This is the time of year for many people to find both domestic rabbits and wild rabbits outside due to Easter and baby season.
For a comprehensive overview on stray domestic rabbits, please see the wiki article here: <https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Feral_and_stray_rabbits>
For a comprehensive overview on wild rabbits, please see the wiki article here: <https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Wild_rabbits>
## Is the rabbit I found wild or domestic?
It can be very difficult for the average person to tell the difference between a wild and domestic rabbit, especially if they are a baby and/or a common agouti brown.
In general, if the rabbit has long hair or does not have brown fur, it is most likely domestic – although there are exceptions. Please note that wild cottontails in North America cannot breed with our domestic rabbits, but wild rabbits in the rest of the world (e.g. Europe, Australia) can.
Please see the wiki article here for more specific tips on distinguishing domestic and wild rabbits, especially in North America: <https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Wild_rabbits#Is_the_rabbit_I_found_wild_or_domestic?>
## I found a domestic rabbit! What should I do?
Please do not hesitate to contact your local rabbit rescue for volunteers to help you catch a stray domestic rabbit.
For more tips and resources on how to catch a stray rabbit, please see the wiki: <http://bunny.tips/Stray#Catching_a_stray_rabbit>
For tips on how to house and care for rabbits indoors in an emergency, please see the wiki: <https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Feral_and_stray_rabbits#What_do_I_do_when_I_find_a_rabbit.3F>
## I found a baby wild rabbit! What should I do?
If you find a baby wild rabbit that is **not injured,** please leave it alone. It is most likely not abandoned unless you know for a fact that their mother was killed. Rabbits return to feed their young only once or twice a day for a few minutes, usually at night. Just because the babies have been by themselves for 5 minutes does not mean that they have been abandoned. The mother is typically gone from the nest to eat and draw attention away from the nest.
[A detailed image guide to whether a baby cottontail rabbit is in need of help.](https://imgur.com/a/nEcSKro)
If it is old enough to be exploring outside of its nest and has no injuries, please put the baby rabbit back under a bush near where you found it. It does not need any additional care or feeding.
As Rainbow Wildlife Rescue writes,
> There is a 90% mortality rate with orphaned baby rabbits in human care, especially cottontails. This number increases if the rabbits are very young and their eyes still closed. They are extremely hard to “save”. There is little substitute for the nutrients their mother’s milk provides.
Baby wild rabbits can survive on their own at a surprisingly young age. In most countries, it is illegal to possess and take care of wildlife without proper permits. Wild rabbits also do not do well in captivity due to the possibility of [fatal stress](https://wildinstincts.wordpress.com/2012/09/09/capture-myopathy/) because of their high-strung and flighty nature.
If you find a baby wild rabbit because **your dog** picked it up but you can’t find the nest, try putting a leash on your dog and quietly following them to see if they will lead you to the original nest. If you absolutely cannot locate the nest, you may keep the rabbit in a dark and quiet box and contact your closest wildlife rehabilitator that accepts rabbits
If you find a baby wild rabbit because **your cat** found it, please take it to a rabbit-savvy vet or wildlife rehabber as soon as possible, especially if it was carried in the cat’s mouth. Cats have very lethal bacteria in their saliva, and contact can easily be fatal for a baby rabbit in 48 hours.
## What do I do if I am positive that the mother was killed or the baby rabbit is injured?
If you are positive that this is an orphaned baby rabbit, it is best to just **keep the rabbit quiet and warm** until they can be transferred to an experienced wildlife rehabilitator ASAP. Baby rabbits will do fine overnight without food or water as they are usually only fed once a day by their mothers.
Inappropriate care can be fatal to baby rabbits – see this story from Blue Ridge Wildlife Center as an example: https://twitter.com/BRWildlifeCtr/status/1420472056139984896?s=20
Please hand off the baby rabbit to a local wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible.
## How should I keep a baby rabbit until I can get it to a rehabber?
To keep a baby rabbit overnight, please leave it in a quiet dark box **with no food or water**. You can provide a heat source such as a microwaved sock filled with rice and beans or an electric heat pad on low placed under half the box. *Do not handle the rabbit more than necessary to prevent deadly stress.*
## How can I find a local wildlife rehabilitator?
If you need help locating a local wildlife rehabber: <https://bunny.tips/Wild#Wildlife_rehabilitator_listings>
## How can I protect a wild rabbit nest from bad weather and dogs, cats, and other predators?
Keeping your pets indoors while the babies grow up is generally the best option, but if this is impossible, you can protect the nest a few different ways.
Please see the wiki article here for more specific information: <https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Wild_rabbits#How_can_I_protect_a_wild_rabbit_nest_from_dogs,_cats,_and_other_predators?>
by sneaky_dragon
15 Comments
Hi, I have a question that doesn’t seem to be covered by the above.
Earlier this week, I found a baby bunny nest while walking my dog. Ever since my partner and I have gone to look at the nest a few times (not touching, just observing. They’re in a very easy to see spot under a tree near our home.)
Earlier this week, their eyes were closed. Eyes are now open, so we estimate the bunnies are about 2 weeks old, give or take. Based on what we’ve read, it should be another week before they are weaned. But the last couple days, the bunnies hace not been in the nest. I don’t know id something happened to them, of if they’re just exploring a little on their own
Either way, there is one bunny we noticed that is still right near the nest. I think it’s the same bunny we noticed earlier this week to be a tiny bit smaller than the others.
Anyway, what I am wondering is if there’s a chance this one rabbit who stays by the nest could have something wrong with it/was abandoned. Is there something I can/should look out for that might indicate it’s not being fed or something?
Also, it tried to follow my dog and I when we were out walking just now. But I’m not sure if that indicates anything.
For now, it seems fine so I am just keeping an eye out. But any advice or thoughts on things to look for would be appreciated. Thanks!
I also have a question. A cotton tail had its babies in a prominent part of my backyard right in the grass. It’s not realistic for me to keep my dog away from them for weeks so I put a wooden box over the nest, and the box has a large opening on each side for the rabbits to pass through. Is that acceptable or will it prevent the mom from revisiting the babies?
Wondering if you can help! I just came across this. My dog dug up a nest a few nights ago. There were 7 I could save. Tonight we had a terrible downpour, mom was covering babies the best she could but I went out to check once I knew mom had hopped off and they were drenched and the den is completely flooded/torn apart. I heated up a sock with rice and put them in a buck with a towel to dry them for now (they’ve been in there about 20 minutes so far. What can I do to fix the nest??? There is nothing dry outside to remake it. I shoved a towel in the nest to try and dry it up so I can get them back in there as soon as possible. Any tips for this would be great!
I’m kind of confused by this one wild(?) rabbit I saw a minute ago. I left the house briefly to check on something and when I turned around this cottontail rabbit was right there just staring at me. At least, I think it’s a cottontail rabbit? It looks just like the cottontail rabbit from the binxbox comparison picture, and it looks like a healthy adult, but it wasn’t acting like wild rabbit for the most part. Even when I made this startled noise (not loud at all) it just stared at me. It wasn’t frozen in fear either. He moved his head, nose, ears, etc, while looking at me.
It wasn’t until I was like “oh hello there” did it walk away. It didn’t run and it didn’t look panicked. I have a pet rabbit and it walked the same way she does whenever she walks away from me. (Maybe not as lazily as she does it though.) It didn’t approach me (I didn’t walk towards it either) but it did walk to my backyard where I assume it has a family?
The people who owned this house before I moved in planted a bunch of different plants by the house and had a lattice covering with a door under the balcony so every year rabbits will hang out there. My husband and grandma will leave baby carrots outside for them and sometimes a rabbit will be under the balcony and they’ll watch my grandma toss the carrot inside of the lattice thing so I *guess* this could have been a rabbit who’s used to getting treats? Or maybe it really was scared? (Even though it calmly walked away from me.)
I dunno. I’m kind of confused because it looks just like every other rabbit outside but wasn’t acting like any wild rabbit acts like when a human looks at it. I’m kind of wondering if I should’ve approached it just to see if it’d panic and run off. Should I not look for it and leave it alone if I see it again? Because that’s what I’m going to do unless I’m told otherwise.
i have a baby rabbit in the yard that’s a #3 picture size. the house I’m at has a dog who has never been leash trained, but he’s a good listener. the owners told me he has brought them 4 dead babies in the last week, so I think this might be the last one. he’s not aggressive with them, he just wants to bring them inside and kills them just picking them up. 😩
i can watch him and make sure he doesn’t mess with the bunny if he stays near his nest. found him bc dog stepped on the nest, that’s all. baby started vertical jumping and squeaking like a dog toy. he seems fine a few hours later, he’s moved inches from the nest.. he seems to just be moving in circles. he has a big bump on top of his head, and I can’t tell if that’s normal or an injury from the 120lb dog stepping on him.
I just hate to think the poor thing could be suffering, any insight on whether or not the bump could be worrisome? If there’s anything I could do if so, I will. Just didn’t want to try to touch or move or stress out the little thing if I didn’t have to either.
TLDR: He seems healthy and normal otherwise, just a huge bump on his head, can’t tell if it’s a normal growth/weird shaped skull thing or if he is injured from being stepped on.
Hopefully this is the right place to ask:
A cottontail made a nest in my garden bed which my dogs discovered on Sunday. We covered them back up once we got the dogs away and thankfully had fence panels we could put up to keep our dogs out permanently (and placed a brick underneath one so mom could still get in and out). Thankfully the nesting has changed enough that we know mom can still reach them.
Their eyes are still closed and we think there’s at least 3, but it’s going to thunderstorm tomorrow and we’re worried about them drowning. If we just placed a wide board over top of them (raised up maybe a foot or so above the ground), would that be enough shelter? Should we remove it once the rain stops so the sun can warm then back up?
Or should we make a mostly fully enclosed box that only has an entrance big enough for mom?
If I found a rabbit with an ear tattoo, is it possible for me to look that up somehow and find the breeder/family who may have lost him?
Hi! I found a white baby bunny in the street in front of my home. Should I just leave it alone? I wasn’t sure since it’s possible it could be a domestic breed?
[https://imgur.com/a/ySkC3Dq](https://imgur.com/a/ySkC3Dq)
Just want to make sure I do the right thing and appreciate any guidance.
So I was sitting out side and my dogs ran after a rabbit out of its nest and killed the mother and a baby n only one was left and I like like 4 hrs away from the nearest wildlife rehab or rescue what should I do
I accidentally spooked a baby rabbit out from my squash patch while removing some weeds that sprung up. It is quite small but looks fully aware and ready to run. It is currently only 3 ft from its old hiding spot.
I can’t see any fluff or nesting material in the area.
What should I do? I’m thinking of leaving it alone until the evening in case it moves back.
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hi! i have a question. my boyfriend and i ended up tearing apart the dash of the car to retrieve what looks to be a 2 week old baby, she can run, jump, see and all just fine. after we retrieved him, we watched the family run away. im not sure what to feed her. some say she needs kitten formula and others say she should be okay on pellets and hay. ive tried giving her water, carrots, various other veggies and fruit and she wont eat. we brought her home last night and shes slowly getting calmer with us.
These little guys have a nest in our raised bed. While watering earlier today, two of them ran out of the nest. We checked on them tonight and they’re here. We’re concerned they do need to be back in the nest at night, and they can’t hop high enough to get back in the raised bed. We put a piece of wood on the side to act like a ramp, and one got spooked and went through a hole in the fence into the neighbors yard 😢 are they gonna be OK? If anyone knows how we can help them (if they even need any help), please let us know.
https://imgur.com/a/USmxsQx
Edit: forgot the link to the picture
So, today i interfered before my dog killed a baby bunny (cottontail). Basically, i saw my dog with the bunny under her paws and the bunny was making noises… i ran at my dog and dog ran off, and the bunny went under the bush (about two feet away). I’m worried that my dog injured the bunny but i have no way to verify if the bunny is okay or not (bunny must be in the thicker part of the bush, because i can’t see her at all). Also, I’m not even certain that it was a baby because it all happened so fast, but i believe it looked young. I left a shallow cup of water and some grass from our lawn in it. Is there anything else i can do? I don’t want to dig too much in the bush because I’m worried there could be a nest in there (also i don’t want to further stress out bunny 😞)
I have two beautiful domestic bunnies at home, but found a young wild bunny in our backyard. I told my husband to leave it alone, and it should go back home. Well 24 hours later the little guy is still in our backyard (pretty much in the same spot) and my husband thinks he doesn’t know how to get out of our yard. I am starting to think that as well.. how long should I allow him to live there until I should be worried?
He doesn’t quite look like a baby and doesn’t look skinny/sick either. I’m not sure what I should do if he’s still there after a few days, should I contact a wildlife rehab or maybe try to get the little guy to the nearest patch of wild trees/bushes? For additional context we live in a new home division, our fence doesn’t have too many holes/deviations since it’s new, and there isn’t much wild greenery he could have come from which is even weirder.