Baby bunny saddness

[ottawagardener]

So there was a nest of baby bunnies in my yard that the ants were mercilessly attacking (black ants). The day before yesterday I brushed off the ants but put the babies back because they looked good so I figured mommy must be caring for them. (P.S. Yes, you can briefly handle rabbits without the mother rejecting them).

Next day, one of them looks very bad and is covered with maggot eggs but alive. The other looks plump and lively. I call the wildlife people and they say to move the nest. As I fight the ants and flies to do so I encounter a couple very old dead rabbits stinking up the place. The sick bunny goes into agonal breathing (close to death) and dies. The other one I handed over to a rehabilitator though reluctantly.

I'm not sure I should have left it in the nest but it also had maggot eggs laid on it and was being bitten by the ants on its sensitive bits.

Poor thing.

[flowerpower]

Baby bunnies are one of the hardest to take care of. The feeding schedule alone is insane. I would have tried to save them too. It wouldn't be the first time. Maggots are pretty serious for an animal that tiny. But next time, please use gloves to handle any wild animal. You have no idea what it might have.

[Penny]

Awww, poor wee things, its sad to hear things like this.

[kimikat]

When I was a kid my Mom used to feed abandoned baby bunny (barely had their eyes open) milk replacer through a coffee stirrer (swizzle stick)...we saved a few that way...

[flowerpower]

Swizzle sticks are a good idea to use as a "bottle". I have eyedroppers, kitten bottles and real baby bottles. It depends on the size of the animal. You just have to remember to burp them after every meal.

The crows have 2 babies they are feeding. Even though they are almost the same size as the parents. They scream all the time for food. I have no problem putting out food for them. They have been keeping the Red Tail Hawk away.

[ottawagardener]

My understanding is that you have to assist a baby bunny in going to the bathroom after feeding if their eyes are still closed. Poor things.

[flowerpower]

Yes, that goes for any animal taking the bottle. After feeding, the mother would clean and groom the babies. You want to simulate this. You lightly rub their belly in a clockwise direction to help them have a bowel movement. And if you ever have to use human baby formula, it must be low-iron.