Orphaned wild bunny

[Martin Rooyakkers]

Our cat cornered a wild bunny no bigger than the palm of my hand. We
tried to find the nest but no luck. He's been inside here for two days
and we've been feeding him mostly milk from an eyedropper althogh he
is also nibbling on veggies. He seems to be doing great. Can anyone
tell me if he will thrive or suddenly just stop eating? Does anyone
know if the mother would take him back if we did find the nest?
Whoever has an answer, please let me know asap. Thanks

[brad thornburg]

Our cat had a baby cottontail in its mouth the other evening. We rescued
the bunny and have been trying to keep it alive. We've been feeding it
human baby formula with a syringe, but it is so young and looks like it
was just born. It seem to be doing fairly well, but was wondering if
there are other foods I should be trying to give it. Will it chew on
any vegetables or fruit yet? What other things should be done to try
and keep it alive?

Opinions expressed herein are my own and may not represent those of my employer.

[gi...@u.washington.edu]

Yes, if you find the nest the mother will most likely take him back.
Mother bunnies do not sit on the nest and only return once/day to nurse.
They don't care if your smell is on him. If you can't find the nest,
people here will know more about feeding him. It sounds like you are
doing well so far...eureka@u.washington.edu

[Dawn Dombrow]

Last year our bunny gave birth to 11 babies, and then refused to care for
them. We lost two within the first three days, and all the others were
looking very dehydrated. We couldn't let the others die, so we started
feeding them kitten replacement milk with a syringe every 2-3 hours. With
9 bunnies, that meant feedings around the clock, but they all survived and
grew up healthy. We tried several times to reintroduce them to their
mommy, but she would just hide in the corner and cry, and in one case
tried to get violent. So we raised them in a shoe box with towels and her
fur from the nest, then a larger box as they grew.

Our vet recommended the powdered kitten replacement milk, but I later
heard that puppy milk might be better for them. We continued feeding milk
until about 3-4 weeks, then slowly introduced pellets, lettuce and a few
soft veggies.

Good luck.