Wild Baby Bunny Found!!!

Question
QUESTION: Today I found a baby bunny laying in the grass, in a heavily crowded area. He has to be less than 10 days old, because his eyes are still completely closed. The mother didn't seem to be around anywhere, and the baby wasn't lying in a nest or anything; it was out in the open. I was afraid he would get stepped on by somebody, so I took the bunny, put him in a container with a heating pad, and lots of towels, and I was going to take him to Mobile Vet the first chance I got. We tried feeding him some warm milk with a syringe, and he seemed to have liked it. Now, about 3 hours later, he is in the container, and about every 10-15 minutes he will turn on his side, hop in circles, as if attempting to escape, and he seems to be grinding his teeth. After he does this, he will breathe extremely hard, lay on his side, and kick his feet. Then he will recover, and it all starts again. Is this a seizure???? What should I do with him?

ANSWER: Hi Casey,

From what you have described it sounds like the bunny may have some head/internal injuries. Grinding teeth are a good indicator of pain.   It would be best if you could take it to the vet to be put to sleep.  It's cruel to keep him/her alive in this condition.

As there was no nest near where the kit was found, I think that perhaps a predator has pulled it out of the nest and then been startled and dropped it.  This could explain the internal injuries.

Just a bit of info.  If you should ever find yourself attempting to raise another kit, do not use cow's milk.  It has a high level of caesine that will make it become very sick.  Goats milk is the best substitute or kitten/puppy milk.

I know it's hard to take them to a vet to be euthanaised, but it's really a kindness in the end.

Thanks for taking the time to care for the kit.  There's a lot of people who wouldn't bother.

Cheers!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well, we didn't give up on the bunny. We took him off the cow's milk, and have been feeding him a kitten formula. Just today, he has really perked up. His ears are now up, and he is sitting, and bathing himself like a normal bunny. Since we have taken him off of the cow's milk, he has not been showing any signs of pain or discomfort like he was. My question is, when do we start feeding him timothy//grass (Or, what is your suggestion to feed him)? And once he starts eating on his own, are we then able to set him free? Or is it dangerous to let him go this late? Will he survive through the winter? Or will we have to keep him until Spring? If we keep him that long, then he won't have a chance in the wild, since he will be so attached to humans. So, to recap, when do we feed him regular food, and what do you suggest we feed him, and when can we let him go?

Answer
Hi again,

A rabbit usually starts eating solid foods around the 3 week mark.  He will not eat a lot really just nibble.  I would leave a bit of timothy hay for him to experiment with.  Once he is eating properly you should feed him as much hay as he will eat and fruits and vegetables.  A list of fruit and veg that is good for rabbits is listed here:
http://www.rabbit.org/care/veggies.html    &
http://www.rabbit.org/care/fruits.html

I would not release him till the spring to give hime the best chance of survival.

Cheers