Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Got a pet by accident, literally!

(And we need help with a name!)

A week or so ago, my dad found a nest of rabbits in the backyard. The kids oohed and ahhed over them and were obsessed about rabbits for a few days.

Then today we went outside to play. Sunshine went to check on the babies, then came running over to me. "Mom, one of the baby rabbits is out of its nest and its not moving." So I went to look.

Originally, there were 6 babies. We found 5 of them, 4 of which were dead. But one little one was hiding under something nearby. The best we can figure out is that when Dad was working in the yard, he accidently killed the babies. He totally forgot they were there, poor little things. I wonder where #6 went?

I have made up a wee box for the rabbit to sleep in, complete with the grasses and fur from the nest its mama made. I tried to feed the baby rabbit with a dropper, but it refuses it so far. I think I saw it swallow twice (watching the tongue through tiny slits between its teeth, lol), but I can't be sure. I stroked its wee throat to encourage swallowing, but I am not sure how much good that did.

So what do we name this wee rabbit? It fits in my palm, and is a normal rabbit color - various shades of dark and light brown. We need something that can go either way with gender, as we have no clue what sex it is.

Also, assuming this baby will eventually eat and not die in our care, what do we do with the baby when it is able to eat on its own? Let it go outside? Will it know what to do for itself? Guess I need to do a search on baby rabbit care.

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