orphaned baby bunny

Hayley411 · Jun 13, 2008

My best friends rabbit had a litter of four and her dogs broke into the cage and killed two of them now the doe will only feed one of the remaining babies. The one she is feeding is twice the size of the other one and she keeps pushing the little one into a corner of the nestbox awy from the other one.What do we do? Should we nurse it?

~Hayley

BlueGiants · Jun 13, 2008

Can you put the mom on your lap and the smaller baby under the mom and just hold the mom still for 5 minutes to give the little one a chance to nurse? I use a bath towel on my lap, put hte mom on top of the towel (with her head towards me) and slip the baby underneath. Distract mom with petting and soothing sounds, but hold her snuggly so she can't jump away.

Hayley411 · Jun 13, 2008

We tried that but it was like the baby couldnt or wouldnt suckle no matter what we did.

I told Kat that I think something maybe wrong with the baby as it was brought to her by her dog (in his mouth) and eversince the doe wants nothing to do with it.

BSAR · Jun 13, 2008

The baby is probably hurt then and that is why the mom is pushing it away. She knows it is hurt so she doesn't want anything to do with it. Good luck with the babies!

BlueGiants · Jun 13, 2008

You mentioned that the baby is half the size of the other sibling. The baby could be a "Peanut". They carry a double dwarfing gene and it is always fatal. They do not have a fully developed digestive system that allows them to suckle and get nutrition. A lot of mothers know something is wrong and will push that baby away. (I'm sorry, if it is a "peanut", there is usally nothing you can do for them.)

Can you take a photo of the two babies?