help meh!!!! XD

Question
okay, i was outside and i seen this wild cat was eating this poor little baby rabbit, and the rabbit was still alive, so i ran over and faught the cat for it...it was fun=/ i got cratched, anyways!!! it about 5 or 6 in long, i have never had a rabbit....so i dnt no wht to do, i have no idea where the nest is to put it back, and i tlked to my neighbor cuz she watched me and she said she found it too, and put it in a grassy spot, so tht wnt work... wht do they eat? can i treat it lik a hamster? lik in a cage? HELP! im 15 and i no nothing bout this, and nor do parents.
--thankyou, Jessica ann

Answer
Alright Jessica,

I'm 15 too, :), I just know a lot about rabbits. So first of all, a rabbit is not like a hamster, but even hamsters shouldn't be locked in a cage all day. They can live in a cage, at least 2' x 2', but need like 3 hours of exercise at least outside the cage in a rabbit proof area. If it is a wild rabbit though, it is best to let it stay in the wild. I would research the type of rabbit and its features, to see if it is a wild or domesticated rabbit. Some neighbor could have let their rabbits free and it escaped or something.

It does sound like a baby rabbit, but maybe old enough to leave the nest for good. If you think it is really young, you can keep it for a few weeks feeding it kitten's milk (found at pet stores!) with a syringe but not for too long because in the wild they are weaned at 6 weeks. You should also offer it hay, alfalfa, timothy or both, and pellets, alfalfa or timothy pellets, depends on the hay, it would be good to choose one in one type and one in the other so it is easier to switch them to just timothy when they are older, but alfalfa is needed as a baby! because it is probably old enough for solid food. Avoid iceberg lettuce.

Wild rabbits can live alone in the wild just fine once they are 2 months old, and don't do well without a lot of space to roam and run, so you need to understand it will be much happier set free than kept for too long! If it is hurt, you can take it to a rabbit savvy vet and take care of it until it is better though.

Hope I helped a bit, and if you find out it is a domestic rabbit and want to keep it as a pet, feel free to follow-up on this and ask about care of rabbits.

Also check out rabbit.org!

Krystal