If you answered YES to ALL of the above questions, the baby is likely fine and should be left alone or released where it was found if already contained (if the baby has been in human care for more than a day or has been fed milk or formula, however, it may need help—call our wildlife hotline for further advice). Although they may appear small and defenseless, these small rabbits are going through a normal and essential part of their development—rabbits are vulnerable to predation throughout their lives and people can do greater damage by attempting to “protect” babies from their natural environments.

If the answer to any of these questions is NO, it is possible that intervention may be required. Please call our Wildlife Hotline at (416) 631-0662 so we can help you assess the situation further.

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3. I found a baby rabbit(s) that is/are sick or injured.

Signs of illness or injury in baby squirrels

• Seizures (stiffening or rapid twitching of body or rapid blinking of the eyes)
• Neurological symptoms such as leaning, circling, losing balance
• Has been picked up or attacked by a cat (assume injured even if no other signs are evident)
• Shock (the animal appears sleepy or non-responsive)
• Closed eyes (except in cases of newborn babies, whose eyes may be sealed shut)
• Any sign of blood or wounds
• No use or impaired use of one or more limbs
• Any fur loss
• String, fishing line or other materials protruding from mouth or wrapped around any part of body
• A foreign object stuck to the animal’s body (e.g., a can on the foot, a plastic container on the head)
• A foreign substance (such as oil, grease, or glue) on fur
• An animal that appears wet when it has not recently been exposed to water
• Apparent blindness
• Any swelling or lesions on the body
• Missing part of any limb or tail (if the injury appears healed over and the animal appears to be functioning normally, call Toronto Wildlife Centre for further advice)
• Any discharge from eyes, nose, or mouth
• Bugs crawling on or flies swarming around the animal
• An animal that is cold to the touch or unresponsive
• Sides of body or belly appear “sunken,” ribs visible through the skin

 

Click here, if the baby shows any of the above symptoms. Otherwise, hit the back button to return to the previous page.

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4. I found a baby rabbit(s) in a ground nest with no mother around.

Cottontail rabbit nests consist of a shallow depression in the ground, often no more than a few inches deep. These nests contain usually between one and nine babies, all cared for solely by their mother. Once the babies are born, the mother rabbit covers the nest hole up with a mixture of dried grass and bits of her own fur and returns to feed the babies infrequently, usually only a few times in a 24 hour period. Rabbits are most active at dusk and dawn, though mothers will wait to return to their young when it seems safe to do so. When she returns to the nest, the mother rabbit moves the nest covering to nurse her young, covers the nest back up, then quickly disappears again.

Rabbits are preyed upon by many other animals. Mother rabbits do not stay close to their babies so as not to draw would-be predators to the nest. Because baby rabbits have little scent when young and do not leave the nest at all until they are nearly independent, they are often not detected by predators. If you find a nest of baby rabbits with the nest covering and the babies do not appear ill or injured, leave them in the nest. Avoid handling the babies—they are highly stressed by human contact and mother rabbits are sensitive to foreign scents.

It is unusual to see a mother rabbit caring for her young. A simple test can be performed to determine whether the babies are truly orphaned! Click here for instructions on how to do this test.

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5. I found a baby rabbit(s) on the ground alone.

Baby rabbits remain in their nest until about three weeks of age. After this point the babies leave the nest and are no longer in need of their mother’s care. They are approximately 4”/10cm long at this stage (about the size of an adult hamster), their ears are erect, and they can hop around normally (as opposed to crawling along the ground). If you find a baby of this size hopping around or hiding in the grass and it appears uninjured, leave it alone. Although rabbits of this age appear small and may be vulnerable to predation, they are independent and in a normal stage of their life cycle. Babies can be protected by keeping non-natural predators such as cats and dogs inside or away from the area. Where possible, it is also best to keep young children away from the area and refrain from mowing the grass for about two weeks to prevent disturbance that may harm the babies.

The baby doesn’t match the description above--it’s too small/young to be out of the nest.

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6. I found a baby rabbit(s) whose nest has been dug-up/ destroyed by a cat or dog.

If the nest has been discovered or dug up by a dog and the babies have no signs of illness or injury, try to recreate the nest. Handle the babies as little as possible and only with garden gloves that have been rubbed in the grass to try and minimize foreign scent. Place the babies back in their nest and do the string test to determine if the mother returns to feed the babies.

If any of the baby rabbits are suspected to have had any kind of contact with a cat (either in a cat’s mouth, touched by a cat’s paw, or likely brought inside by a cat), they need help—click the link below for further instructions. Even a minor, undetectable injury from a cat can cause a an infection that can kill a baby in a short period of time. Be sure to keep the dogs and cats away from the nesting area so the other babies in the nest are not harmed. Do the string test to determine if the mother returns to feed the babies.

The babies have had contact with a cat or are otherwise injured--what now?

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7. I found a rabbit's nest that has been mowed over.

Rabbits commonly nest in residential yards or properties with green space, and their nests are often discovered when mowing. If the babies show no signs of illness or injury, replace them in their nest (wear garden gloves to handle babies and/or nesting materials to minimize foreign scents that may deter the mother). Search the area and/or lawn clippings for remnants of the nest covering, which can be distinguished by bits of the mother’s fur mixed with dried grass. Replace the cover on top of the nest. If the nest covering cannot be found, cover the nest with dried grass from the area. Do the string test to determine if the mother returns to feed the babies.

The mother has not returned or the nest cannot be recovered--what now?

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8. I found a rabbit's nest in a dangerous area (i.e. dogs and/or cats can get at it).

Free-roaming pets are certainly a problem for wildlife, particularly during the spring and summer when there are many wild babies spending time on the ground. However, interrupting normal developmental processes of wild babies by removing them is not an acceptable solution to this problem. Although wild animals are always vulnerable to predation, cats and dogs are not natural predators to them, and the young have not evolved defenses against cat and dog predation. Toronto Wildlife Centre strongly recommends pets either be kept indoors or allowed outdoors only on leash or in a contained pen in order to keep both pets and wildlife safe.

Although rabbits sometimes nest in dangerous areas, they should be left alone to finish their nesting process. Mother rabbits are very sensitive to any disturbance to their nest and/or babies, so moving the babies and or nest in any way will likely cause the babies to be orphaned. It should also be noted that residential and suburban environments are actually very suitable habitat for rabbits, and more “natural” areas do not increase their chances of survival.

(For more information on converting outdoor cats to indoor cats as well as general information about cats outdoors, see the American Bird Conservancy website. If the cats in question do not belong to you, consider talking to your neighbours about keeping their cats inside. In the city of Toronto it is also a bylaw infraction to allow cats to cause damage or nuisance to neighbour's property. Lost pets may be taken to your local animal services.)

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9. I found a baby rabbit(s) alone with a dead adult rabbit nearby.

Cottontail rabbits are a common species in Ontario, and mature females nest throughout the spring and summer, often in close proximity to one another. Unless the dead adult rabbit is right on top of or beside the nest of babies, do not assume that the adult is definitely the mother of the babies you have found. Do the string test to determine if the babies are orphaned.

The dead adult was found very close to the babies, or the babies are otherwise known to be orphaned--what now?

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10. How to Tell if the Mother is Returning: The String Test.

A simple test can determine if the babies are still being cared for by their mother: place two pieces of string in a “X” formation over top of the nest (including the nest cover), with the centre of the X in the middle of the nest, and the edges of the string overlapping the edges of nest by six inches on all four sides. Pull the strings taut. You may want to add a few more pieces of string to form a star pattern to best ensure you can tell if it is moved.

String over top of a rabbit’s nest.

Leave the string in place overnight and keep people and pets away from the area. If the test is done before dark, this should give the mother two opportunities to feed her young, since they are typically fed near dawn and dusk. If the mother does return to the nest, you will notice a disturbance in the string pattern by morning. If the mother has returned, remove the string and leave the nest alone. Baby rabbits have the greatest chance of survival in their mothers care, and will vacate the nest to begin independent lives about three weeks after birth. If the string is exactly as it was left, the mother has not likely returned and the babies are orphaned.

The babies are orphaned--what now?

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11. I found a baby rabbit(s) who have already been handled by humans--won’t the mother reject them now?

While it is true that rabbits tend to be more wary of foreign scents on their young than other mammal species, it is not necessarily true that she will reject babies that have been touched. Replace babies in the nest where indicated by the situation and do the string test to determine if the mother returns to feed her young.

If the babies have already been fed any kind of milk or liquid formula, they will need help—click the link below. Rabbits have sensitive digestive systems and often suffer ill effects from the wrong diet or improper feeding. Even with an appropriate formula it is unlikely that the mother will continue to care for her babies after they have been fed by humans. Note: this does not apply if rabbits have been offered solid foods (i.e., fruits, vegetables, grasses) and eaten them on their own. Rabbits who have eaten solid foods may be returned to their mother where possible.

The mother has not returned or the babies have been fed milk or formula--what now?

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12. The Baby Needs Help!

Baby rabbits need specialized care to give them the best chances at survival in the wild. If you are in the Greater Toronto Area, which includes the city of Toronto as well as the regions of Peel, Halton, York, and Durham, please call our Wildlife Hotline at (416) 631-0662.

When you call Toronto Wildlife Centre's Wildlife Hotline, you will have to leave a message as the call volume is often very high (we receive approximately 200 calls per day during our busy season). However, someone will call you back as quickly as possible during our open hours. We are open 7 days a week, year round, from 9AM to 6PM.*

Due to the overwhelming volume of calls we are experiencing at this time of year, we are unfortunately unable to respond to calls about or admit baby squirrels from outside of Pickering the Greater Toronto Area. Click here for more options.

*Please note that on December 24^th, 25^th, 26^th, 31^st, and January 1^st, hours are 9am to 4pm.

It’s after hours – what should I do in the meantime?

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