I have had to assist smaller kits to survive in the first 10 days many times, by taking the doe and rolling her upside down on her back in my lap, cupping her head in my left elbow and holding her two front legs with my left hand, very firmly. I advise long sleeve leather gloves and a heavy coat at the very least as the does hate this at first. She will probably try to bite you and she will definitely scratch like blazes. When she settles (be firm with her but do not hurt her) have a helper hand you the skinny kit. Put it near her nose and talk to her in hushed tones telling her what you are doing and why. She will sniff it and it will squiggle so keep a good hold. The sound of your gentle voice will help to comfort the doe. Place the kit on her belly and cup your gloved hand over its body and do not relax. This is for four reasons. At first the doe will probably struggle at first as the kit is placed on her belly. Have your helper ready to take the kit if you are losing the grip on the doe. Re-adjust and try again. It may take three or four tries until the doe settles. The second reason to keep your hand cupped over the kit is to stop it falling off the does tummy. In the excitement of finally getting a free go at the milk, the kit will snuffle through the fur like a bulldozer looking for gold. It will latch onto a nipple and start to palpate mum with pounding little feet, then let go suddenly, change direction like popping popcorn and launch off looking for another nipple. This will go on for about ten minutes. Its urgency will slow gradually as its belly fills and when you hold it up you will see it is full as a tick and now has a milk hangover. The third reason for the cupped hand, is at any stage the doe can lash out with her back feet which are not held. This is not usual after the initial scuffle at the start but your gloved hand can rescue the kit and protect it from a clawing. Finally by cupping the kit you are keeping its body at least a bit warm. Try to do all of the above, once a day. Make a comparative check on all kits bellies once a day after day 2. You might find just one extra feed is enough to jump start the slightly weaker kit. Waiting till day 4 or 5 gives the king kits, too much of a head start and the weaker one or two, never gain enough strength to hold their own. My does are so used to this now, they tend to go to sleep during the process. I also wear an oodie which is super comfortable for them and provides great protection for me. If I dont have a helper, I slip the kit or kits into the oodie pocket to await their turn. Be aware they will probably wee after feeding, so you will be washing your oodie daily for a few days. I know this may draw some criticism from the survival of the fittest crowd, but when you are breeding for meat, weaned kits at 6 weeks are infinitely better than dead ones in the first two weeks to prove a point.

Glad the momma turned up. Sitting still for a very long time is typical of rabbits. We used to camp at Big Bend National Park and in the evening the cottontails would line up across the road and stare at us. It was a little eery. We lived in an Ohio suburb and the bunnies did the same thing. The exception was our neighbor's pet rabbit who used to escape and come over to eat the clover in our lawn. If you want to help keep them safe, build a little brush pile in the back yard, thorny shrub cuttings are great, remember Br'er Rabbit?

She may or may not. She apparently thinks that location is safe and the area you move it to may not be to her liking. Check the nest and see if there are any babies. Best to move it now if there are no babies, but if there are I would leave it where it is. I've never heard of a wild rabbit living so close to a humans. Is it possible she's domestic?

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2214078/_trid=NGZyYW50ejE5OTc7NGZyYW50ejE5OTdAY29tY2FzdC5uZXQ/baby-bunnies I found this old thread. Lots of good info. Our bunny odessey started last night when our lab found two to play with. One passed immediately, the other put back in the nest and when i checked it today it was passed away but other two remaining bunnies were fine and moving around. Im not sure it was the right thing but i removed the deceased bunnies to our pet cemetary in the back of the yard so dog and other critters would leave them in peace. Very upsetting. Im obsessing over the remaining bunnies. Found a spot on my state website about moving the nest, so we put on gloves, dug a matching nest away from dog area, moved all the furry batting from old nest to new and have the string draped over it. We did see Mom out there around dinner but it should nursing time right now. I'll be patient till sunrise and check to see if the string is moved. If they'll be there for a few days, im going to make a rain covering and privacy protection for them so the Mommy knows theyre safe. I dont want them to wonder off without Mom. I read that on that linked thread.