AboutJana Connell RVT, CVT Expertise PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME:
I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer.
IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!!
I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals.
I DO NOT do birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!
Experience I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina.
I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.
Organizations Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.
Education/Credentials Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT.
Certified Veterinary Dental Technician
Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).
Question My children rescued a baby bunny from a cat. We have not been able to locate his nest and are unsure of how to care for him. He is small, palm sized, and his eyes are open. Will he be able to survive without his mother? If not, how do we care for him? I have attempted to contact a local rehab for wild animals but, unfortunately, they are close don weekends. I'm fearful of placing him outside without a nest as the cat we rescued him from may find him again. I hope you can help us
Answer Bunnies like this are very hard to care for. If he has long ears tipped in black he is a black tailed hare- and they are much easier to feed. Those are precocial animals, meaning they are eating and running as soon as they are born. A palmed size bunny with its eyes open could be either a hare or an older cottontail. Cottontails are born blind,naked and they nurse on their mom's.
They do not have the black tipped ears. Hares can be fed grasses and leaves from tender fruit trees whereas the bunnies can eat that as long as they are weaned. You might want to get some kitten milk replacer and a nursing bottle and see if it will nurse. You must use kitten milk replacer or the bunny will have major digestion issues and die.
You cannot be sure this one will make it anyway as cat attacks are usually not good. They bite hard to catch them resulting in deep tissue and organ injuries that you cannot see. So prepare your kids for the fact bunny might not live long.
Cottontail nests are sometimes underground making them very hard to find.
So get the milk but try and get him to eat grass and vegetation first.
If you send me a photo I can help you identify what kind of bunny he is.
Please let me know how he does.
