Wild bunny found, dropped, has no balance

[Ririki]

Hi all today my brother came across a very small baby bunny. One of his co-workers had found it in their field and took it inside. She dropped it twice before bringing it to my brothers work.
The only rehabber near us he could find said that since the bunbun keeps falling to his right side and getting stuck on his back that he is doomed to die.

We've got some kitten formula and have been able to get him to take about 1 cc of it so far, besides some drops of water earlier in the day while in my brother's care at his work. The rough estimated weight we got was 98 grams although to me he looks very small, about the size of a tennis ball when curled up, maybe a bit smaller. His eyes are open and ears are upright.
I was wondering if there's any hope for him if we can get him to eat more. He hasn't used the bathroom today so that seems like a bad sign. If we make our arms like a tunnel on the ground and he's stabilized by them, he can move around normal.
Any advice is appreciated!

 

[dogwoodblossoms]

Holy moly what a day this bunny has had.
Goats milk works best to fatten up a baby, you may be able to find some at your local grocery store or farmer. Giving him infant gas drops may help if his stomach is bloated with gas, which may be why he's not going to the bathroom.
It sounds like something might be broken, leg, spine, rib, who knows. Feel lightly along his body for anything abnormal.
From the size, you're describing him as I would say he's around 2 or 3 weeks old. Which is pretty young for a wild rabbit to be on his own (they leave mom at 4 weeks in the wild). Are his eyes open?
I'd love to see a picture of this trooper!

 

[Ririki]

Thank you for the info! I'm going to check our farm supply store tomorrow for some milk and will pick up some gas drops. Do you know about how much is safe? From what I can see and feel, nothing appears to be broken but as soon as he tries to move forward he falls to his side and looks so pitiful, flailing like a turtle on its back. He's definitely strong though! This is the only photo I've got of him at the moment. The lady who found him said she was saving him from a hawk but I don't know much more than that

 

[dogwoodblossoms]

Poor dude, it's so strange that he can't stand without falling, I wonder if he got dropped on his head? Or he could just be still learning how to walk lol.
I give my adult rabbits 1ml, I'd say give him half of that. They usually like it because it tastes good.
He does look stronger than I thought he would! Going off the size he probably is about 3 weeks old, poor guy probably got separated from mom.

 

[Ririki]

I was wondering if he hit his head too,maybe a bunny concussion? He is sooo strong. One of us had to hold him and the other feed because he squirmed out like a little Houdini!

 

[JBun]

And the rehabber wouldn't take him? He really needs to be evaluated by a rabbit vet, but since he's wildlife I'm not sure what vets will do that. That's what I would suggest, trying to find a rabbit vet that can take wildlife for rehabbing, if at all possible. Just be aware that it isn't legal to care for wildlife in your state, without the proper license. So I would suggest trying your best to find a rehabber or rabbit vet that will take the bunny, and one that's not a raptor rehabber, for the obvious reason of where the bunny could end up.

https://www.in.gov/dnr/fish-and-wildlife/wildlife-resources/orphaned-and-injured-animals/
A wild bunny that age will already likely be nibbling on plants, so that may be why he's not taking much of the milk(though it could also be due to the balance issues). So I would suggest offering long grasses(not regular lawn grass), dandelions, and other local rabbit safe plants. Also, here's some info on caring for orphaned cottontails. (eta: make sure all plants come from sources not sprayed or contaminated with chemicals, away from a roadway, and not contaminated by other animals)

https://vetspace.2ndchance.info/how-to-care-for-orphaned-wild-cottontail-bunnies/
With the balance issues, it could be due to a head injury, which may be affecting bladder control and which may mean he will need to be stimulated to help pee and deficate. Or he could have something like e. cuniculi or an inner ear infection(most common causes of vestibular disease/ataxia in rabbits) and that's why he became orphaned. But for these you would need a rabbit vet to properly evaluate and treat. Which qualified vet if you can find, would need to also take custody of the bunny due to your state laws.

Ataxia in rabbits

https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[Ririki]

Oh wow I didn't even know that thank you! We will have to try find someone. The rehabber said that since he can't keep his balance that he would die, but really gave no more info or course of action to take. We love close to a decent size city and I know of a few people with pet rabbits so hopefully there's a vet willing to help

 

[dogwoodblossoms]

Some good plants to try are clover, plantain, or dandelion (root, flower, and stem). He would be eating these in the wild.
As for grasses, try small amounts of something like timothy or orchard grass.
He's probably somewhat constipated from stress. Besides taking him to the vet you can give him a few drops of olive oil in his food or orally, but not so much that will give him diarrhea. Lightly massage his stomach. This lubricates the intestines and can help pass the stool.

 

[Ririki]

Thank you so much for those tips! He's been digging the clover, we will try to add in some of the others!