Releasing baby cottontail rabbits with my grandchildren! These two were caught by a dog, but luckily not injured. Cottontails only feed their babies intermittently during the night and for a few minutes in the early morning hours. That is the only time the mother will be at the nest. So you might falsely assume that the mother is neglecting her litter or that she has completely abandoned them when these babies are actually in no danger. House cat-captured bunnies often die from infections and stress. Hand raising babies frequently die due to lack of their mother’s protective antibodies passed on to them through natural rabbit milk. The most common cause of death in hand raising cottontail is failure to establish normal rabbit flora (bacteria) in their intestinal tract at the time they are weaning. Cottontails leave their nest when they are only 5 inches or so long. At this stage they will be sniffing and nibbling at the plants around them and carrying their ears erect. They may seem too small and fragile to survive without their mothers – but they are not. If you had to run after or corner the bunny and it appears to be uninjured, take it back where you found it. If there are too many cats and dogs there, take it to a thick brushy area at the edge of a grassy meadow and release it there.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 02:06:16 +0000
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