What is wrong with our bunny?

Question
We have acquired a baby wild rabbit and yes I have been told it's probably not a good idea to have, but we have kept her and so far she has been doing well. Shes isn't very big, she fits in the palm of my hand, just an idea of her size since I don't know exactly how old she is. We have her living in an aquarium, with wood chips in the bottom. When we got her about a week and a half ago I tried the animal formula with her, she wanted nothing to do with that, so I've been giving her grass and water, which she seems to really like. Now that you have some history on her.. when I took her out last night I noticed one eye has turned clear.. like the pupil part the outside around that is still black, so I just assumed she has become blind in the one eye. But wanted to check and make sure it isn't some sort of parasite, or disease that I need to have her treated for. There doesn't appear to have been any trauma to the eye, and there isn't any blood or discharge from it. Is there anything I should be doing differently as far as feeding, or drops or something? Any help would be appreciated I am a single mother and my 3 yr old has become quite fond of the baby bunny. I just want to take the best care of her that we can. Any advice is welcome. Thank you for your help.  

Answer
Dear Ciminie,

I have to chime in with the rest and remind you that it is not only illegal to keep wildlife without a proper permit, but that it is not in the baby's best interest to be kept captive.  Wild rabbits are easily stressed, and many die unexpectedly from "captive stress".  I hope you will use the instructions here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/wildbabies.pdf

to properly care for and release the baby when he's big enough.  The best lesson your child can learn is that a wild rabbit needs to be free.

In the meantime, you need to provide him with proper housing.  An aquarium filled with wood shavings is just about the most dangerous type of housing, since there is insufficient air circulation, and the wood shavings/chips can emit harmful aromatic compounds that can damage both the respiratory tract and the liver.

For information on proper housing while the baby is growing, please read:

http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/housing.html

Without seeing the eye, I cannot tell what could be wrong.  It could be an intraocular abscess, a corneal lesion, or some other type of injury that should be seen and treated--if not by a veterinary ophthalmologist--then by a qualified veterinarian who is familiar with rabbit's special medical needs.  You can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Note also that even domestic rabbits do not like to be handled and carried around.  A wild rabbit is even more at risk from handling, and a three year old child, however gentle, cannot be trusted to safely handle an animal as delicate as a rabbit.

I hope you will do the right thing, and release this little wildling.  It is so easy to adopt a loving, needy domestic bunny who has been abandoned and needs a home.  You can find your local rabbit rescuer here:

www.rabbit.org/chapters

and set up an appointment to meet their eligible fosters.  You will be so glad you did.  And the little one can be free and wild, as he should be.  

I hope you will do the right thing.

Take care,
Dana