wild baby bunnies in Africa

Question
Hi, I live in Burkina Faso, West Africa where we were recently given 3 baby bunnies that someone found.  I don't know the breed, although they look like cottontails with cute little white tails.  I don't know the sex or ages of them either.  We are keeping them in a borrowed pet carrier until we can build a hutch (next week).  (The smallest one has now died.)  We do try to let them out a little bit while we clean their home.  We are feeding them light cream (half and half) and their poo is the same color almost.  They have grown and are about six inches long.  I tried to find info on line and found some good things, but feel woefully uneducated.  
My question is about what to feed them and when.  I read they should not have solid foods until they have enough bacteria in their gut to handle it.  When is that?  Also, this is a French-speaking area, so what would Timothy hay be called or what is an equivalent?  What is the best food to start them on?  We are feeding them with a dropper now once at night when they are more active (since I read that the mother would have tended to them at night also), and then we use a cotton ball to wipe their torso with warm water so they will poo later.  (Read that too.)  Our kids are attached and have already been sad once, so any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Thank you.

Answer
Hi There

I am sorry for the delay in my response time. I have been dealing with a family emergency.

Feed the bunnies either carnation milk or kitten milk that you can usually buy at pet stores. If their poop is the same color as the cream then this isn't usually good. Is it runny as well? If so, I would give them a little bit of time to see if the problem resolves itself. If it doesn't, then you can give them a small drop of pepto bismol to help with runny stool. You don't want the babies to become dehydrated. Once a night is not usually enough for the growing babies. You need to feed them at the very least twice a day. Their blood sugar will drop too much in 24hrs causing more gas and intestinal problems which can lead to GI stasis or bloat, both of which can kill rabbits.

If they are about six inches long I would guess them to be about 3 weeks. That's about equivalent in size to my baby rabbits now. If you have any photos that would be helpful in determining age.
Are their eyes all open? Do they have fur? If so then they are at least over 10 days old which is helpful to you because it will drastically increase their odds of survival.

You can put normal rabbit pellets in the cage with them. When they are ready they will begin sampling on their own and that will help them put on weight too. Oxford rabbit pellets are a good choice, but any pellets specified for rabbits will work. Don't give them any lettuce, carrots or anything else other than the pellets. They will get diarrhea for sure which is bad in small animals.

If they are about 2-3 weeks then they are old enough to start nibbling on pellets. Mine are 3 weeks of age and just started sampling food. They will do it when they are ready.

You sound like you are doing everything right otherwise. They should be pooping and peeing on their own almost... are they successfully going to the bathroom when you use the cotton ball? Or do they already have droppings in the cage and / or stuck to their fur? This will give another indication of age. If they are going on their own then they are likely about 3 weeks.

I hope this helps. You sound like you are doing a good job and the babies have a much better chance of survival with being the age that they are at...

I am not positive what timothy hay would be called in french, but would it also be listed in English? I will look at my bag of hay and get back to you on this. I wouldn't worry about they hay right now though because if they are having loose stool then it may give them diarrhea as well. Once their stool looks like round hard little balls for a good few days you can introduce a tiny bit of the hay.

Good luck!

Alice