HELP EMERGENCY!!! Rabbits!?

Question

Just a couple minutes ago a mother rabbit dug a hole in my front yard (in the middle of the grass with no protection or cover from anything), and gave birth to about 4-5 rabbits. What the heck am I supposed to do? Those rabbits are going to just die?

Answer 1

http://www.2ndchance.info/bunnies.htm
http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/orphan.html
Very best of luck!

Answer 2

C'mon, people, THINK! What is a vet or rescue center going to do for someone in this situation??? They are going to tell her to leave them be! This rabbit mom chose an unfortunate place for a very natural activity- digging a scrape and gviing birth. If she is truly in anyone's way you can try relocating them, but I can tell you from experience that baby bunnies do not relocate well, and almost all of them would mostly die in the attempt, plus face abandonment by the mother. If you feel it is necessary to take this chance, a wildlife control officer is your best bet.

The best thing you can do for her is cordone off the area around her nest to keep people and pets away, with a small fence (giving her about 25' space between the fence and the nest), straw bales (4 sides, in a large square with open corners so she can get back and forth but larger creatures would not be as interested), or whatever else you have. The babies will nurse for about 4-5 weeks before they are ready to leave the nest. You can leave food (green leaf lettuce, carrots, shelled corn, alfalfa) out for her, and a shallow dish of water (like a birdbath) so she does not have to forage too far for what she needs to survive and rear her young. Avoid mowing within 25 feet of her nest. Try to stay away from the nest as much as possible, and leave her be. If you're lucky, everything will go well, and you'll be treated to the sight of baby bunnies playing in your yard as the little ones start leaving the nest.

Answer 3

A few things. First, a wild rabbit that isn't healthy might not take care of the babies properly. A "scrape" isn't really a proper nest. They usually take a bit of time, and line a well-dug nest with their fur. A last minute dig-and-babies isn't really a good thing.

Further, touching wild baby animals does NOT always mean the parents will abandon and kill them. Other circumstances can cause this, but usually its not because you've touched them.

HOWEVER, a wild rabbit is feral, and its babies would be feral. Taking them in would be unwise, as they would still be feral. A half tame, half feral rabbit would be at risk- unable to live with people, and unable to function in the wild.

Answer 4

I would put some hay around so that she can make a nest. If possible, put some kind of canopy or something on top so they don't get rained on. If you have a cat, the babies are going to be easy prey so keep your cat away. It sounds like the mother rabbit had an emergency delivery she wasn't prepared for. The mother might possibly move them to a safer place, but give her some bedding material for the time being.

Answer 5

DO NOT TOUCH THE BABY's. Unless you want them killed of course, if you touch the baby's the mother will know and kill them. If you have a cat keep it inside, a dog chained up out of reach but not sure if a dog would eat it. I have had rabbits and my mother rabbit didnt move the babies, she just covered them in fur and also she usually went out eating and going around and then later she would go back to the babies. I say just leave them there. If you want them dead of course wait until the mom is not there and then ugh pick em up with something and throw them nevermind too cruel. Jus leave them and don't touch the babies with your hands. If you did then your problems will be solved cruely but it will be solved.

Answer 6

Is this a wild rabbit? if it is then I would leave them alone, the mother should take care of them, and find a safe place for them. If the rabbit is someone's pet then you might want to bring the whole family in the house and possibly call a vet or animal shelter, they have volunteers who can take care of baby rabbits.

Answer 7

She will probably get some stuff to cover them up and you may not even see them. I would wait a little to see if she does this...if not then perhaps you should call wildlife rescue in your area. I've had rabbits do this too and before you know it, the little hole is all covered with fur and grass and you can barely see them.

Answer 8

Don't worry mom knows what she's doing. Wild rabbits only feed their young 24 to 48 hours after giving birth, and then only at dawn and dusk to make sure that any predators don't follow her to the nest. leave her be and in about 3-6 weeks you can have your yard back.

Answer 9

The rabbit had her babies there because she thinks it is a safe place for them. Call a local rabbit rescue if you think they are in danger so they can evaluate the situation. Other than that, keep any cats and dogs you have indoors and away from the babies.

Answer 10

Maybe something is wrong with the rabbit.
If you save them, then what ever is wrong with that rabbit is going to be passed down to the baby rabbits.
And if those rabbit have babies then even more rabbits will have something wrong with them.
Just let nature take care of them.

Answer 11

Do not touch them unless you really think there is a big problem or if they are in the way of something dangerous. The mother can usually dig a pretty deep burrow and keep them warm with her body heat. If you do touch her babies you run the risk of her rejecting them because you got your scent on them. If it is really a big problem you might want to ask professionals, or if you must touch them, use gloves that are clean and have no scent on them.