Urgent Rabbit people please help!

[Triggy&Blue&Daisy Too]

My girl Cairn dug up a rabbit nest with 3 baby rabbits in it. My husband caught her sniffing on them and possbily licking them, Thank goodness she didn't attack them as my boy terrier certainly would have.

Are they doomed? Will their mama come back to tend them now my dog has done this? I don't want to intervene too soon or too late for that matter and I know wild baby buns don't do well in captivity. What a mess I'm so upset I don't know what to do. Please help!!!!

 

[Ashley]

I doubt mom will come back, but at the same time your chances of raiseing succesfully are alot less then there mother comeing back.

 

[TangoMango]

I think there is a good chance the mom will come back. Having personal experience with this. I left the bunnies in the nest and put all the fluff and stuff back on them. I went and checked them later in the day and they were still there. A few hours later, they were gone. I think momma rabbit took them somewhere else to be safe. And these were tiny, eyes werent open yet. But the above poster is right, hand raising wild bunnies isnt usually sucessful.

Good luck.

 

[Bess Kelly]

Well, don't know if mom will "take them back" but, she wuld come to the nest to take care of them and if they were there, she'd probably be ok with them. After all, they will still smell like they did. If they had hair and were hoping around, then they can probably do fine with feeding selves, etc. If hairless and eyes still closed, well different story. They only nurse a short time, then can do well on feed.

While on the subject of baby bunnies.....

: .......tonight, as I was walking past the barn with hay for a group of mares, I see my cat jumping around behind a section of the barn and hear a funny squeal. Saw cat jump again and went to see what was going on. As I turned the corner off she goes with a baby rabbit!

I got it away several feet and 2 drops later

: It is now in a container with grass/hay/water until I can take it to a turnout place tomorrow. Want to be sure it's moving ok as it was a little bit "shook up" when I got it! But, old enough to eat, etc. I'm wondering now -- where'd it come from, are there more, etc.

We have fox around here and I just hate the thought of him having dinner on this baby....so want to be careful where I place it.

I sure hope your 3 are old enough to eat by themselves. It is that time of year when young ones appear.

 

[Jacquee']

I am sorry to say this, TangoMango, but the mother probably ate the babies. Mother rabbits do not have the ability to pick up their babies and move them. If a predator finds the nesting site, the mother will usually eat the babies and change sites. It sounds weird to us, because we have hands and can pick things up, but the mother rabbit really has no choice. Eating the babies gives her strength to have another litter, which she will do in another month.

People who raise domestic rabbits sometimes will have a doe eat her litter. It can be because a dog came by the rabbitry, or a cat has been prowling, or perhaps an owl came by at night. Whatever the predator was, if the doe feels her litter is threatened, she may exhibit this behaviour.

Triggy&Blue&DaisyToo, don't feel bad..... rabbits are on every predator's lunch menu, and they are set up to reproduce very quickly. Young rabbits become sexually mature at 4 to 6 months, and the gestation period is only one month! The doe will simply have another litter. And you did right not trying to hand raise them..... it is really frustrating because they seem to die for no reason at all.

 

[TangoMango]

Jacquee , that could very well be. I know even tame rabbits will eat their young. :no:

I still hold out hope that something else happened!LOL... I ran this nest over with my tractor when I was out bush hogging and luckily managed to not kill any of them...

 

[KanoasDestiny]

The babies are NOT doomed. There is hope, but I agree that the mother will probably not take care of the babies if you put them back. If you decide to care for the babies yourself, then please read the following articles as I think they will be a lot of help.

http://www.2ndchance.info/bunnies.htm

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/orphan.html (bottom of page has what-to-do information)

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=495

Hope this helps.

 

[Triggy&Blue&Daisy Too]

Thank you all for the quick replies! Especially KanoasDestiny for the links, they made me feel a lot better. I checked on them this morning and there are signs that mom has been back. It looks like she's done some repair to the nest and it's almost completely recovered again but I can still see some tiny ears moving around. I think they will be ok as long as something else doesn't get at them.

 

[Colagirl]

Where were the rabbit babies?? Usually they have them underground where they cant be seen?? Hares have their babies above ground. I am glad they seem to be ok I have successfully raised rabbit babies from very young. They only feed twice daily and on their backs so that is important to remember too.

Bess Kelly, dont worry, it is actually very hard for a fox to catch a rabbit as they watch out for each other and are very fast, usually only sick or old or very young ones get caught.

 

[Triggy&Blue&Daisy Too]

This is an above ground nest so they must be hares? I'm no bunny expert but they have cute little ears so the only thing I can tell is that they are rabbit-like. They are still OK so I guess no harm was done by my dog. I think the mother bunny is the same one that has been hanging around for a long time so she must think our yard is safer than others. Just glad hubby noticed before any more damage was done. Cairns are very good hunters, my boy Cairn bagged a mole and a raven before he was a year old!