Orphaned Wild Baby Questions (Randy?)

Pipp · Jul 22, 2008

I've been asked these questions I don't have answers to.

- in the case of wild baby bunnies, is feeding them cecotropes from a domestic rabbit an option?

- can humans pass on illness to babies via handling? (I know vice-versa is true).

-EDITED TOADD: Dana Krempels hasrecommended a five to seven day course of ciprofloxacin if the baby is gassy or has diarrhea, any experience with this?

- are probiotics not at all recommended? are they not included in rehab milk replacement formulas?ETA: Would they be needed if the above antibiotics are used?

- ETA: any opinion re: adding a bit of colostrum to a baby formula? (more advice from DK)

- in the case of injuredbaby cottontails whose eyes are open and there is norehab center or worker is in the area, is it best not to feed them any milk at all? Just grass and foilage from the area they were found in?

-should a non-injured cottontail whoseeyes are open be returned to the wild even ifaccess to the nesting areais no longer an option?

Thanks.

sas :bunnydance:

Maureen Las · Jul 23, 2008

I hope that you got some private respones to this Pipp

If not this is too long with no advice for you

ra7751 · Jul 23, 2008

Hi Pipp,

Been a bit busy around here. But here are my responses to your questions.

>I do not endorse force feeding of cecals from a domestic rabbit. First, the "donating" domestic should be eating them. If not, I am looking for a problem. Many people freeze them. No evidence that the bacteria can survive freezing. And mostly, cottontails are sterile. Domestics already carry parasites such as worms, coccidia and EC. The cottontails will get the worms and coccidia soon enough out in the wild...they don't need another issue to deal with when weaning.

>Whle it is unlikely, it is technically possible for a human to pass an infection to a baby cottontail...and vice versa.

>I have found Cipro to be pretty much ineffective in dealing with gas/diarrhea issues. When I deal with this type of thing, I am going after Clostridium and about the best drug for that is Metronidazole (Flagyl).

>I have never used colostrum with rabbits. I do use probiotics with all mammals. The thing with using probiotics is the acidification of the gut. As the baby starts to wean off mom's milk, the pH of the milk changes along with the pH in the baby's gut. The probiotics seem to help with this conversion in order to protect the bacteria. I tend to use Bene-Bac as it contains L Casei and Enterococcus strains.

>I have found cottontails to be creatures of habit just like our domestics. If they come in with their eyes open and have been eating on their own, I offer them grass, clover and dandelion greens from my yard (all natural...truly organic). If their eyes are closed when they come in, I bed them in the crushed parts of alfalfa hay so they will get the idea of food. Once they start eating, I use commercially available Spring Mix and then convert them to whatever is available at the release site. There are really no formulas that match mom's milk. I start some of the smaller eyes open on diluted formula....and if they are eating some on their own, I would not have a problem with Goat's Milk...mostly for hydration. Goat's Milk is not appropriate for long term nutritional needs. Most cottontails that come in just after their eyes open are dehydrated...hydration before nutrition. Just a note about injured cottontails....most of the injured cottontails we have come in are usually due to cat encounters. If a cat is even suspected to be around the baby, we start antibiotics. It is not always possible to see the punctures of a cat's tooth.

>A healthy eyes open cottontail that is at least 100g should be released. If their original nesting area is not available, and that happens, I find a suitable release point out in the woods. I look for open fields of grass surrounded by dense woods for cover. I release cottontails early in the morning or early in the evening in order to get their biological clock set. I try to mix groups so as to avoid inbreeding as much as possible.

Hope this answers your questions. Gotta run....I have an injured baby Kestrel that just came in.

Randy

EileenH · Jul 23, 2008

Here is my 2 cents to add to Randy's, whose advice was already great:

- in the case of wild baby bunnies, is feeding them cecotropes from a domestic rabbit an option? No. It is not necessary, and as Randy said, the domestic rabbit should be eating them.

- can humans pass on illness to babies via handling? (I know vice-versa is true).
In all the times we're raised baby cottontails, I don't know of anyone that has either given or contracted anything from the animals. Of course, basic good hygiene should be followed, which should take care of zoonotic potential.
-EDITED TOADD: Dana Krempels hasrecommended a five to seven day course of ciprofloxacin if the baby is gassy or has diarrhea, any experience with this?
We don't use cipro. If the baby has diarrhea, we go back to 24 hour fluids (LRS or Pedialyte). For gas, we use simethocone.

- are probiotics not at all recommended? are they not included in rehab milk replacement formulas?ETA: Would they be needed if the above antibiotics are used?
No they are not included in formula. We use Benebac for baby cottontails.

- ETA: any opinion re: adding a bit of colostrum to a baby formula? (more advice from DK) We don't do this at our hospital, so I don't have an opinion on it.

- in the case of injuredbaby cottontails whose eyes are open and there is norehab center or worker is in the area, is it best not to feed them any milk at all? Just grass and foilage from the area they were found in?
It depends; if they are ok with being handfed I would. But if they are wild enough that hand feeding is too stressful, we let them be with grass, oats and apple pieces.

-should a non-injured cottontail whoseeyes are open be returned to the wild even ifaccess to the nesting areais no longer an option?
If the baby is over 100 grams, and there is noclearinjury, we would release (they are out of the nest by then). However,as Randy said, even if there is the HINT of a cat attack, they need to be on antibiotics. Cats have very sharp teeth, and you could easilymiss atiny puncture. Betterto be safe than sorry.

Hope this helps.

Maureen Las · Jul 23, 2008

sas

What a flood of wonderful advice..............

ra7751 · Jul 23, 2008

Eileen....What would it take to get you to move a few hundred miles south? I have no problem with bribery if that is what it would take to get you to relocate. I would love to work with you.

And bad news on my little Kestrel. I think it's a girl....just started flying and got herself in all sorts of trouble. I don't think this injury she has suffered is a treatable event. She got caught in some netting and it nearly severed her tibia. The soft tissue below the cut has no circulation and is cold and non-responsive to stimuli. This is not good. Got calls in to a couple of raptor centers seeking help.

Randy