Rescuing baby cottontails: Often we do more harm than good

This is the time of year when people find wild baby bunnies during the day and think they have been "abandoned", when in all likelihood, they have not. Before you try to save a wild baby bunny, know the facts.

1. Mother rabbits only nurse their babies for approximately 5 minutes a day.
   
2. The mothers return to the nest briefly once or twice a day in the evening or at night. If you find "orphaned" babies during the day leave them alone!
   
3. Rabbits will still care for their babies even if they have been touched by human hands.
   
4. If you find a nest that has been destroyed, you can move it or rebuild it to a safer area within 10 feet of it's original location. Try to lay twigs around the nest so that you can see if the mother is returning. Or try sprinkling corn starch around the nest and look for tracks. If the babies bellies look plump, the mother has been feeding them.
   
5. If you know for certain that the mother has been killed and the babies need help, contact a wildlife rehabilitator. Look for Ontario rehabilitators listings here: http://www.wildlifecare.org/listcanada.html

Photo used with permission from Scott Sarna, London ON

There is a 90% mortality rate with orphaned baby cottontails. This number increases if the rabbits are very young (eyes still closed). They are extremely hard to "save". There is little substitute for the nutrients their mother's milk provides. Often they die of bloat, improper feeding or overfeeding. Many die even when people have done everything "right".

Read more detailed information read the following articles:

http://www.rabbit.org/care/orphan.html
http://www.kindplanet.org/rabbitbabies.html
http://www.rabbit.org/care/newborn.html
http://www.hrschicago.org/newbabyfr.html

Related Topics
http://www.wildliferescueleague.org/report/cotton.htm

For more information about the eastern cottontail, including photos, click here.

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