I Found a Baby Bunny, Now What?

After you have assessed that the bunny or bunnies are uninjured, follow the steps below to best assist baby bunnies.

STEP 1.  DETERMINE AGE OF RABBITS. 

The simplest way to determine age is to answer the following questions:

  • Are baby’s ears standing up, or attached to the back of the baby?

  • Is baby bigger than a golf ball when cupped in your hand?

  • Is baby bigger than an extra large egg when cupped in your hand?

  • Is baby 4-5 inches or more in length?

Size alone will not tell you if this baby is okay on its own.  Healthy, releasable bunnies should be sitting up, making it easy for you to compare their size to a golf ball or egg.  If you are not holding the bunny, this comparison won’t work.  

Signs that bunny is NOT old enough or large enough to be on its own:

  • Is bunny BLACK in color or dark grey?

  • Is bunny screaming?

  • Can bunnies be flipped over so can SEE through the abdomen’s skin?  Look for a ‘milk line’ where you can see the milk inside the baby’s belly.

  • Are the bunnies lying down with feet out behind them, not tucked under?  Bunny should ‘ball’ up easily, especially when picked up..

STEP 2. FIND THE DEN SITE.

The ONLY way to reunite baby bunnies with mom is to get the bunnies back in the ORIGINAL den. You CANNOT move or relocate the den to a more ‘suitable’ area.  Mother rabbits have been known to not return to babies when the den is moved.  Even moving a den just 2 inches from the original location can deter a mom from returning to the nest.  Yes, we know that mom sometimes picks really unsafe places to house her babies.

Examples of Some of the Places a You Might Find a Cottontail Nest:

  • Shallow depression in the middle of a yard

  • Patch of grass or even plain dirt

  • Potted plants

  • Flower boxes

  • Parking lots that have been broken up by grass growth – in tiny patch of grass

  • Dog houses with dirt bottoms

  • Under a piece of wood (long forgotten in the yard) or door, piece of siding, etc.

  • Pile of leaves or grass clippings

  • Manure piles

  • Basically anywhere that Mom could have squatted for ten seconds to have her kids!

Regardless of the location of the den site, PLEASE put the bunnies back in the den.  It’s okay if the nesting material is now all over the yard.  Place as much of the den materials (leaves, grass, some of Mom’s chest hair) back in the nest over the top of the babies.  If you have pets that are trying to get into the nest, you can partially cover the hole with a laundry basket, wheelbarrow upside down, or even a lawnmower rolled over the hole.  Mom can still slink underneath, and the dogs should leave it alone.  If you have dogs that will not stay away from the den site despite your efforts to ward them off, please walk them on a leash for a couple weeks.  It’s only a matter of 2-3 weeks before the bunnies will be gone.

*Note: It is OKAY that you have touched these rabbits with your bare hands.  Mom does NOT care. 

STEP 3.  DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THESE BABIES TRULY ARE ORPHANED.

  • It’s always possible that Mom fell prey to a predator or car and is truly not coming back to feed her babies.  The simplest way to check to see if babies have been fed lately is to check for dehydration.  Pinch the baby’s neck skin to see how quickly it springs back into place.  Bunnies dehydrate quickly, so if it springs back or you can’t tell, chances are that baby is fine.  You can also take a piece of napkin, paper towel, or a cotton ball with some warm water and run the cloth over the baby’s genitals.  If the urine is clear or yellow, baby is fine.  If the urine is dark brown, the baby needs help.

  • You can use two pieces of string, yarn, sticks, or thread to make an “X” over the top of the baby’s den.  If the X is disturbed, mom came back when you were not watching.  Mother Cottontails feed babies for as little as FIVE minutes per day. Mom lies on the top of the hole, placing her abdomen right above the babies.  The babies lay on their backs, open their mouths and nurse upside down.  This process can take as little as two minutes!  Mom will nurse twice per day, at dawn and at dusk.

  • If you can see through the baby’s belly (on very small baby bunnies), look for a milk line.  In very young rabbits, the skin on their belly will be translucent and you are able to see the pink belly skin turn to white toward the bottom of the abdomen.  This is actual milk inside the baby’s belly.  If you can see this, mom has been by to feed the babies very recently and will surely return again to feed them at dusk.