# HELP!! Baby Rabbit Emergency!



## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

This morning my Siberian Husky found a nest of wild rabbits. Before I knew it, she had eaten at least four. I was able to save two that had scampered away from the nest. I gathered the nesting material and have them in a small bird cage at the moment. I have no way to post a picture so I will try to describe their size. I need to know if they can survive on their own or do I need to feed them, and if so, with what? They have a white spot on their heads which I know adult rabbits don't have. They are bigger than a mouse, maybe the size of a hamster. They can fit in my hand.

If you don't have useful information, please don't post. I know I can let them go and they'll probably die, but if I can help them, please help me.


----------



## Bamboorabbit (Jan 22, 2009)

suitcase_sally said:


> This morning my Siberian Husky found a nest of wild rabbits. Before I knew it, she had eaten at least four. I was able to save two that had scampered away from the nest. I gathered the nesting material and have them in a small bird cage at the moment. I have no way to post a picture so I will try to describe their size. I need to know if they can survive on their own or do I need to feed them, and if so, with what? They have a white spot on their heads which I know adult rabbits don't have. They are bigger than a mouse, maybe the size of a hamster. They can fit in my hand.
> 
> If you don't have useful information, please don't post. I know I can let them go and they'll probably die, but if I can help them, please help me.



Best bet is to put them back where you found them.....bottle raising young rabbits tame or wild is very difficult and the odds of survival very low.


----------



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Put them back. Mama will come care for them. They start eating grass when their eyes open. They will be fine and before long they will be eating all the beans in your garden.


----------



## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

I too say put them back.
Mom rabbit will come and care for them. Just reconstruct the nest as best as possible cover the kits with some leaf/grass litter and leave them alone.
Hand rearing wilds ends up in 99% failure either during hand rearing or shortly after.

Many baby wild rabbits have that white stripe on the heads. Nothing special about it.


----------



## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

There best chance at survival is definitely to put them back. And keep your dog away from the area for a week or two.


----------



## jhuebner (Mar 29, 2009)

leave them alone, keep the dog away... best thing you can do, they are WILD ... 

JLH


----------



## SusyTX (Sep 9, 2008)

I agree with everyone else that said to put them back, but with one caveat - maybe check on them (as non-intrusively as possible), to see if the Mom is coming back. It's possible your dog frightened off the Mom and she won't come back. 

Do you have any wildlife rehabilitators in your area? Any local vet could tell you. I'd contact a licensed rehabber for some advice, if possible, it sure couldn't hurt. We've had really good luck finding rehabbers in our area in the past in VA. They do wonderful work and are a great source of advice on how to handle wildlife situations. If the rehabber feels the Mom isn't coming back, the rehabber will generally take them in and care for them until they are old enough to be released. I know wild rabbits are very difficult to work with, they often die from shock alone and don't do well with humans. The wildlife rehabbers are trained to care for them, though, and are definitely worth contacting.


----------

