If you’ve arrived at this page directly, please first refer to Does This Infant Mammal Need Help?
Renesting baby bunnies
Eastern Cottontails are independent when they are the size of a tennis ball, their ears are erect (not laid against their head), their eyes are open, and they are fully furred. If you find a healthy bunny who fits this description, let them be. Hopefully they have found a safe place to explore the world away from cats and dogs.
Healthy and uninjured baby bunnies whose eyes and ears are closed and who are not fully furred should still be in their nest in the ground.
Mother bunnies visit their nests to feed their babies twice a day – at sunrise and just before sunset. Outside of these times, mom leaves the area to avoid attracting predators to the nest.
If you find a healthy baby bunny who should still be in the nest, try to locate it. Nests can be pretty well camouflaged, but look for a spot on the ground covered with leaves, grass, or other nesting material. You may have to feel around for it. If you find the nest, gently tuck the baby bunny back in and recover it with nesting material.
If you’re concerned that mom may not return, try this: Make a tic-tac-toe pattern with grass or yarn, or sprinkle a ring of flour around the nest. Make sure to keep people and pets away so she feels safe enough to visit her nest. If the pattern or flour has not been disturbed after both the sunrise and sunset feedings, call us.
Can I move the nest?
No. Do NOT move baby bunnies from their nest and place them elsewhere. Their mother will not find them. If you think you’ve found the nest but there are no other baby bunnies inside, the one you found will need help. Call us right away.
My cat caught a baby bunny
Domestic outdoor cats are a major threat to Wisconsin’s wildlife, particularly in spring, when they hunt and kill defenseless infant and juvenile mammals, as well as songbird fledglings, even if they are well fed. If a baby animal has been in a cat’s mouth, the baby must be brought in for antibiotics to reduce the chance of infection from bacteria in the cat’s saliva. Even if the skin is not visibly torn, antibiotics are given as a preventative measure. Call us right away and keep cats on leashes, in catios, or indoors.
But I have dogs in my yard
If you have a nest of baby bunnies in your yard and you’re concerned about your dog finding them, place an upside-down laundry basket over the nest during the day, but be sure to remove it before dusk to allow mom to nurse them. Use a brick on top to prevent your pups from knocking over the basket. From the time they are born, baby bunnies will leave the nest in about two weeks. You can also consider keeping your dog on a leash until they leave the nest and disperse.
I know the mother was killed
If you know that the mother has been killed, her babies will need help. Call us right away.
We do not take healthy baby animals away from their mothers
Wisconsin WildCare will not take healthy baby bunnies from nests to care for them just because someone doesn’t want them in their yard. A healthy baby bunny’s best chance of survival is always with mom. We care for truly orphaned, sick, and injured wildlife, not animals removed from their nests or taken from their mother because someone doesn’t want them in their garden.
Thank you for helping Wisconsin’s wildlife!