Emergency Prep · Wildlife
Eastern Cottontail Bunnies
The Most Fragile Orphan
The mower found the nest, and now four pink bunnies are in a shoebox. 10 modules on why they're probably not orphans, the overnight string test, how staring at a bunny can stop its heart, the cow's-milk-and-carrots death trap, the KMR-and-cream emergency recipe, cecotropes, feeding volumes that won't rupture a stomach, cat bites, tularemia, and the hand-off.
About this course
Cottontails are the most rescued and most mishandled orphan in North America, and most of them were never orphans. The mother nurses twice a day in the dark and is gone the rest of the time — on purpose. This course starts with the string test that proves she's coming back, then explains why the bunny you picked up may die of being looked at, why a bowl of milk or a baby carrot is lethal, how to fortify KMR with heavy cream when you truly have no other option, why they need gut bacteria from an adult rabbit, the exact few cc's that won't burst a stomach, and why a cat-caught bunny needs antibiotics tonight. It ends with tularemia, ringworm, and the licensed rehabber who should have them by morning.
What you'll learn
- The shallow saucer nest in open lawn, why a grazed nest is not a destroyed one, and how to rebuild it
- The string test: crisscross yarn over the nest, check at 24 hours — undisturbed means truly orphaned
- Stress-induced cardiac arrest from handling and staring; the dark, silent, minimal-contact rule
- Why cow's milk, goat's milk and vegetables ferment into fatal enteritis in a hindgut digester
- The emergency recipe (KMR or Esbilac fortified with heavy cream), 1cc syringe technique, cecotrope or probiotic for gut flora
- 2–4 cc per feed for closed-eye kits, twice daily once eyes open, cat-bite antibiotics, tularemia and ringworm hygiene
Who this is for
Anyone who has mowed over a nest, cat owners, parents whose kids carried in a bunny, and the people who want the one honest fact first: the mother was coming back, and the string test proves it.
Course outline (10 modules)
Quiz & Certificate
Knowledge quiz
After completing all lessons, take a short quiz to test your understanding.
Go to quiz →Completion certificate
Pass the quiz and earn a shareable certificate of completion.
View certificate →Frequently asked questions
Ready to get started?
$9.99 · Lifetime access · 10 lessons