Bunnies were in stable, but critical condition. I put them in a small box with a towel, some grass and dirt. Under one end of the box, I placed a small heating pad (the kind you put under a reptile cage) to keep them warm. I fed them every 2 hours for the first couple days. I took them home to feed at night. In the morning I took them to work. At first they wouldn't eat, but after a couple tries they ate a drop or two. Before I knew it they were eating a whole dropper full. After each meal I rubbed their bellies to stimulate thier digestive systems. Did I mention I had to wake up and feed them every 2 hours?

GOOD NEWS: They are still alive and off the critical list. As you can see, they are still very small and weak. They can crawl and burrow under the blanket to snuggle with each other. Also, they began to clean themselves, which is good because an animal without the will to survive is not going to clean itself. They are eating more, about 2 to 3 droppers full each. Lumpy has the best appetite but Peter is more active. Did I mention I had to wake up every 2 hours to feed them?

BIG DAY!  Lumpy opened his eyes this afternoon, Peter opened his eyes the next day. Imagine the shock when they saw what "mom" looks like. They can walk a little bit, but frequently loose their balance and fall over. Lumpy was the first to walk, but I noticed his right side seems slightly paralyzed. His front leg is twisted in and he drags his hind leg when he walks. Good news though, the lump is gone, so I changed his name to "Forest Gump". I weighed them today, 30 grams, that's a little more than 1 oz.

They are both doing extremely well, Gump continues to progress faster than Peter, their appetites continue to grow. They seem to enjoy sleeping in my pocket while I work on the computer, I guess it's warm and they can hear my heart beat, reminds them of mom. Their weight is up to 40 grams now, unbelievable, I don't know what's in that KMR formula, but you can almost see them growing.

As you can see, their fur has gotten thicker, they look like little fur balls. Their senses are developing rapidly and their noses and ears are constantly twitching.

May 7, 1998

They get more active every day, I moved them from the box to a small pet taxi. They are extremely alert and aware of their surroundings.

May 12, 1998

They still enjoy being in my pocket, but now they have to peek out to see what is going on. They weigh over 70 grams. I have decided, when they reach 8 weeks old, I will take them to my sister's house, and release them. She has a house in the woods with 6 acres of land, and a lot of other rabbits. Lots of places for them to hide, definitely where I would want to be if I were a rabbit! Still worried about Gump's right side, it has not progressed as fast as his left.

Gump was always happy when feeding time arrived. Sometimes he couldn't wait for me to feed him and would try to feed himself. Here you can see he helps himself to the bottle. By now they both have the appetite of a Great White shark!

They spend most of their time under the towel. They come out when they are hungry and wait for me to bring food! They are eating some solid food, their favorites are clover, dandelion, and kale. Gump's legs are improving, his limp is going away. I let them out and chase them around frequently to help develop their muscles and lungs.

Last night I woke up late for feeding time and Peter was missing! He must have gotten hungry and went to find me. He got through a hole in the cage, jumped off the  bath room counter, and found his way into the bedroom, where I found him under the quilt on the floor by the bottom of my bed.

They have gotten too active to be caged, so I let them run around the office all day. Peter has been renamed "Speedy" because he runs around my desk at an unbelievable speed. At night I take them home and they run around the bathroom. It's a good thing they use the litter box! They are completely on solid food, and a lot of it! I am giving them some domestic rabbit food for added nutrients.

Very clean little critters, always cleaning and grooming themselves, and each other. They even remember to wash behind the ears (which are size 12 by now). I got a cage with a wire bottom, so I can put them outside in the grass on nice days to acclimate them to the weather since the release date is coming quickly.

Today was bunny release day, but I had to postpone it due to severe thunderstorms and heavy rain. Also, they panicked and started jumping against the side of the cage and cut their noses. An extra week will give them some time to heal. They are about 6" long now and can jump over top of the bath tub. If I call them and hold out some food they will come and take it from my hand, albeit very cautiously. Their instincts are very good, any sign of danger and they are gone in the blink of an eye. This will be very useful in the wild! Mother nature is calling them to come home.

When it comes to hiding, these guys are experts. Here they find a little "hide out" between a couple rolls of blue prints. As you can see, their noses have healed. They are so quick you can't catch them. They have become excellent broken field runners, all that chasing them around the office has developed their cardio-vascular systems and muscles. I can't tell them apart any more, Gump's limp is gone and he is as quick as Speedy when he wants to be, although he still prefers to sit and eat! With each passing day it becomes more obvious they need to go home.

The day they have been waiting for! I put their cage under the porch with food and a water bottle. I left the door open so they could come and go as they get used to their new surroundings. Speedy left after a few hours, Gump the next day. Gump returned for some food once, but after that he never came back.

Gump posed for the camera one last time, and then, he was gone.

. . . and then, like a true bunny, he ate one, then, he was gone!