A Sad Story This Weekend...

Baby bunnies snuggle with orphaned baby squirrel, all picked up yesterday. Yesterday was a very bad day here, for many reasons. It started out early when I got messages for 2 cases of cottontail nests being hit by lawnmowers and weed eaters, with fatalities and injuries. In this case, only 2 survived of a litter of 5, after someone took a weed eater to a stand of cactus?? 😢 Momma bunny thought her babies should have been safe there. 3 died before I was contacted. I picked up 2 survivors, and one poor baby had one of her back legs completely sheared off. The finders didn't initially tell me her leg was severed, otherwise I would have come to pick her up immediately, and it might have made the difference in saving her life. I did everything I could, but she died just a few hours ago. I even gave her epinephrine and chest compressions to try to revive her. This is the time of year when this work is so depressing...

Cottontail bunnies are one of the most difficult species of baby wildlife to save and keep alive long enough to weaning and release. They're incredibly fussy about eating, easily prone to stress and just going into shock and dying from the stress of being away from their mom alone. I know no wildlife rehabilitators who look forward to receiving baby cottontails or who regard them as easy. If you can save 50% of them, even when they are without traumatic injuries, then that's considered a very good success rate. I can usually save about 75% of them, if they get to me quickly enough, but it's very, very hard and time-consuming. Never delay if you find baby cottontails, and especially if they are injured. DO NOT try to raise them yourself. You are sure to fail if you aren't trained in how to keep them alive. Even the wrong formula can kill them. Contact a wildlife rehabilitator immediately. Only if the rehabber doesn't accept cottontails should you try to raise them yourself. Some rehabilitators won't accept cottontails because they've simply given up on trying to save them, but you should inquire and find a referral anyway, because an experienced rehabber is their best hope of surviving. 💔

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