We have had about 10 young Eastern cottontails arrive since the beginning of the month, and today is just the 4th of April. Spring has sprung and bunnies are out there hidden in their nest. These little ones were all found by dogs in their yards. They are lucky that they were not seriously injured. Dogs often crush bunnies internal organs and cause life threatening injuries.
Please remember to check your yard for rabbit nests. Walk all around the yard and carefully in the grass. Rabbit nests can be in the tall grass right in the middle of your yard. If you plan to mow the lawn, double check that a nest of bunnies is not tucked into the grass before you mow. Every year we see rabbits injured by domestic pets, motorized yard equipment, or displaced during landscaping projects.
Wild rabbits do NOT eat carrots and lettuce and things we think of feeding to domestic bunnies. They eat grasses, dandelions, and things growing naturally in your yard. If you find a small orphaned or injured rabbit - place it immediately into a box, keep it quiet, warm, and covered. The rabbit is not comforted by you handling it, it sees you as much of a predator as the cat. They easily die of stress. Do NOT feed it any milk, or replacement milk products. It will cause the GI track to bloat and the rabbit will die. Get it to a licensed rehab facility ASAP. Call us with any questions. Status: released.
