The American Beagler Forum

I caught 4 young rabbits on the golf course this morning and put them in a 3x3 wire cage with food and water. Any suggestions on if they will survive and what I should do to raise them. Have a litter of pups and would like to use them to train with later in the summer.

they dont do well for me.I think dehydration is the bigest thing, even if you keep water in a bowl.If you have a starting pen that would help. I had one for a day about a month ago and let it go.are they bigger than this? four together might help..

No not even close. They were out of the nest when I found them.

If you will put some brush in the cage or someplace for them to hide, then put fresh vegetation, as well as rabbit pellets in the cage they will probably survive. Young rabbits get their food and water from green grass and other green vegetation. If they don't have a place to hide, so they feel secure during daylight hours, I doubt they will survive.

I have raised a few from about that age. Put them in a wire pen made of wire mesh 1/2 in. or less. Hardware cloth is what it is called. You need the holes in the wire small enough so the rabbit can't get his nose started through it. If he does he will keep poking it in the hole until it is bloody then you can count him as dead. Have a box big enough for the rabbit to get in to hide. He will feel safe if he can get out of your site. I found two or more wild rabbits in the same cage will fight and kill each other. Place fresh grass,clover etc. natural food a rabbit would eat in the cage. Sprinkle water on it. This keeps it fresh longer and gives the rabbit more moisture. Hang a rabbit water bottle on the cage so the water drips out of the tube onto the grass-clover. They learn to lick the tube on the water bottle. After couple of days put some rabbit pellets (food) in the cage. When you see the rabbit is eating the pellets start putting less and less grass-clover in the cage. Do this over 4 or 5 days until he is eating only rabbit food. A rabbits digestive system is very sensitive so you want to make changes in its diet gradually. People run into this problem when they buy rabbits for their starting pens. Most bring them home and put them right in the starting pen. Think about what happens to your digestive system when you've been eating fast food all week then go visit MOM on Sunday and have Cabbage,Corn,Collards, Turkey and Dressing. OK we know what we are talking about. Make changes gradually. Maybe your rabbits don't fight yet but they will when they get older. If you plan to release them in the wild or a rabbit pen when they get older you need to do the same thing in reverse order. More and more natural grass-clover,less and less rabbit pellets until you release them. Hope this helps. This is how this ole country boy has done it. And it worked.

Here is an informative site for you to read.

http://www.squirrelworld.com/RabRehab.html

We found that the rabbits will need larger cages then tame rabbits, and need dandelions for some reason dandelions have something in them that wild rabbits need that is not in their feed. They will also need stuff to hide in like PVC pipes, and bowls to drink out of.

I had a wild baby once, mother and siblings killed by lawn tractor, Was smaller then the one in the picture and the vet gave me a kitten nurser and a recipe to make formula. Fed it that way for 3 weeks, but it had to be fed every couple of hours the first few days, then started introducing other foods, like you would a puppy. I had it a month, when the cat managed to break into the indoor pen we had and killed it.

I put a water bottle, and feeder in the cage, also put a bunch of hay in so they can hide under it. Last night I put a bunch of lettuce in the cage and it was all gone this morning. I will probably let them go in a day or two as I do not have the place to keep or a cage big enough. Right now I have them in my quail transfer cage.

I raised 4 last year in a 2'X2'X2' mesh cage. Water bottle and pellets all the time, pulled green grass and lettuce every night. Hay about 6" deep in the cage. They've been in my starting pen since they got a little bigger than the one in the picture on this post. They were in the cage for about 2 months with no problems. Be sure and do the green food every day without fail, they like it much better than pellets, but will adapt to pellets. But when you go to release them they need to have been back on green food or it will screw their belly up. They'll also do better if you keep the cage in a secluded spot away from noise and movement, so they dont hurt theirself bouncing all around.

I have one thats about 3/4 grown and been raised in a medium sized cage. I feed it the rabbit pellets , small carrotts , apples and put Timothy hay in its cage to make it feel safe, plus it also eats it. Will probably turn it lose in someones training pen.

Jim Buckshot in Greenwood Indiana called and said I put transfer them to his starting pen which I will do on Sunday. I might have a bunch more for him if they don't stop eating my garden. They have eaten the top off my green bean plants. Will be replanting them Sunday also.

When I wean little rabbits I put terramycin in their water. This keeps them from getting the scours when adjusting to food from mothers milk.If they ever get the runny ones they are gone!!!!!!!

was told by a older fella that before you turn young ones loose in your pen feed them alfalfa pellets cause the fresh greens in the pen will give them the scours and kill them...i am raising a few naow with great luck