Most of us only get to handle a wild rabbit when, sadly, a baby is brought to us as a ’present’ by one of our cats.

These youngsters are usually fatally injured, or too shocked by the experience, to survive.

From time to time well-meaning members of the public bring us what they think are orphaned baby rabbits (or ’kittens’, to use the correct name) but the reality is that wild babies are usually not orphaned or abandoned.

If the young animal appears healthy, the best thing you can do is put it back where you found it and leave the area, as the mother will come back at night to call and find it.

Rabbit mothers nurse their babies for approximately five minutes a day, early in the morning and then again in the evening.

Their milk is very rich and the babies fill up to capacity within minutes.

Mother rabbits do not ’sit’ on their babies to keep them warm as do some mammals and birds.

Instead they build a nest with fur and grasses which help to keep the babies warm in between feedings.

The five babies pictured were brought to us by a gentleman who had observed the nest for some time, and he was convinced the mother rabbit was not going to return.

They are being fed by a small syringe filled with baby cat milk mixed with probiotics, but they will have to fight for life because they are so tiny (about three inches long) and prone to infection.

When they are old enough they will be introduced to mashed carrots and parsley, and be given a good quality hay to eat.

This year’s Rabbit Awareness Week, which took place earlier in June, had as its main theme the importance of dietary hay to keep rabbits healthy.

Dietary hay is different from bedding hay in that it is fresher, less dusty, much tastier and full of fibre, which supports the rabbit’s digestive system.

It should smell sweet and be as green as possible, and it should make up about 90 per cent of a rabbit’s diet.

We have had an excellent rabbit rehoming rate recently in the small animals unit, with even the grumpiest rabbits bonding with new partners and going to their new homes.

We may even need to start a waiting list for people who wish to rescue a rabbit, rather than buy one from a pet shop, and so please let us know if you are in this situation.

Harry, the not very imaginatively named hamster, is still in the small animals unit after two months.

He’s less than a year old and so should give his new owners around two more years of enjoyment.

He’s a very handsome hamster, with a dark grey coat and big black eyes, and he has really benefited from lots of handling.

He would make the perfect pet for a child to learn about the responsibility of owning an animal, as long as there was adult supervision.

Adult supervision is also a proviso for dogs to be brought into the Ard Jerkyll tearooms which are now, officially, dog-friendly.

We have made some modifications to the conservatory and so that we can now allow well-behaved dogs into that room, leaving the dining area next to the kitchen dog-free for those customers who do not wish to eat alongside a canine companion.

We hope the tearooms will become the ’go to’ place for dog walkers, with a ready supply of dog treats and fresh water (and towels in wet weather!) offered as part of the dining experience.