Stray Domestic Rabbits:
Stray domestic rabbits rarely survive long unless rescued. T.H.E Rabbit Resource will rescue strays whenever possible and put them in foster care until they can be adopted.
When contacting us for assistance rescuing stray rabbits, please include in your FIRST post to us, your location - street, town, AND telephone contact number(s). By giving us this information immediately, we have a better chance of rescuing strays before they become lost, injured, or worse.
Contact Us
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Wild Rabbits:
For questions about wild cottontail babies or injured wild rabbits:
North Country Wild Care:Hotline: (518) 964-6740
Animal Help Now: Emergency Resource - https://ahnow.org/mobile/
Find A Wildlife Professional - https://www.nyswrc.org/find-a-wildlife-professional
-Orphaned Bunnypage at the National HRS
If a nest appears to be ok, LEAVE IT ALONE!! THE MOTHER ONLY FEEDS ABOUT ONE HOUR AFTER DARK AND JUST BEFORE LIGHT.
If the nest has been attacked and there are any injuries, contact your local Wildlife Rehabilitator. This also applies if people have cats or dogs and they cannot keep them away from the nest. Just pick up the bunnies, put them in a small box, and keep them warm until you get them to a rehabber. DO NOT FEED THEM OR GIVE THEM ANYTHING TO DRINK AND DO NOT HANDLE THEM ONCE YOU PLACE THEM IN A BOX.
Also, if you know for certain the mother has been killed, secure them and get them to a rehabber. We do not advise anyone try to raise them - most likely they will die.
GUIDELINES for Eastern Cottontails
Bunny nest discovered, undisturbed, in yard: Please leave the nest alone, as Mom does not stay with the nest. Keep animals and children away from the nest and out of the general area, especially in the early morning and evening.
Bunny nest uncovered by a lawn mower or curious children/ adults: If there is concern that the babies have been injured, you may need to check them. If no obvious injuries are observed, please cover the nest and leave the area.
Bunnies were thought to be abandoned, so they were brought inside: Return the babies to the nest and cover them back up with the existing nesting material, usually fur plucked from the mother’s belly, grass, and leaves.. If found very recently, (within an hour), you can just leave the area.
The nest was brought inside yesterday: If it’s been several hours or the previous day, you can place long pieces of string or thin twigs over the nest, in a tic-tac-toe fashion to help determine if the nest has been disturbed by the mother returning to feed her young. Be sure that the string is long enough to show the disturbance, well over the sides of the nest.
The mother has not come back: If the nest does not appear to have been disturbed within 24 hours or less, the babies probably need to come in for rehab. However, before doing so, it is a good idea to feel one or two of the babies' bellies. A nice, rounded belly means that Mom has indeed fed her young. If you are not comfortable picking the babies up to check them, please contact the North Country Wild Care hotline or a local rehabber, before gathering them into a box, as someone may be able to check the babies at the site.
Concerned about neighborhood dogs or cats: The nest can often be equipped to keep them out. A laundry basket, tub, or large bucket can be inverted over the nest, with holes about the size of softballs, cut in the sides, to allow the mother rabbit access. The container should be weighted down with a heavy object. Be careful in hot weather that there's adequate airflow, or use an alternate method, such as a fence, as long as the mother can access the nest.
A dog or cat caught a bunny: Any rabbit that has been picked up by the mouth of a cat or dog should receive medical attention. Please keep animals away from the area, if possible, as there are likely more little bunnies around. Please call a rehabber.
An injured and/ or bleeding bunny was found: If possible, please take the bunny to a vet (from the recommended vet list). The vet will contact North Country Wild Care. Please call the vet office first. The bunny must be kept warm and quiet during transport.
A bunny, about the size of a man’s fist, was found hopping around the yard: Leave him alone; he/ she is big enough to be out of the nest.
If the bunnies do need to removed from the nest or yard because of new construction, fear of predation by feral cats, etc: Please put them in a covered box, (with air holes). The bunnies should be on fleece or tee-shirt material, not terry cloth, (because of the loops, which a little nail can get caught in). A heating pad should be placed under the box, set on “low”. A soda bottle, filled with hot tap water, can be placed in the box, (where it won’t roll on the bunnies), if a heating pad is not available or for transport. Contact a rehabilitator.
If not certain what to do, please call the North Country Wild Care hotline at 518-964-6740 and ask for guidance.