Cottontail Bunnies
If you find a cottontail bunny’s nest or accidentally uncover one, here are the steps you can take.
The first step should always be LEAVE IT ALONE! Cover the nest back up as best as you can. Lay blades of grass in a tik-tac-toe fashion on top.
You could take a photo so you have something better than your memory for knowing how you laid them.
Mom only visits to nurse briefly twice a day and is out there watching you.
Don’t keep checking or uncovering the nest during the day. The next morning, check the grass design. Did you take a photo?
- If the blades have been disturbed, it’s likely Mom has not gotten upset at your mistake, and is feeding her babies still.
- If the grass looks the same, wait until after dusk to give Mom another chance.
- Did you find the nest is open and empty? Mom has moved the babies.
What should you do if a dog or cat uncovered the nest, and maybe hurt the babies?
For injured babies or ones that have been in contact with a cat’s mouth, regardless of visible wounds, give me a call.
If your dog only uncovered the nest, you can place a barrier around it made from temporary garden fencing, a lawn chair turned over, or a laundry basket with an entrance and an exit hole cut out.
Why did Mama build a nest in my dog’s pen? Eastern cottontails have a little bit of prairie in them and feel safe when they can get a 360 degree view of what’s going on.
Dog pens usually have that vantage, and she has smelled that no other predators have been entering this area.
Why they don’t interpret the dog as a threat, we’re not sure. It’s not unusual and they aren’t being dumb.
It’s a special experience to raise a baby bunny to the point it can be released.
Because their particular diet, habits and needs are challenging, it’s hard even for rehabilitators! The best practices include replicating the natural habitat and circumstances. For instance, a soft and edible grass nest, a quiet and stress-free environment, and a quality milk replacer.
While they can be adequately raised on a general milk replacer product for small mammals, they grow and thrive on a complex combination of products.
The best recipe includes milk replacers of varying fat and protein ratios, with the addition of supplements like L-glutamine, flax oil, caprylic fatty acid, to name a few. I use a product out of Australia created solely for rabbits and have had a lot of successes.
Another thing to keep in mind is the correct timing and choice of adding fresh grasses and plants. This diet is crucial for their unusual digestive system. They are “hind-gut fermenters” like horses, and if you think of them as tiny horses it can help! As we know, horses need a lot of dry and fresh grasses and access to plenty of fresh water. Horses also have a sensitive nervous system and “spook” easily, just like rabbits.
It’s my honor to be able to raise these delicate fuzzy “horses”.cottona
