My doe has always been an excellent mother! However, even with the best of mothers, kits will sometimes still sneak away from the nest and subject themselves to the cold.
I found this little boy lying lifelessly in the middle of the hutch. So cold to the touch and not breathing even. He wasn’t in a Rigor Mortis state; his limbs could still be moved- they were not frozen stiff.
I immediately got a medium sized bowl and filled it over half way with Luke warm water. I put the kit into an open ziplock bag, and submerged the bag into the water.
As many rabbit articles will agree, rabbits should never be bathed or just soaked for that matter. This can cause them to catch a deep chill or the experience could cause them to have a heart attack and die. Knowing this, it was important that the kit stay dry hence the ziplock bag. He was so small, the bag wanted to float so I had to physically hold the kit in my hand through the bag and keep it submerged. I used my free hand to rub the kit to create friction, which makes more heat as well as ”wakes” the kit. Finally, I felt the rise and fall of his breath! In around ten minutes, this sweet boy was even licking his paws.
Following the submerging, I kept him in a warm blanket by a small heater (set on low) to warm him slowly. It is crucial that he got warm slowly, rather than using hot water on a freezing cold body which could’ve caused damage. The next time you find a cold kit outside of the nest box, try to move the limbs. If they’re still able to be moved, it could quite possible not be too late to save them! Use this trick ASAP!
Comments