rescuing baby wild rabbits

Question
Last week we found a baby brown bunny in our garage no bigger than my fist. We put him in a cage with a heating pad on low and a bunched up towel and a bowl with some cat's milk and a small amount of Karo syrup. He seemed to be perky, happy and started eating canned carrots, potatoes and even a couple spinach leaves. This morning he was dead suddenly. This happened to me about 20 years ago. I had 2, one died suddenly but the other made it and I was able to release him in the woods by my house. Are they just fragile like this or am I doing something wrong?

Answer
Dear JP,

When you find a cottontail who is big enough to be out of the nest, it's best not to take him inside.  The mama is no doubt around, though she will not hover over her babies (many reasons, including not attracting predators).  The intestinal system of rabbits and cottontails is extremely complex, and it is very easy to kill a baby rabbit with the wrong food, such as kitten milk and corn syrup.  :(  Canned carrots and potatoes are also not healthy food for a baby rabbit, and may have contributed to his demise.

For complete information on wild baby cottontails, please read:

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

I am sorry about the lost baby, but hope that the information here will help in the future.

Dana