Marilyn Bunroe and her babies - A little family rescued from death row

[osprey]

Some of you may have been following the story of Marilyn, a very young mother bunny who delivered a litter of 4 tiny babies at a shelter in California, and was then given 24 hours to be rescued or be killed. The shelter advocate contacted The Rabbit Haven of Scotts Valley (a rescue that I am the webmaster for), and my family and I rescued Marilyn and her litter. I will try to keep folks updated on her and the babies on this blog.

For some context, here is the original rescue appeal that I posted in the "Rescue Me" forum: http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=31639&forum_id=7

This is Marilyn at the shelter before anyone knew that she was pregnant:

 

[osprey]

The family was transported to me when the babies were two days old. Four kits in total, 3 white ones with hotot eyes and one small black one with some partial dutch markings. Here is Mom and the babies on the night of their rescue:

 

[osprey]

I am also keeping a posting on The Rabbit Haven website that tracks the rescue and the development of the babies. You can read it here http://therabbithaven.org/MarilynAppeal_010608.html

 

[osprey]

Here are the babies at five days. The shelter inadvertently destroyed the nest as they were cleaning the kennel, so I had to make a new nest for them out of hay:

 

[TinysMom]

I'm going to go ahead and continue a bit of the conversation that was going on in the original thread.

About the black baby - I find myself wondering if it could have a different father (I don't know her history) and therefore look different because of that. (I know does have two uterine horns and they can give birth hours apart and sometimes a day or so apart because of this). I also wonder if it has a dwarfing gene that perhaps the others don't have - but then again - I would think all would have a dwarfing gene thanks to mama's breed and small size.

I would say that if the baby continues to get good feedings from mama and have the ping pong size belly - just in a smaller proportion - then the odds are good it is a runt and will survive. I'm guessing it could always stay smaller than its littermates.

I am so interested in following these rabbits - her story really called out to me and I'm so happy that you rescued her.

Do you find yourself getting attached to her or one of the babies? Will you be able to let them go when they're all weaned?

Just curious......

Peg

 

[Bo B Bunny]

I love her name!!! LOL! Marilyn Bunroe! Perfect!

I cannot wait to see the face of that little black one! They are just as cute as can be! Is Marilyn pretty sweet? she has a look that makes me think she really is but I know those little hotot and hotot crosses can be a bit rotten!

 

[osprey]

We have had a parade of dozens of short term fosters through our home, some for as little as 6 hours between legs of a transport chain, some overnight for early morning drop offs at the vet, some for a few weeks and a couple for several months. We did adopt one of our fosters (the one-eyed polish dwarf in my avatar is our little Deanna, she was a foster who never left), but for the most part we have been able to send them on their way with a kiss on the head and a little sniff of sadness. One little girl we had for a week name Luchi really stole my heart. She was another death row rescue, very maloccluded front teeth, I got her right out of the shelter. We had her for her spay, teeth fixing and post-spay recovery. She was very sweet, and liked to lay on my chest on the sofa while I read a book. It was hard leting her go. When our kids did their Christmas wish lists, my younger daughter put "Luchi" as items 1 2 and 3 on her wish list.

We had a previous litter for a couple of months, as well as 3 6 week old orphans. I think we'll be OK. I worry about the little black one because I would feel like I let him/her down if I somehow screw up and the baby dies. I want to give these guys the best shot at a good life that I can. Of the 4, the black one is the one that calls to me most. Who doesn't root for the underdog, or in this case, the underbun?

 

[TinysMom]

I think if the black one were to pass - it would not be from anything you've done or haven't done. I mean - mama hasn't rejected it - she's giving it extra feedings (yeah mama) and if it passes I would think it would have to be because of internal problems which would cause it a life of pain if it did survive.

That doesn't mean I still don't cry when I lose a baby....I cry when they're stillborn and I cry when I lose them at a day old and two days old and well...whenever I lose them.

But I've watched mamas and learned that they know when there is something wrong with their babies and they will oftentimes push a sick one out so they can take care of the healthy ones and give them all of their attention.

I did have one doe that tried to save a peanut....she practically lived in there with it and she fed it like 8 times a day or something for the first three days of its life. I think it was the fourth day when she started staying away from the nest and giving me pitiful looks. She still fed the others - but she was so sad. It passed away late in the day and I think she knew she couldn't save it and felt bad. I held her in my arms and we grieved together for a bit and then she went on to love on her surviving babies and do great.

I think if Marilyn isn't pushing the baby out of the nest and she's giving it the extra feedings - that baby sure has a lot on its side for survival...

Peg

 

[BCbunnybabes]

Aww. Those buns are so lucky to have found you. They are all adorable. I love mama's name too cool.

 

[osprey]

The babies are a week old today! The little black one is hanging in there, mom takes care of him/her and I give him/her a couple of extra feedings with mom each day. His belly never seems to fill up at night, but it does in the morning. I wonder if mom produces more milk in the morning? I hope he/she pulls through. I spoke to Auntie Heather tonight and she said that there is always a slight chance that this baby is not even from Marilyn's litter, that the shelter just threw this baby in with her's. These kinds of things happen at shelters all the time. We had one group of orphans come in with their "mother", who turned out to be an unaltered male!

 

[Bo B Bunny]

That is just SO much preciousness (hey! it's a word cause I say so! LOL) to even begin to describe! I love all of them!!!

 

[Ringer]

How sweet they are. My Ringer 's litter was a little different too. Three black ones and one tort. Tannish.

The daddy isa tan rex and momma is gray with black face and white necklace. None of them were rexes though. Her second litter was 2 black, one light tan and two gray. No whites! lol my grand daughter wanted a little white baby.

I think the little blackies were the prettiest. One had a white nose. Maybe your little blackie was a toss in. A nice surprise though.

 

[osprey]

On the advice of the more experienced fosters in our rescue, my kids and I have started handling the babies more to get them used to people. They are little pee machines! It is so funny, as soon as you pick one up and put it on your lap in a blanket, it pees on you!. Even the tiny black one peed on my daughter this morning, which made me happy because output means he's getting input.

The babies are getting out of the nest pretty often now. I switched momma from a crock water bowl to a bottle because soon enough the water crock will become a swimming pool for the babies.

Their eyes should open in the next few days. The 3 white ones continue to be fat and happy, and the black one is hanging in there. We have tentatively named the black one "Lucky", because he'she will be a very lucky bun if he/she survives the shelter, then being the runt.

 

[TreasuredFriend]

Loads of support for !Everything! you're doing,

 

[Ringer]

Lucky is so special. It's a great name for him or her. He looks so tiny with those big pinky white babies but he's a real trooper.

I remember the peeing of the babies. Sometimes mama must forget to lick their tummies and they need to go. The minute you touch them, they go like crazy. It only lasts for a couple of days and then ,magically it stops.

When they start running around, you will see many pin dot poos all over. Get the whisk broom and tray ready.

I had allbut one bunny littered trained within a couple of weeks. Little Starry insisted on going anywhere she wanted. One of her favorite places was the nice fluffy bed I bought for them.

I can't tell you how many times that bed was washed. HA she would immediately wet in it as soon as I put it back from the dryer. She had a mind of her won that Starry, but the secret was that she was so my favorite. The runt and also the most affectionate.

 

[osprey]

We lost Lucky last night.

I woke up at 4:40 this morning, and I somehow knew something was wrong. Lucky got little milk at his special feeding yesterday morning, and at his special feeding last night he would not grab onto a nipple at all. He was very weak and kind of twitchy, and he started to look deformed. His neck was too skinny and head too big, and his tiny body way too skinny. I checked on the babies at 10 PM last night, and Marilyn had kicked him out of the nest. He was lying by himself, alone in the middle of the Marchioro. I picked him up and rubbed his tiny cheeks, and put him in a corner over the snuggle safe with his brothers. He died sometime over night.

I keep telling myself he had no chance at survival, he got to live a week with us in a warm house surrounded by his siblings and his mom, at least he did not have to be executed at the shelter, but it still hurts. The other 3 look great, big full bellies, their eyes open now, lots of fur. Poor little Lucky just never had a chance. Maybe he was a double dwarf, and just so genetically messed up that his body could not grow. We'll never know, but he is at peace now, and I can stop worrying about him now.

I buried him in the back yard next to the girls' swing set, symbolic of his short relationship with the girls and our family.

 

[Thumpers_Mom]

:tears2:Oh, I'm sorry about lucky. I was really hoping he/she'd make it.

 

[Bo B Bunny]

:cry2I'm sorry you lost him.

You are so right about his short little life. It was filled with love. His tummy got full while he could eat because of your love and help.

RIP little Lucky. In one week you touched the lives of many!

 

[haxela]

I'm actually crying after having read this. I've been following this story since hearing about it and was just so grateful that you were willing to rescue that sweet mom and her precious babies. And, like so many of us, I was pulling for Lucky to survive and beat the odds...

I'm so sorry for your loss. Just know that you gave little Lucky a loving home where he could live out the last of his life wrapped up in comfort and care. That sweet baby touched my heart in a way not many can and for that I feel that I'm the lucky one. I will continue to keep mom and babies in my thoughts and prayers - and I know Lucky will be looking down on them with protective love as well.

 

[timetowaste]

osprey

you gave that little baby a loving home for as long as you could, and there was more there than you knew could be wrong. you did what you could, and that's all that you needed to do for lucky! i personally say thank you for being there for this little family and their horrific story of imminent death, you know?

:bunnyangel: binky free lucky, you don't need to worry anymore, osprey.

tracy