what should i do pleses answer with in 6 days date posted june 12 at 7:07 in USA

Question
well me and my friend and my bro were skate borading and my brother pointed out 3 dead rabits no fur eyes closed ears back and skin seen no fur and he found 3 all dead no sighns or bites or injeries and 1 hr later we found 2 more on the grass the orthers were on the road there was a flood the day before and we thaught they might or drowned or somthing and 30 min later there were now 3 in the grass and i touched it and it squeeked so i piked it up it was alive healthy but weak we took home and we gave it some milk it was now piking up its head and looked better i found it yester day its still alive but the 2 dead in the grass 1 had a light red ring round its mouth and the other had red spots on it stomach and up and no signs of bites and i was told it was the best thing to put it back but im affraid that if i do the same thing will happen to it but i herd only 10% will live even in the best of human care what should i do? i have had the rabbit for 1 day its about the size of my pinky and again please answer fast!!!! or the bunny might die! thank you!

Answer
Hi,

you can call around to see if any wildlife rehab groups are in your area and can take a baby cottontail.  If you are going to do this, take the baby inside, get a shoebox, fill it with pieces of an old soft cotton towel, and make a little nest for the bunny.  You will need to put a 60 watt bulb about 1 foot above him to give him some indirect warmth, and you can also partially cover him.  

You will need to feed him the heaviest milk or cream you have in the house through a plastic dropper, extremely slowly.  You want to squeeze out only a drop or two at a time (it's a big swallow for him) very slowly, and watch him swalllow before even thinking about giving him more.  You don't want him getting any in the lungs as this can kill him.

You will need to get Kitten Milk Replacement (KMR) tomorrow from a pet supply store, as well as Bene-Bac.  You will want to mix the KMR with cream instead of water - rabbit milk is much richer than dog or cat milk.  You'll need to feed him twice a day.

You can continue to raise them on their own for about a month or so and release them in a (relatively) safe place.  If you do this you'll need to raise them indoors in a cage safe away from anything that could hurt them.

You'll need to get couple things from a pet supply store.  Get a bigger cage, one that is easy for you to get them safely.  Get KMR (kitten milk replacement).  Instead of mixing with water, mix with whole milk or cream.  Feed them using the bottle that comes with it, but you may need to make the hole a little bigger.  Feed them this very slowly, you do not want to get any into their lungs, that can kill them.  Feed twice a day.  

Also pick up Bene-bac from the pet supply store and give them some of this every day with one of the feedings.  This gives them beneficial bacteria into their gi tract.  They really need this.

At about a month old, they would be weaned, but you can go another week or two as they missed some time with mom.

In the cage, give a heavy large crock of water for them to drink from (natural way to drink) - not a bottle.  Refill with fresh water a couple times a day.  give them a hidey box to play and/or hide in to mimic a warren they'd be living in.  Also give them a nest pile of cut up clean soft cotton towels/tshirts so they can rest in, and have a soft surface to rest on.

Place a pile of grass clippings in with them every day (twice if they eat a lot) to nibble on.  Dandelion leaves are okay.  Just try to make sure it doesn't come from a lawn covered with pesticides.

Eyes open around 10-14 days.  So that would mean raising them for about a month.  You'll need to kind of limit contact with them because you don't want them not to fear people.  That is an instinct they need to have.  You'll need to find a place around you that is relatively safe place to let them go.  I say you should do this because in most places it's against the law to keep wildlife as pets.  If you continue to raise them, you'll have to separate them at 10 weeks and get them spayed and neutered when they hit sexual maturity.

For more reading info on taking care of infant rabbits check the House Rabbit Society web site (www.rabbit.org).  You can also call them and talk to someone about this.  There are a lot of people there that will give you guidance too.  I would also get the House Rabbit Handbook.

Thanks for caring about these little guys.  Lee