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How to care for wild baby bunny?

Baby bunny nest with babies in it, how do i kno if the mother is taking care of them?

  • I was cutting grass and went over a bunny nest, didn't kill any but one jumped out and was trying to get back in and couldn't find his way (eyes are still closed) without thinking i picked it up and put it back in with the others. I am now afraid that the mother will not tend to them because i touched it. How will i kno if mom is taking care of them? It's been two days and i haven't seen mom anywhere. The babies are still in there and alive but i'm worried i may have given them a death sentence because i touched one of them. They are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand but they have fur. Their eyes aren't quite open yet. When i check the nest i wear a rubber glove, i don't touch the babies but i lift the grass up to see them and they start hopping a little. After a minute or two they stop. What can i do to make sure they are being fed? How do i kno when they are ready to go on their own? They are so cute, i know they are wild but i still worry because they are babies. Help me!

  • Answer:

    Here's some great positive and helpful advice for you to read and put into action - http://www.2ndchance.info/bunnies.htm http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/orphan.html Quoted from the first article - "If you just happened to stumble on a nest, you need to understand that nursing wild mother cottontails only feed their babies during the night and for a few minutes in the early morning hours. That is the only time you will see the mother at the nest. So you might falsely assume that the mother is neglecting her litter or that she has completely abandoned them when these babies are actually in no danger. Also, young cottontails can live independently at a surprisingly young age. Baby cottontail eyes open at 6-8 days. Mothers wean their offspring at 4-5 weeks of age, but they will accept sold foods as early as three weeks of age. If it is over six and a half inches long from tail to nose, re-release it where it was found The mother is still near by. Some are better relocated to a safer place free of cats, dogs and children. The exceptions are rabbits with bite punctures from cats or dogs or lawnmowers. They really need to see a veterinarian ..." just click above for more info! Very best of luck!

locaamor... at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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just leave them alone and keep an eye on them she may not care for taht one since you touched it but she will still take care of the others. but she probable will still take care of it cuz when you set it down it snuggles with the others and their sent will cover up your scent and it will be okay trust me

Jessie

yes..leave them alone..i found a nest in my yard the ohter day..the mother did come back after two one night and the rest the next night

chazohio

They are probably fine. Rabbit mothers only feed their babies 5 minutes a day. Usually very early in the morning. So, chances are you will never see the mother taking care of them. Just make sure you leave them alone so she doesn't get spooked off. The babies will go off on their own when they are ready.

Jen

she is...trust me. stop messing with them too

I'll go with that

She probably is still taking care of them. Rabbits don't really sit on their nests due to predators seeing them so they cover them and leave but come back when the coast is clear to feed them. Next time use a wash cloth to pick them up so ur smell isn't on them

I♥myPitbulls

Millions of baby rabbits survive every year without the "help" of humans. Please leave them alone. The mother is taking care of them, or they would be dead. Nature provides ways for the juvenile animals to survive without our interference. Most likely, if you disturb them, you will only increase their chances of dying.

clovicat

mmm bunny sounds like a good appetizer

bob t

Just stop messing with the rabbits and leave them alone. The more you mess with them, the greater the chance she will not take care of them. If the rabbit sees you near the nest or smells too much of your smell on them, she may abandon the nest. Actually the rubber gloves may give more of a smell off than your bare hands. The only time it pays to mess with the nest is if there are dead babies in the nest, which can be detected by smell. The dead babies need to be removed to help save the remaining ones. With my tame rabbits, I can mess with the babies the day they are born and fairly frequently and it doesn't bother them, but remember, my tame rabbits are used to me handling them and my smell. I'd say don't worry. They'd have been dead in a day or so if she wasn't still feeding them. Just keep any cats away!

devilishblueyes

I found this on House Rabbit Society website: http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/orphan.html And the myth of touching baby rabbits and the mother not coming back is false. Hope that helps!

loloshorty9

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