Wild Baby Bunnies Educate me

[stomachmonkey]

The people across the street are moving out.

Neighbor kids found three "abandoned" baby bunnies in a burrow under the play set.

I doubt the bunnies are abandoned, mommy just ran and hid when the kids showed up.

Bunnies are about 2 weeks old.

Two of them have found "homes", the neighbor kids are being allowed to keep them.

My daughter, whose 9th b-day is today wants to keep one.

I had bunnies as a kid in Germany. But we also used to make stew out of them.......

So what am I in for?

They are wild, not breed for domestic living so how affectionate can they hope to be as adults?

Bunny is going to need a hutch. Can't have them indoors since they can't be litter box trained and I have 4 cats that don't eat stew but might like the main ingredient.

We live on the border of horse country. Lot's of wildlife including Coyotes and Bobcats that wander our development.

Is having a rabbit in a hutch outside going to attract more "stuff" to my yard than I might want?

I dunno about this, kinda pissed that the neighbors caved.

[TheMentat]

Start building that hutch!

I suspect it will only be occupied until your daughter gets bitten...

[Tim Hancock]

I kept one as a kid against my parents wishes, and it quickly became wild as it got bigger. After a few weeks IIRC, it became too wild to pick up/pet and eventually escaped from the hatch we built for it.

Our cats have somehow managed to kill a couple rabbits that have managed to elude the cross hairs of myself, my wife and my daughters (My wife has zero tolerance for the little b@stards due to her gardening).

[71T Targa]

I had one as a kid too.

I did a really great job of keeping the cats away but soon enough it got to be a chore.

I gave it to my neighbor and the next day our cat ate it, in front of them.

[bivenator]

We found some bunnies and kept some at least 3 different times as a kid. They were fun, best part is putting them on a wood floor blocking the escape routes and watching them slip and slide as they run. Seemed fun as a kid anyway. All of our attempts ended in tragedy as they were eaten by something while still in the hutch. Kinda traumatic finding your pet torn into pieces.

[IROC]

The baby rabbits were not abandoned. The mother was around for sure. This is the way they do it - they build a small "nest" in the ground (in some of the weirdest places for some reason) and then leave the baby rabbits there as they go do whatever rabbits do. The mother will be back for sure. Do not mess with the babies!

Also, I've read that baby rabbits do not give off any scent, so dogs etc., can't find them even though they are so exposed in these little ground nests.

[sailchef]

Originally Posted by IROC

The baby rabbits were not abandoned. The mother was around for sure. This is the way they do it - they build a small "nest" in the ground (in some of the weirdest places for some reason) and then leave the baby rabbits there as they go do whatever rabbits do. The mother will be back for sure. Do not mess with the babies!

Also, I've read that baby rabbits do not give off any scent, so dogs etc., can't find them even though they are so exposed in these little ground nests.

I agree, put them back.

I have several new litters in my yard every year.
I always look forward to them in the spring.
No fuss, no mess.

They will live if you do, die if you don,t.
Explain that to the kids.

[Gogar]

$.02 from me:

Put them back.
If you've touched them already, momma bunny might not come back.

If you must, build a hutch, but don't spend a whole lot of time on it, and practice talking to your kids about why cute bunnies get eaten by other animals.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by IROC

The baby rabbits were not abandoned. The mother was around for sure. This is the way they do it - they build a small "nest" in the ground (in some of the weirdest places for some reason) and then leave the baby rabbits there as they go do whatever rabbits do. The mother will be back for sure. Do not mess with the babies!

Also, I've read that baby rabbits do not give off any scent, so dogs etc., can't find them even though they are so exposed in these little ground nests.

As I understand it the Mother only comes around to feed so as not to attract attention to the brood that she is incapable of defending from predators with teeth and claws.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Gogar

$.02 from me:

Put them back.
If you've touched them already, momma bunny might not come back.

If you must, build a hutch, but don't spend a whole lot of time on it, and practice talking to your kids about why cute bunnies get eaten by other animals.

Bunnies are at least 2 weeks old. Wild ones apparently are capable of self sustenance at 3-4 weeks so I'm of the opinion that they are just about ready to leave the nest anyway.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Wild Baby Bunnies Educate me

Those little black things, are SMART pills.

[dhoward]

Toss them over in the neighbor's yard.
"Bunny must have run home to momma's new burrow"
They're thick around here. Roads are paved with bunnies...

[dhoward]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Those little black things, are SMART pills.

Now that's funny!

[lane912]

A couple more and you can have stew this winter when it is cold out. Tell your daughter they like hot tubing naked

[Crowbob]

Wild rabbits are not pets. They can tear you up with their claws or fingernails or whatever they are. They bite, too.

[lane912]

See "holy hand grenade"

Wild rabbits are not pets. They can tear you up with their claws or fingernails or whatever they are. They bite, too.

[Laneco]

If you've opted to put them back, do this (gross as it sounds...).

Use gloves, find the poo around the nest site, rub it into the baby's fur and then put them back. It makes them "smell" like something familiar instead of unfamiliar human odors.

I've never tried this on a rabbit, but we've gotten sheep, goats, cats and dogs to adopt another's babies (when the mother died or rejected the baby) with very good success using this disgusting technique.

angela

[Z-man]

A couple of things regarding bunnies:

1. First off, domestic bunnies can be potty trained. We have a bunny that is 100% potty trained - he only poops and pees in his cage. During the day, he's allowed in the bathroom (where his cage is), the hallway, and the spare bedroom (aka the 'bunny room.). At night, when we're in the living room, he's allowed out there as well.

2. I have a theory: the smaller the bunny, the less likely it will want to cuddle. Cinnabun, our bunny is a dwarf rabbit. We pet him only when he wants to be petted. And forget about scooping him up and keeping him in your lap. My mom-in-law has a lionhead rabbit - Honeybun. About three times as big as Cinnabun. Honeybun doesn't mind being petted at all.

3. Bunnies can be trained to do tricks - while Cinnabun isn't a lap rabbit, I've trained him to kiss me, walk backwards for 6+ feet, lay down, stand on hnd leg tippy-toed, and 'beg'. He loves pistachio nuts - and I use these nuts to get him to do things.

4. While you can potty train rabbits, the big problem with them is their need to chew. The lower 6 inches of all our wood trim has been demolished by Cinny. A rabbit's front teeth constatly grow, and it is the chewing of wood...etc. which wears down the teeth. It is part of their nature to chew everything.

5. Not only will rabbits chew wood, they will chew whatever they can get their little paws on - like electric chords, shoes, clothing, metal...etc. It is almost as difficult to bunny-proof a house as it is to child proof a house.

6. As for wild bunnies - all bunnies are pretty much wild - some are just more mellow than others. The pet rabbit is the quickest to return to it's wild nature if released.

They are cute though.
-Z-man.

[slodave]

You might want to read this:

http://www.rabbitweb.net/wild-babies.asp

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by slodave

You might want to read this:

http://www.rabbitweb.net/wild-babies.asp

My favorite part:

Wild rabbits are host to fleas, ticks, lice, and other parasites that can transmit disease to humans and domestic animals alike.