Category — What’s New in the Rehab Room?

This past weekend we took in our 500th cottontail of the season.  We typically estimate we take in 600-900 cottontails each year, but this baby season started early, in February!  We started seeing 1 week old baby cottontails coming in exactly 1 week plus 30 days (30-day gestation period) after we had an unseasonably warm weekend in January.  It’s not even June yet, and we’ve already reached 500…  It’s going to be a long baby season!  Last year we didn’t stop receiving babies until late November!

If you approximate that we take in 2 cottontails per family that finds them in need, that’s 250 phone calls, emails, Facebook messages, and knocks on the door that we’ve received since February.  And those are just the ones we take in, not to mention the other hundreds of calls that we’re able to instruct on how to re-nest the babies, or calls that come from out of state.  We’ve taken in calls this year from Maryland, Florida, California, Tennessee, and other states — we even had a call come in from Spain!

With all of those calls and requests for help and information, we’re starting to see patterns in what people need to know right off the bat.  Below we’ve listed some answers to frequently asked questions, and quick links to more information within our website.  If you have any questions that we haven’t listed, leave us a comment or send us an email and we’ll be sure to answer them on our website for everyone to see!

“How do I tell how old this cottontail is?”

“Is it ok to touch them?”

“My cat/dog just brought in a baby cottontail. What do I do now?”

“I have found a baby cottontail outside of its nest.  Is he okay?”

“How do I know if the babies are old enough to be released?”

“How can I tell if the babies are healthy and have been fed recently?”
You can find out by picking up each baby and turning him over to see if his belly is plump and full.  Mom comes to feed at dusk and at dawn, so checking during the middle of the day or in the morning is the best time.  You can check for dehydration by pinching a bit of skin on the baby’s back with your thumb and forefinger.  If the skin stays pinched or takes a while to return back to normal, he is dehydrated.  If the skin immediately bounces right back flat in place, he’s healthy and well hydrated.  If the babies look thin, dehydrated or injured at all, contact us for further information.

“I found a baby cottontail while I was out walking.  What should I do, or what should I have done?”
If you ever find a baby cottontail with its eyes closed out of the nest, something has gone wrong.  He may have been carried away by a cat or dog, or even by a human, and placed outside of the nest.  If you find a cottontail on the road, on the sidewalk, etc. and he makes no effort to get away from you, he may have injuries you cannot see.  If you think something may be wrong with the cottontail at all, pick him up and take him with you.  Put him safely in a box away from companion animals and small children and contact us as soon as possible.  If you have left the place where you found the cottontail, please go back as quickly as you are able and secure him in a box.  Contact us once you have him with you; we can’t do anything if you can’t find him!

“What do you do with the cottontails we bring you?”
This is by far the question we are most frequently asked. Occasionally if you catch us on a day when we’ve already answered that question 60 times, we may spout back with a sarcastic, “We have a barbecue on Sundays, wanna come?”  Of course that’s just out of frustration from repetition and of course we don’t mean it; in fact, most of our people are vegetarians, anyway. ;)
We are the only rehabilitators in the north Texas area who practice veterinary medicine on our cottontails.  We splint broken legs, administer pain medicine and antibiotics, provide small but comfortable enclosures to allow broken pelvises to mend, suture ripped skin, clean wounds, administer subcutaneous fluids and vitamins, feed specially made formulas to young cottontails, and when we have tried everything and there is absolutely nothing left for us to do for a suffering cottontail on its way out of this world, we humanely euthanize.  We also have two veterinarians that partner with us and provide heavily discounted surgeries when necessary.  For older cottontails and those weaning off formula, we provide fresh grass, weeds and wildflowers in addition to enrichment foods like fruits and vegetables.  Standard rabbit pellets are always available to them as a supplement to their diet, along with both fresh water and a Gatorade-like electrolyte stimulating drink that they love!

Baby cottontails are kept safe and well cared for here at the Rescue until they are 6 weeks old, or until their wild instincts have fully kicked in and they are afraid of humans — and inconveniently difficult to catch.  They are released on one of two plots of private land — both many continuous acres of ideal land for cottontails to thrive in safely away from predators.  We also release at LLELA, where they are actively working to turn a large patch of land in Lewisville back to its untouched-prairie ways, including reintroducing native species of plants and animals.  We are proud to provide them cottontails for this wonderful project!

“How much should I donate with this cottontail I’m bringing you?”
We are happy to accept donations in any amount.  Whatever you feel is an appropriate amount for the care, food, and time devoted to the little ones you bring us.  We have had people donate everything from pocket change, to $25, to checks made out for $200, to $500 put toward our vet bills!  It all adds up, and we appreciate the help you give us in more ways than you know.
We have received questions about items we need in place of money.  In answer to this, we set up an Amazon Wish List!  This is an incomplete and ever-growing list of items we use every day, need replaced, or simply would love to have as a part of our Rescue.  There are things you can find at your local grocery store, and things that you could order on Amazon that will be shipped directly to us if purchased through our wish list.  If you prefer to donate gifts in-kind rather than funds, we would be thrilled to have you choose something from our list and have it sent to us!

By now we hope that everyone has received our annual Holiday Letter…. Though we admittedly were late getting it out this year, and still have a few left to send!  Here it is on the web for those of you who may not yet have received it, or would like to share it with others.  A downloadable and printable PDF is available at the link below, and the text of the letter follows.  Thank you to all who participated in our operation in 2010.  We could not have done it all without you!

Click here to download the 2010 Holiday Letter as a PDF

Time flies when you are having fun – and has time flown this year! Between helping the SPCA of Texas with the US Global Exotics seizure of over 27,000 animals, to having an intake of over 700 orphaned cottontails, to having more than 200 rabbits enter our facility and leave with new homes; well, you can see what I mean. Let me elaborate just a little…

Partnering with the SPCA of Texas

In January we got the call that more than 27,000 animals were in need of rescuing due to an appalling animal cruelty case in Arlington. As a partner of the SPCA of Texas, we helped place almost 400 hamsters, snakes, lizards, frogs, and all kinds of other creatures in dire need of help. We are so proud to have been able to assist in this endeavor! Thank you to all of our volunteers who braved the snow to rescue them, and moved heaven and earth to make sure their stay at the Rescue was as comfortable as possible until their adoption.

Bunny Buddies of Houston

In spring we received a note from Bunny Buddies, our friends in Houston, that many of their rabbits (almost all already spayed/neutered) needed to be transfered to other rescues. There was no more room in their foster program, so we offered assistance. We met in Fairfield, Texas, and drove home with 27 beautiful and oh, so well-cared-for house bunnies! And can you believe, only 3 of them are still waiting for homes!

Wildlife

Once again it was simply unbelievable the number of cottontails that came to us. Most were nest- nabbed, orphaned or injured, and we did our best to help each and every one. I don’t think we slept most of the spring and summer, as phone call after phone call demanded our attention. I think I chanted, “Just Leave Them Alone”, in my sleep more than once.

Petco Adoption Partners

What an amazing opportunity it has been to partner with local Petco stores to get great new homes for more bunnies! In total, we have adopted out close to 200 nose-wiggling, whisker-twitching buns this last year, 35 of which have been from the Petco stores!! A huge thank-you goes to our partnering Petco stores – Denton, Prestonwood, Arlington, Grapevine, Highland Village, Cedar Hill and Mansfield. We have accomplished something truly major and wonderful! The staff help carefully screen prospective bunny parents, consult with us when necessary, and voila! Bunnies are matched with wonderful and loving families. We couldn’t be happier, and the bunnies thump their approval!

Our Veterinarians

We certainly could not do this without you. Our outstanding vets have put up with us (especially me), spayed/neutered, fixed broken bones, met us after hours, acted as a drop-off point for wildlife, you name it. Thank-yous are just never enough for our dear Dr. Patty Weber, Dr. Pam Henrichs, Dr. Elizabeth Rogers, and our “new kid on the block,” Dr. Kyle Jones!

Our Volunteers

What would I do without you?!!! Thank you to our Lindsay, Jessica, Savannah, Bridget, Lindsey & Whitney, Melissa, Caroline, Mel, Jaimie, Karen, Kelsey, Steven & Daphne, Sarah, Kathy & Wayne, Meghan, Sharry & Dean, Rick, DeDe…(Who did I forget?) And a huge welcome to Cathy, our new and wonderful foster mom!! You all have made it an incredible year and I can’t believe you are actually excited about continuing our work next year!!

In Loving Memory

We have lost some precious lights this last year – they crossed the Rainbow Bridge far too soon, and we will miss them so very much.

• Boo • Gabby • Gawain • Mr. Sleepy • Oscar • Roslyn • Samson • Sterling • Tatters •

Our work here is never done: The dishes pile up in the sink, laundry soon appears daunting, and afternoon naps are just a sweet memory, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. We help over 1,000 animals each year in one way, shape or form. We answer as many phone calls and emails (God bless you Lindsay!!!) as humanly possible. Of course we need more volunteers, and of course we need more funds. The work we do is fueled by kind hearts and loving hands. The animals that come to us are welcomed with grace and knowledge. If you brought us an animal or adopted from us – then a huge thank you goes to you. If you would like to become a part of our rescue family, you would be so welcome.

It is with God’s grace that we continue this important work, and it is with our friends that we can accomplish what we set out to do. Though we dearly know this economy is hard for all of us, please consider donating. Paypal is right on our website for processing credit cards. A self-addressed, stamped envelope is enclosed for your convenience. And think of us throughout the year, not just at Christmas! Check in with us to see what we are up to. Tell your friends. Help us fundraise. But above all, THANK YOU for helping the animals. We, and they, could not do it without you.

Happy holidays, and have a wonderful and “hoppy” New Year!!! With love,

Diana

Visit us on the web at www.rescuedrabbits.org
Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wildrescueinc
Come visit us at Irist Fest in March!

Tatters came to us around May 2009 as a train wreck of a bunny.  She had spent her life chained to a front porch by her neck and flies had eaten the edges of her ears. Dehydrated and badly in need of food, she required lots of TLC for a long time. At only 3 years of age, Tatters is now our poster child for why you should spay your rabbit.

We delayed spaying Tatters while she healed both mentally and physically to ensure there would not be any complications from a routine spay surgery. Last week, Tatters was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Pyrometria was her only symptom – which means that she was excreting a small amount of bright red blood. Her prognosis is good now that she has been spayed, and she is now happy and doing quite well.

Please take Tatters as an example of what can happen, and spay your rabbit. Save their life. Don’t think it can never happen to you – it can. Rabbits have an extremely high metabolism, almost three times higher than a cat’s. Since they were born to reproduce, the likelihood of your female rabbit developing cancer is actually quite high. As a rule we spay and neuter here at the Rescue, and this is the first case of cancer we have ever seen in our rabbits. And we don’t want to ever see it again.

Be smart. Spay or neuter your companion rabbit!