My Story of Rescuing an Orphaned Baby Bunny

As we drove into the parking lot of a large computer store, the last thing I expected to see was a tiny baby bunny sitting right on the pavement, by the side of the road. I didn't even believe it at first. A bunny? Here, in the middle of town?? Yet there he was, small, helpless, and scared, probably in shock. I thought him dead at first because he did not move as I approached; but when I took a closer look I saw those little shiny eyes blink. He was alive.

I picked the bunny up and carried him to the car, still wondering how on earth he ended up at the parking lot. He quietly sat in my hand. I figured that he had been through too much and no longer cared what happened.

"Look," I said to my husband, showing the bunny. He couldn't believe it either. We searched the area and soon found the nest: in the narrow strip of grass in front of the store. There was another baby bunny next to it - dead - and no sight of the mother. I can only guess how that mother-rabbit had gotten so far into town, but the poor thing did the best she could, finding the only strip of un-asphalted ground available and making her nest there. With so many cars around, she and her litter were doomed from the start. The bunny was about 10 days old; it's a miracle that the family had managed to survive that long.

But now the mother was gone, either hit by a car or scared away by a lawn mower (the strip of grass looked freshly mowed). "What are you going to do with him?" my husband asked, clearly indicating that we did not need a new pet. But I didn't plan to keep the bunny, either. I just hoped I could help the poor creature survive and then have it released. Our neighbor next door had rabbits; perhaps he had a nursing mother who would adopt my orphan?

I had never rescued a wild baby bunny before, but I read some things about it, so I knew I should handle him as little as possible: baby bunnies are very sensitive, and they can actually die of shock or hurt themselves trying to get away from humans. Besides, it is important not to tame the bunny, so that he can survive later on in the wild.

We had a shoebox in the car, and I carefully placed the bunny in it. He sat there quietly all the way home. At home, I placed an old towel inside, creating something close to a nest. Then I went to consult with the neighbor. The neighbor did not have any nursing mother rabbits, but he helped with advice. He said that my bunny was at the point of switching from mother's milk to eating grass, and if I manage to help him do that he will survive. So that's what I tried to do for the next couple of days.

I fed the bunny some warm milk mixed with water (with the help of an eye dropper) to make sure he got some nutrition; then I would put fresh clover and alfalfa into his box for the night. Feedings took some practice, and another consultation with the neighbor. The bunny did not like milk and would not open his mouth for the eye dropper. I learned that I should put the eye dropper to the side of his mouth, not the front; it worked right away.

I kept the bunny warm and handled him as little as possible. Not wishing to grow too attached, I gave him no name, so he remained Bunny. On the first two mornings clover and alfalfa were left untouched, so I continued the feedings. Then on day three almost all the greens disappeared - Bunny began eating on his own!!

He'd started to change so fast after that. Every morning I would open the box and see the greens gone - and him grown. He was literally getting bigger each day, and faster, too. As if having remembered that he was a wild bunny, he started jumping away when I reached for him and trying to get out of the box. I could see that my job was done. Bunny was ready to go.

We took him to a wooded area nearby. As I set him loose, Bunny happily hopped away, disappearing under thick bushes. It showed that he hadn't become tame and domestic, which was good. I said a quick prayer for him and went home.