we found a young (maybe baby) bunny this morning...should we give it some quiet time or try and "bond" now?

Question

This bunny had possibly been attacked at some point in the night (it has scratches on it's ears) and seems stressed. We live in AZ and it was extremely hot today, but even with frozen bottles it seems lethargic and doesn't really have an interest in it's bunny food. It did however eat some baby spinach earlier this morning and part of a very small carrot. It grunts at me when I touch/pet/hold it and I'm not sure if it's purring or irritated-it doesn't try and hop away. We're just wondering if we can pay it attention or if it might be in shock or if it just needs some quiet time alone (which it had for about 4 hours this afternoon with the exception of our outdoor kitty who pretty much could care less about it). Anyone have any suggestions/ideas/advice?

I should clarify...this is a domestic bunny, not a wild one. We have several wild breeds in this area, but having worked for wildlife rescue myself (albeit with raptors) and having had various breeds of bunnies in the past, I know the difference between wild and domestic. We also will post a sign in the neighborhood, but honestly don't expect any responses. I will contact a suitable vet once I find one, but thought until then there might be someone "out there" who had some reasonable suggestions.

Answer 1

OOOHHH THAT HAPPENED TO ME TWICE. i made a mistake first, i trie to bond and the rabbit died of fright a day later. put it in a small, drak warm area with food and water, make sure there is very little human cent. give him at least 2 days. then slowly start adding your human cent intill he is used to it, while doing this make the room a little alighter each day. in about a week it will be safe to (SLOWLY,CAREFULLY,ANDCALMLY) start petting the rabbit. he'll be you bud in about 9 days.

Answer 2

First, try to get it into your head that this rabbit most likely won't live. If you get attached and it dies, you'll feel awful when all you really did was try to help it. Rabbits are VERY VERY FRAGILE! So if it does die, don't blame yourself. They stress easily, and this one is already stressed from being attacked. If it's grunting at you, it is most likely a male, and that grunting is a threat. It's not a happy bunny. It won't come flying at you to attack, lol! But...grunting means 'get away'!

Secondly, if it seems unhurt other than the scratches, it's best to put it outside under a bush where (hopefully) no preditors like cats can get it. It will 'de-stress' much faster in a familiar environment. ..and...

You should look in your phone book for the nearest Wildlife Rehabilitation center. They are experienced with rehabing wild animals and are equiped with the proper food and medical care to do it. Good luck!!!

Answer 3

Rabbits don't purr. Take the bunny to a vet, he could be hurt worse than what you can see. Could have internal injuries. If the bunny is okay, you can feed it kitten replacement formula (my daughter found 7 bunnies and we raised them til they were old enough to be released... they never were tame) Wild bunnies don't make good pets (as far as I have seen/experienced). We now have a lop and a dwarf bunny... they are sweet.

Answer 4

do not feed it sparkling veges cus that is digestive equipment received't be in a position to take care of them depending how youthful it is. and absolutely no longer lettuce, Lettuce is undesirable for bunnies whatever age. continually have hay accessible to it once you've any, even if it is extremely youthful it can't be weined and could favor milk, no longer cows' milk in spite of the undeniable fact that, get the puppy milk like you ought to feed kittens (that ought to correctly be accessible in puppy area at food market), and feed drops with a syringe, attempt to get a minimum of two mL into it, 5 mL ideally. yet do take it to both a vet or a wild animal/rescue centre they might want to be in a position to inform you the way previous it is and what to do with it. supply it a quiet position to sleep so it would not get below pressure, a container with an previous blanket ought to do contained in the jiffy period. addition: attempt to feed a minimum of two times an afternoon, and if that is going properly then it ought to favor a feed contained in the middle besides. yet ask the vet, they'll comprehend.

Answer 5

Most states have laws against keeping wild animals, even hurt bunnies. This is for their protection, not to be mean to people. Contact your local animal shelter or Dept. of Natural Resources for their recommendation on what to do.

Answer 6

some times animals can be very tricky things to figure out! i have had many baby birds fall out of my tree. we would just spend some time around their cages just to let them get used to us and then we would hold them and stuff. you could try this, and i hope it is ok because bunnys r soooooooo cute!!:) you may also have to talk 2 a vet and if it is really wild i think( if it gets better) you should let it go but if it becomes tame u should keep it!:)

Answer 7

grunting means GET AWAY! The best thing to do is make sure it's healed and then let it go. Or you could call your local nature center, they will take care of it till it is ready to return to the wild.

Answer 8

I wouldn't even try to keep a wild rabbit. Just keep it untill it heals and has energy then let it go on its own little way.

Answer 9

awww i bet it is soo cute can I have a picture of him/her?

i think you should ask a vet about the baby bunny...only then will you get a full correct(hopfully) answer. :)

Answer 10

sorry i didnt have time to read all the details, but if u are gonna keep the bunny dont keep it in a cage, bunnies dont deserve to be kept in cages their whole life. they deserve to run free like dogs and cats