldn't change her environment it could create stress, I would start adding some grasses for her to experiment with eating. Just the process of introducing grasses to her already compromised GI could push her over the edge.

You will probably want to pick her grass at dawn: http://www.safergrass.org/pdf/sugar_in_hay.pdf

· Plants use sugar during respiration at night.
The plant uses sugars to grow, turning the simple sugars made that day into fiber for cell walls, and energy to build other necessary components with the additional essential nutrients. This is why grass will have lower levels of sugar at dawn, IF conditions for respiration were optimum- if it’s warm enough, and there’s enough water, and other necessary substrates to make things with. Because enzymes are necessary for these transformations, this part of the cycle is more dependant on temperature.

It's interesting to think that bunnies graze primarily at dusk and dawn when the sugar content is lower in the grass. These bunnies they are so smart!