Nightime - Day Three
Caring for a baby bunny is exactly like having your first child all over again. The feedings are every 2 1/2 - three hours apart all night long. She starts moving around the aquarium to let me know she is in search of her mommas milk. I set my phone alarm every 3 hours to check in on her. She always sticks her head out of the nest and holds her head back to let me know that she is ready for milk.
I take a trip downstairs and warm a small glass of water and place her glass of milk inside to heat her milk to room temp. She gets so excited when she sees me come back in the room. I pick her up and tuck her safely inside a towel and crawl back into bed with her. She sits peacefully on my chest as I slowly allow her to sip the droplets of milk from the dropper. I have already been diluting the milk with distilled water a little bit to help get her weaned. A few loving kisses on her head and lots of chin strokes to show her some affection and back to her nest she goes until the next feeding.
Day Four
She was sitting up waiting for her morning meal when I awoke. She looks so good today. I picked her up and snuggled her into the towel and brought her downstairs to have her morning meal on the back porch. She was a little nervous and kept hiding her face in the towel. I kept caressing her on the cheeks and top of her head until she felt secure. My husband warmed her milk and picked her some fresh greens from the garden. He even brought her the head of a dandelion to enjoy. She was so delighted to have the dandelion that she devoured it quickly, which made me a little nervous. But she insisted on eating some red ruffled lettuce and green romaine lettuce too. A little bunny nap in my arms while I had some coffee and off to her nest until the next feeding.
We look in on her so much that you would think she would put up a little rabbits foot and say.... it's okay, I am just fine. lol It has been so hot here this past few days that it is difficult to even spend time outside in the heat of mid-day. My husband and CoCo our little dog, decided to take a nap in my room with the bunny as CoCo has become like a nurturing, worrying little mother hen over our little "honey bunny", which by the way is what we named her. I was getting too hot working in the veggie garden that I decided to join them for a family nap time. I picked up Honey Bunny and put her in the towel snuggled between my husband and I while CoCo laid between us too. She always insists on licking her a few times every time I bring her out of the nest.
After an hour we got up and gave her a few fresh dandelion greens and some droplets of water and put her back into the nest. We went down and started watering some of our gardens as the sun began leaving the yard, which probably was about a half hour or so. I went upstairs to peek in on our little one. I picked her up and she was almost lifeless. I could not believe what I was seeing as she was practically limp in my hands where just a little bit ago she was a vibrant little sweetheart.
I brought her down to the back porch and held her for a few minutes before my husband realized I had her. Tears streaming down my face, he looked at me and said no, she has to be okay. I said honey, she is not moving at all and is not opening her eyes. He looked at me in disbelief and just started stroking her precious little face. He sat down next to us and I knew in my heart that he was the one to hold now. As he sat there with Honey Bunny laying limply in the palm of his hands, we were both crying like little babies unable to hold back our emotions. Oh my god, how could two people get so attached to a little thing so quickly. Our hearts were literally breaking over our little one. We held her close, loved on her and let her know that it was okay to go to bunny land now, as we sat there waiting for her to take her last breath.
It was less than an hour that passed as that little one went from a content, ravenous little creature to one that had no strength at all. It was indeed her time to transition over to the other side and we knew that we had done all that we could have to ensure that her last days were filled with love and kindness. Tears are still streaming down my face as I write this update for all of you. This has been the most beautiful week full of precious moments that neither one of us would not have wanted to experience. We carefully wrapped her into her little towel and buried her right next to the steps on our back porch. A pretty stone lays atop her grave as a reminder of how much she meant to us.
I know this is not the happy ending that all of us were wishing, hoping and praying for. It was always up to her and her alone if she was to survive. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for all of the love and support that each and everyone of you has sent her way. Love and Blessings for all of you from Bunny Land.
Video of Honey Bunny on her last day
If you missed the first part of the story you can read it here: Part 1 "The Beginning"
Until next time, this is Sunscape...
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