I work at the zoo and one of our zookeepers accidentally sprayed a baby bunny with a water hose. So we took him over to our nature center and they dried him off and told us to give him food and everything, but they didn't go give us any advice on letting him go. I am scared that if I let him go now he won't make it on his own because now he's used to having food given to him. I need to know if he will be okay and when is the best time to let him go??? PLEASE HELP!! :)

-- Debbie Davis (Dtrinity1@hotmail.com), April 12, 2002

Answers

I've hand-raised baby cottontails from before their eyes and ears were opened and had no fur, and I would be of the opinion to put it back in the general vicinity where you found it. By three weeks of age, I couldn't keep them -- they were dashing themselves on the wire of the cage to get free, so I opened the door and they took off immediately. They truly do well on their own and poorly in captivity. With the whole of the great outdoors in front of their noses, food is everywhere, and they'll find it.

If the baby is still partially nursing (there is a transition period), it is better to put it back near where it was found. The mother will still accept it.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), April 12, 2002.

Debbie, doesn't your "zoo" know of a wildlife center in the area where rehabbers can be contacted? If not, call your Fish & Wildlife there and they will know, they must license rehabbers. Then contact one of them that specializes in rabbits for advice. I do rehab, but not rabbits. I do know that in general to rehab sucessfully you need to be feeding the bunny what it would find in nature, you need to keep it WILD and not let it see or hear household pets(dogs, cats), not handle it or talk to it, you want it WILD. Good luck, hope all goes well, LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), April 12, 2002.

let it go inside the tiger or bear cage,,, see how long it takes

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 12, 2002.

Do start the bunny on grasses and greens GRADUALLY before you release it in the wild. I've raised one wild bunny baby successfully and we released it on the back back back section of our farm as far as we could get it from the highway and as far as we good get it from the creek where the coyotes roam!

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), April 12, 2002.

Debbie 95% of all bunnies become another animal's meal before their first birthday. of the other 5%, 90% of those do not see their second birthday. in fact bunnies born right at the beginning of spring have raised at least one litter by fall usually two. only about one in every ten thousand will make to three or older. if you really want the rabbit to live make a pet out of it, otherwise anything you do is only going to have an affect in terms of days maybe weeks.

-- Pops (pops762@hotmail.com), April 12, 2002.

Oh, Stan!! No, No! (but still amusing...)

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), April 12, 2002.