Help! Urgent advice needed for baby bunny

lizzylegg · #1 (**permalink**) 16-05-2008, 10:09 PM

I was driving home in my car last night and as I turned the corner the head lights of my car lit up two animals sat in the middle of the road. One was a tiny baby Rabbit and less than a foot away, towering over it was a huge owl just about to eat it for dinner. I know it is nature but I couldn't bear it and had to intervene. The owl could see the Rabbit hole and was watching over it and so I couldn't bear to shoo the owl away and drive on. I have worked at Hydestile Wildlife sanctuary many years ago - lots of birds, foxes and deers etc but no baby Rabbits! I have no idea how old this Rabbit is and I don't know what to do with it now. It is currently in a Rabbit hutch at the bottom of the garden so it can stay wild. It is very skittish and so I'm thinking it's propbably around 4 weeks maybe? I have put grass and clover and hay inside the hutch and have a small dish of water there too. I would hate to just release it somewhere new as it might not be able to take care of itself at the moment. Id feel happier if it was a little bigger / older. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Liz

deer boy · #2 (**permalink**) 16-05-2008, 11:51 PM

What about the poor owl he/she may have young to feed, u should have left it for the owl i know it's sad but it's nature

NickCantle · #3 (**permalink**) 16-05-2008, 11:53 PM

Can't help but to agree with Deer Boy

Dan Salter · #4 (**permalink**) 17-05-2008, 12:03 AM

Yes Lizzy hun....i know you think you done the right thing, but this is not the right place to post a thread like that! messing with nature is a big no no however cute!...and although you may not realise....Rabbits should not even be here!! they were introduced....unlike your owl ( which i suspect was a native tawny owl)...and trust me fluffy grey baby owletts out cute an bunny....but dead starving ones are not so pretty.

But...whats done is done i suppose just dont do it again

pressld2 · #5 (**permalink**) 17-05-2008, 12:15 AM

Sorry Lizzy but I agree with the previous replies.

The best thing you can do now, provided it's not injured, is to release it as close as possible to where you found it. It will just have to take its chances with the owls (and foxes, Stoats, buzzards, etc.) If it is injured then a wildlife rescue centre would be the best bet.

Dave P.

Bunster · #6 (**permalink**) 17-05-2008, 12:21 AM

Hi,
If the little bun is not injured it is probably best just to release it as soon as you can, back to where it was found so it can find it's way home. (not in the road though!.. although I'm sure some would disagree

) They are totally independant at 4 weeks old as Mum would be having her next litter, and they venture out from the warren to graze at about 3 weeks. If it is quite skittish as you say, then it probably is of this age as they tend to have less fear of humans when they are younger. I'm sure it would be quite stressed if kept in a hutch for too long. If you are really unsure if it is old enough, could you get a picture of it?
Hope this helps.

paulinemiller10 · #7 (**permalink**) 17-05-2008, 06:44 PM

Hi Liz, If the babe was a Hedgehog, everyone would say save him, but he's just a Rabbit, so is low on everyones list, I will always help any wild life in trouble, I can t just stand there and do nothing, your babe might still need milk, their mothers have very rich milk, and they feed their babes just once a day.

I once found some baby Rabbits, their story below, I would keep your little one untill he's a little bigger, then release him back where you found him if possible.

http://www.geocities.com/paulinemill...?1113413033406
Hope all goes well for him. Pauline.

Dan Salter · #8 (**permalink**) 17-05-2008, 09:43 PM

Uh oh....such a wrong reply...it would not matter if it was a baby Hedgehog, Rabbit, Badger or anything....."if it was in trouble"???? (please define)...now the OWL and its babies may be in trouble because someone has taken its food away...you must never interfere with natural food chains and cycles and ecology however cute!!!...
Had the baby Hedgehog fallen down a manhole or a Rabbit was stuck in a phone box...yes fine...your helping out a wild animal in trouble....but a small animal about to get eaten by its natural predator in the food chain is exactly that....NATURAL!...grrrrrrr

paulinemiller10 · #9 (**permalink**) 17-05-2008, 10:04 PM

No not wrong reply, leave bird and bunny on road, car run over, dead owl, dead bunny, dead babies......... NATURAL?????

Dan Salter · #10 (**permalink**) 17-05-2008, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulinemiller10

No not wrong reply, leave bird and bunny on road, car run over, dead owl, dead bunny, dead babies......... NATURAL?????

The owl would have eaten the Rabbit or flown off with it. or at least flown off until the car had passed and returned. And tawny owls will take carrion so if the Rabbit got squashed it would still be food or food for something else.

galanthus · #11 (**permalink**) 17-05-2008, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulinemiller10

No not wrong reply, leave bird and bunny on road, car run over, dead owl, dead bunny, dead babies......... NATURAL?????

Or stop the 'not natural' car, wait for the owl to do what comes natural in the world of survival, marvel at nature and drive on

End result no bunny crisis, owlets with full tummies and mum getting some rest.

Despite some of us not being overly keen on your situation Lizzy , we're very happy to have you here

Dan Salter · #12 (**permalink**) 17-05-2008, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by galanthus

Or stop the 'not natural' car, wait for the owl to do what comes natural in the world of survival, marvel at nature and drive on

End result no bunny crisis, owlets with full tummies and mum getting some rest.

Despite some of us not being overly keen on your situation Lizzy , we're very happy to have you here

Yes i agree with that!

deer boy · #13 (**permalink**) 17-05-2008, 10:49 PM

I whole heartedly agree with DAN on all his post

Pigeon feather · #14 (**permalink**) 17-05-2008, 11:08 PM

Ohhhhh you've probably all scared her off now!

well I do agree with the others best to return it and let nature take it's course, though I do believe in fate, you were meant to be there at that time and that bunny was meant to be saved

hopefully once it's returned it will never encounter the owl again

now I have something to confess... I once saved a pigeon from a sparrowhawk

I just happened to be there at the time and I know it was wrong but I couldn't just watch, believing in fate and all that

they were only a couple of feet away from me and I love pigeons!!! now watch me get the stick for this!

Dan Salter · #15 (**permalink**) 17-05-2008, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pigeon feather

Ohhhhh you've probably all scared her off now!

well I do agree with the others best to return it and let nature take it's course, though I do believe in fate, you were meant to be there at that time and that bunny was meant to be saved

hopefully once it's returned it will never encounter the owl again

now I have something to confess... I once saved a pigeon from a sparrowhawk

I just happened to be there at the time and I know it was wrong but I couldn't just watch, believing in fate and all that

they were only a couple of feet away from me and I love pigeons!!! now watch me get the stick for this!

Where do i start???.....

deer boy · #16 (**permalink**) 17-05-2008, 11:15 PM

u did what

lincs lass · #17 (**permalink**) 18-05-2008, 04:39 PM

My heart would have said save baby bunny, but my head would have said leave nature alone.
I know when I hear the kestrels I go in the garden so they can't get 'takeaway', but they will always return and I can't be there all the time.
I would probably have scared baby bunny away, but the owl would have come back anyhow. It's tough but not to interfere is the best thing.

lizzylegg · #18 (**permalink**) 18-05-2008, 04:50 PM

well that's me told

I shall take the main road in future

bunny is fine and has been released back whence he came.

Kayleigh · #19 (**permalink**) 18-05-2008, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizzylegg

well that's me told

I shall take the main road in future

bunny is fine and has been released back whence he came.

Hi and welcome lizzylegg

Bub-les · #20 (**permalink**) 18-05-2008, 05:34 PM

Welcome to WAB contrary to what you might think we're actually quite a friendly bunch. Hope you come back soon.
Barbara
PS I probably would have done what you did as I suspect quite a few here would.

galanthus · #21 (**permalink**) 19-05-2008, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizzylegg

well that's me told

I shall take the main road in future

bunny is fine and has been released back whence he came.

Hooray you came back

Welcome to WAB, looking forward to your posts and pics

witham · #22 (**permalink**) 19-05-2008, 01:34 PM

the trouble is if the parent Owls don't provide their young with enough food, they will start eating each other smallest first as seen on Spring/Autumn? Watch when 5 became 4 became 3 became 2

, any way it all worked out ok in the end and yes, welcome to WAB it's a great place to be although you have to be a bit thick skinned sometimes as I have found out on a couple of occasions but good fun anyway