Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Eastern Cottontail

Save a litter of bunnies with a laundry basket!

Eastern cottontails in our area will have multiple litters per year between February and October. We have already admitted many baby cottontails, including the four pictured above, attacked by domestic animals, and we anticipate that these numbers will rise over the next few months. Help us help them by knowing what to do if you find a rabbit nest in your yard or if you have babies that have been attacked by a pet.

Save a litter of bunnies with a laundry basket! You may have a nest full of baby bunnies in your yard right now and not even know it. Look for a dead patch of grass, like the one in the photo, that may (not always) contain white or gray fur. Under that dead grass and fur could be a nest of baby bunnies.

Baby cottontails grow fast and are generally out of their nest by 4-5 weeks of age. Mom only nurses these babies 1-2 times per day, at dawn and dusk, so it is completely normal to not see her. If the babies are dry, warm, and tucked down in the nest, it is safe to assume they are doing well.

If you find a nest of healthy babies in your yard, now is the best possible time to protect it from pets! If your pet already found the nest, but has not yet touched the babies, bring your pet inside while you create your bunny fortress.

Laundry baskets can be used to protect nests from smaller or more gentle dogs while allowing mom access. Larger dogs can be deterred with outdoor furniture, upside down wheelbarrows, or other heavy items covering the nest’s location. Just make sure there is enough space for mom to enter and NOT enough space for your pet to access the nest!

You may also choose to leash-walk your pet until the babies leave the nest (often much less than 4 weeks by the time the nest is discovered).

Unlike other common small mammals, mom will not pick up and move babies—she also WILL NOT find them if you move the nest.

If a dog or cat has already gotten a hold of one or more babies, please call us ASAP about bringing those babies in for evaluation. Though rehabilitators will keep any injured cottontails for care, babies that were not harmed should be renested and protection can be put in place to prevent the pet from getting to the unharmed babies. Cottontail mothers are FAR better than even the best rehabilitators when it comes to raising cottontail kits. Please give these babies every chance possible to stay safe with mom!

Did you or your pet find a nest and you’re not sure what to do? Refer to this flow chart to assist you in next steps.