Metallo Bianco Jewelry

SAVE THE BUNNIES!

When I woke up Wednesday morning I was expecting a normal day...work at the office, come home, work on jewelry, cook dinner...the usual. Until I found the bunnies. Three of them all cuddled up in a little ball!

We thought they might be possums so we called AWARE (Atlanta Wild Animal Rescue Effort) and they said they are actually baby rabbits! We learned that the Mom will come and feed them once a day, at night, for 3-4 weeks and then they would eventually hop off! There eyes were still closed and their ears are still back...indicating that they are less than 10 days old. She said we could pick them up and hold them, that it would be perfectly safe for us and them...and to just cover them back up...but we didn't touch them..they were just so tiny. So we just admired them from afar! That didn't last long. I kept thinking about them and the next day at work I came home for lunch and went right to the backyard to check on them. I just HAD to pick one up...and my heart immediately melted.

It was so soft and warm! I mean...look at those ears and that little tail!!

Carefully, I put the baby back with the other two and covered them back up. I couldn't wait to check on them every few days just to see how they are doing. When I got off of work that day...it was raining...hard...I mean it was POURING. As I was driving I thought "oh my goodness...the bunnies!" When I pulled in the driveway I ran in the pouring rain straight to the back yard (in heels!) and found that most of the yard was a big pool of water.

When I got to the rabbits nest, it was completely full of water. I could see their little heads under the water and I just knew they weren't going to be alive. But when I scooped them up, they were breathing! Now I know that the best thing for any animal is to leave them in their environment and just to let them be...but I could not walk away with them under the water. So I brought them inside.

I immediately called AWARE back to see what to do and they gave me the name of an animal rehabilitator...which is really just a normal person doing phenomenal things in their home to save wild animals. James was amazing. He suggested that I keep them warm in a small box until it stopped raining, go out and try to get as much water as I could out of the hole and put them back in it and cover them up. So that is what I did. We were hoping that the Mom would return and feed them that night. I was to call James in the morning and let him know if she came back and if she didn't he said he would come and get them. Well...in the morning, the three strategically placed leaves on top of the nest had not moved. And it was supposed to rain ALL day. So I brought them back in...again. I had to go to work so I put them in a safe place and called James back. He said that if I wanted, he would meet me that night and come and get them, so I told him I would call him back when I got off of work. I knew that I couldn't take on trying to care for them myself, but I really wanted them to be able to return to the nest and have their Mom come back. During my lunch break...I ran to Petco and bought the suggested formula and tried to feed them. Um..that didn't really work out too well. I got maybe four drops of food in each of them. Apparently, they are extremely difficult to feed...you practically have to force them to eat. Determined to not give up, James and I agreed that I would try to put them back in the nest for one more night to see if the Mom would come back.

And this morning...I found that SHE HAD COME BACK!! The leaves had been moved and their little bellies were all full. I was so excited.

So...it seems to have worked out perfectly. For now, they are safe, full and happy...and hopefully the Mom will continue to return! Now I just have to stop worrying about them and let nature run its course! I love bunnies.