This is the true story of how our homeschool adopted rabbits for a day.

Day One

A neighbor’s dog found a rabbit nest while they were gardening and then they took the dog inside. They called us. When we got there we discovered the dog had only gotten the hair on top of the nest and when the top was pulled away the hole itself was only as deep as a football. We put the rabbit nest in a copier box and punched 12 holes in the top. We put a heating pad under the box and left the box in the garage for the night.

The nest covered with the mother's belly fur.

Mom did some internet research on caring for cottontail babies that were abandoned. (Ours weren’t abandoned, but were in danger of the dog.) Here are some links you can look at.

Rabbit Rehab

Orphaned Rabbits

Day Two

In the morning we found out that only 2 of the 5 rabbits were alive. We tried to feed them Pedialyte with an eye dropper but they didn’t eat it. Instead they squirmed and squawked like a bird. Mom stroked one with a warm cotton ball to help it go the bathroom, but nothing happened.

We called a wildlife and veterinary center to get some help and to know what to expect.

An Eastern Cottontail hiding at the edge of the nest.

A closeup of the bunny.

Their eyes stay closed for 10 days.

The rabbits would not drink for us and were dehydrated. So we took them here for better care.