One Week After Easter - Look What the Easter Bunny Left Us!!!

[Tink's Pixieduster]

I was outside cleaning out the front flower bed this afternoon with a small rake. As I raked around one of the shrubs I pulled up a big clump of what looked like leaves and dirt. A few seconds later I noticed movement and my thoughts quickly went from worms - no, mice - no, rats? What on earth. On closer inspection at the ears and back legs I realized I had raked up a rabbit's nest. There were about 5 tiny bunnies, probably only days old. I called Animal Control, but this isn't something they cover, so I tried calling a wildlife rescue, but couldn't get anyone on the phone. I decided the only thing I can do is cover them with as much of their mama's fur and some leaves as I could rake up and hope for the best. In this case, best would be mama comes and gets them and moves them. I never touched them so I hope mama comes back.

Here's a couple of photos of one of the babies.

 

[lillygator]

oh leave them alone they will be fine! We have tons of bunnies in our yard and neighborhood!

 

[Aimeedyan]

So sweet!

 

[Tink's Pixieduster]

oh leave them alone they will be fine! We have tons of bunnies in our yard and neighborhood!

That's what I'm going to do - nothing. But it was still such a shock to see something moving and then figure out what it was. One was quite an adventurer and scooted his little self all around that part of the flower bed. I tried to make sure all were rounded up and together when I left them.

 

[N.Bailey]

I would keep a close eye on them and make sure mamma comes back. If she doesn't, you could take them inside and feed them with an eye dropper.

We once did this with a squirrel and we bought a powder mix from Pet Smart and mixed it with water I believe. It had everything in it that the squirrel needed. One thing though, we had to stimulate the nether region to get a baby squirrel to have a bowel movement. I had a tough time dealing with that, but I did manage to do it right after feeding. I don't know if a bunny would require the same thing or not.

If the mother doesn't come back, they don't stand a chance.

 

[Metro West]

So sweet!

 

[java]

One thing though, we had to stimulate the nether region to get a baby squirrel to have a bowel movement. I had a tough time dealing with that, but I did manage to do it right after feeding. I don't know if a bunny would require the same thing or not.

If the mother doesn't come back, they don't stand a chance.

I'm an animal lover but no way would be stimulating a squirrel's nether region!
Oh Tag fairy!!!!

 

[Imzadi]

umm...Are you sure that's a bunny? Those ears are awfully round.

 

["Got Disney"]

I would try the wild life again and ask them about feeding if it comes down to it. Mom will usually come back but sometimes mom has been killed and the babies die. Surprised they are not in a bunny hole. Did you see if one was near where they are?

All out bunnies are in holes. They don't come out until they can hop and they still stay close to the holes. You can also call a emergency vet(because it is the weekend) or a vet that deals with pet rabbits and they will guide you in what to do to attend to them.

Are they somewhere you can see if Mom comes back. Moms feed the babies for only 5 minutes a day in the morning and return again in the evening usually around sunset Keep an eye open or sit far enough away to see if mom comes back around. If you cant see her in the day than something may have happened to her.

Good luck

 

["Got Disney"]

umm...Are you sure that's a bunny? Those ears are awfully round.

I was dquestioning the same thing....all our baby bunnies have bigger ears. Do they have bunny tails? do they all have short ears or is it just the way the picture looks...can you show us some more pictures?

 

["Got Disney"]

Rabbits hide their nests in plain view, often putting them in the open; for example, in the middle of the lawn, as well as in brush piles and long grass. If you find a nest that has been disturbed, do all you can to restore and protect it rather than bring the infants inside. If a dog has discovered the nest, keep your dog away from the area and reconstruct the nest with grasses. If need be, you can move the nest a few feet away where safer.
Rabbit mothers nurse their babies for approximately 5 minutes a day. They will be in the nest or nest box early in the morning and then again in the evening. The milk is very rich and the babies "fill up" to capacity within minutes. Mother rabbits do not "sit" on the babies to keep them warm as do some mammals and birds. They build a nest with fur and grasses which helps to keep the babies warm in between feedings. Do not force a mother rabbit to sit in the nest box. You can pick up the babies and see if they are feeding by checking the size of their stomachs (should not be sunken in), the pinkness of their skin and activity level (they should not be blue in color or sluggish in movement) and the amount of time that you hear them crying (baby bunnies should be quiet most of the day....if they are crying constantly then they are not getting fed). If you come across a nest of bunnies in the wild and the mother is no where to be seen, please DO NOT disturb them...this is normal. By removing them from the nest you are greatly reducing their chances of survival.

Here are some links to Rabbit vets you can call in your area....they are also for Wild bunnies.....http://www.rabbitsinthehouse.org/vets.html

 

[rkwells]

It's best to leave them alone...they will likely be fine

I learned about this when I came upon a rabbits nest in our yard. It was just an indentation in the grass, no hole.

We have a wildlife rescue nearby. They advised us that the mom only comes round to feed 2 or 3 times a day so as to not draw attention to the nest.

They told us to watch for her at sundown and dawn. In our case we never did see her and did end up taking the bunny to the rescuer.

 

[Tink's Pixieduster]

umm...Are you sure that's a bunny? Those ears are awfully round.

Yeah, it took a while of really watching them but they are bunnies. The ears threw me off a little, too, for a few minutes. The muzzle is quite rounded, not pointed, and there are no tails that I could see (yet, there might be little nubs but I wasn't going to pick one of the little stinkers up to check it out). One of them (the adventureous one) made hopping motions with its hind legs while wiggling around. The kicker was all the rabbit fur that lined the nest.

Bunnies are very abundant around here, and they are not very large. I actually caught our next door neighbor's dog with a little bunny in its mouth a couple of years ago, and that bunny was marginally older than the ones I found today. The ears were the same.

ETA -
[QUOTE="Got Disney";24105363]Rabbits hide their nests in plain view, often putting them in the open; for example, in the middle of the lawn, as well as in brush piles and long grass. If you find a nest that has been disturbed, do all you can to restore and protect it rather than bring the infants inside...

You can pick up the babies and see if they are feeding by checking the size of their stomachs (should not be sunken in), the pinkness of their skin and activity level (they should not be blue in color or sluggish in movement) and the amount of time that you hear them crying (baby bunnies should be quiet most of the day....if they are crying constantly then they are not getting fed). If you come across a nest of bunnies in the wild and the mother is no where to be seen, please DO NOT disturb them...this is normal. By removing them from the nest you are greatly reducing their chances of survival.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for that information. The babies were fairly active, and the one flipped over for a moment and its little belly was pink and round. The nest is in my front flower bed, at the rootbed of a chinese maple (which is more the size of a shrub than a tree and beginning to leaf out) and hidden from plain view from the yard by a rock wall. I'll keep an eye on the area where I left the babies