How do you take care of a injured baby rabbit?

Answer 1

The saliva of the short-tailed shrew is poisonous - it is the only mammal with such an adaptation. The poison can kill a rabbit and cause a burning sensation and severe swelling in humans.

Not all shrews are poisonous, just Short-tailed, check the appearance of the species and use gloves when handling it. If you are bitten by a poisonous shrew, I wouldn't worry either. You probably won't die.

Shrews are NOT rodents. They are small and furry, but they are nothing like rats and mice. They are in the family Soricomorpha, which is a much more ancient group of mammals.

Caring for a Shrew:

If anyone means to take care of a shrew, the first thing he/she needs to understand is that shrews have an extremely high metabolism. The reason some shrews have venom is so that they can more easily hunt in order to satisfy their voracious appetite. They have to eat at least once every few hours in order not to starve to death. The second aspect of shrews to understand is that they are entirely carnivorous, and are known for their fierce disposition while hunting. Ever wonder why Shakespeare named his play The Taming of the Shrew? Shrews are not easy creatures to tame.

Probably the best thing to do is to release it into the wild once it is well again. However, if one does want to keep a shrew in captivity in the long-term or just until it is recovered, this is how.

Shrews are the smallest mammals on earth, so keeping it in a wire cage is not advisable, because it could slip out, and if it is poisonous, that could be dangerous to other pets in the house. Contain it in a normal terrarium, as you would a lizard or snake or rat. When choosing such an enclosure, more emphasis should be placed upon the length of the terrarium, rather than the height, because shrews are not known for climbing, although a few live plants wouldn't go amiss. Following the model of a snake's terrarium is the best way to go, including the small locks, rocks and logs sold at pet stores to place in their cages.

Feeding your shrew would probably be the most difficult thing, and something you should really consider if you want to keep a shrew in captivity permanently. In the wild, shrews are mainly insectivores, but laboratories keeping shrews often feed them dead voles and mice. Crickets and mealworms would probably be the best way to feed a shrew, and the easiest, because most pet shops carry them. Unless you can handle seeing your "pet" killing another mammal, I would not recommend buying baby mice, though the shrew would probably like it. Shrew would definitely prefer live prey. Don't be tempted to buy a shrew a water-dispenser like those for mice. It is usually too small, and it might not figure it out otherwise. Again, the rock-like water bowls sold for snakes and lizards will do just fine, and you should probably find the smallest one available.

If you keep a shrew in captivity, you should remember that it is not a pet. Not only was it born in the wild, it's brain capacity, as well as social behavior, make it almost impossible to tame a shrew. It will not want to be touched, nor would I recommend trying to touch it. Its terrarium would be a decorative, exotic effect only. Also, most shrews are reasonably territorial and highly solitary. Some species of shrew die when kept in close quarters together, without being attacked by the other.

Don't get too attached to your shrew. Although, as said above, some shrews can live be about three years old, most don't last longer than a year or two. If you feed it and care for it, take comfort in the fact that you have, at least, made its little life easier by providing it with food.

Lastly, research your shrew as much as possible. Try to figure out its species by judging on the area in which you live, its coloring and size, and then adjust its feeding schedule and diet accordingly.

I have never kept a shrew personally for myself. I merely know about them as wild animals, I don't know what to expect of a shrew in captivity.

Answer 2

Give it some kitten milk1 Beat three egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl. Add 2/3 cup whole milk and one tablespoon corn oil to the bowl. 2 Add one millileter of liquid infant vitamins to the mixture. These vitamins often come in a jar with a medicine dropper attached to the cap. One full dropper is usually one millileter although this may vary slightly from one brand to the next. Sponsored Links Ask a Cat Vet Online Now 11 Veterinarians Are Online. Questions Answered Every 9 Seconds. Cat.JustAnswer.com 3 Mix all of the ingredients. The mixture will be a pale yellow color and mostly uniform in texture although the ingredients may separate over time. 4 Fill a baby bottle with the homemade milk replacement and warm the bottle to room temperature in a bowl of hot water before feeding the kittens. 5 Refrigerate remaining milk replacement in a covered container for up to 24 hours and warm the mixture as necessary to feed the kittens.

Read more on Ehow's website, under 'Homemade Milk Replacer for Kittens'

Answer 3

you take it to the vet it will be sad for it to die/pass away

Answer 4

You should take it to the vet as soon as possible because you won't know how seriously injured/sick it is.