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Wild Cottontail baby rabbits - Might not need your help!
Unfortunately, most people think they are doing a good deed when they find baby wild bunnies by taking them in. Many people believe the young must be orphans because no adult is around to be seen. That is how it works with rabbits though. The mother only comes back to the nest twice a day (once in early morning and once late at night) to nurse her young. Then she stays away from the nest so not to draw any predators to them. So please leave young wild rabbits alone and try to keep other pets and children away from the area for about 2 weeks. A wild cottontail baby can and should survive in it’s own and they leave the nest at about 3 weeks of age and they are still quite small. If the baby’s eyes are open and they are furred, leave them alone! The chances of a wild cottontail baby surviving in captivity is about 1%. They do not adapt well to human environments (kids, TV, and other household sounds) and suffer stress which will likely be fatal. If you have already removed the babies, please put them back as close to the original location as possible. A little wild cottontail baby will survive on it’s own, so do the right thing and do not interfere unless medically necessary.
If you have a seriously injured baby wild rabbit or another reason for a cottontail rehabber, please contact RI wildlife rehab at 401-294-6363 or local veterinarian for assistance. Please do not contact Sweet Binks as we only assist domestic rabbits. Keep bunny in quiet, dark place and handle it as little as possible. Do not carry it around & show it to people, and do NOT attempt to feed it unless you are confident in what you are doing. If the baby or babies are not injured and the eyes are open and they are furred, please release the rabbit as close to the area it was found in and do not intervene with nature.
For more information, please read:
http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/orphan.html
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