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"I found a baby rabbit. What should I do?"
A) Rabbit Emergencies B) Determining Age C) "Is the Mother Returning?"

A) Rabbit Emergencies

Rabbit emergencies can generally be summarized into 8 main areas of concern:
1) The rabbit is injured
2) The discovery of a nest in the yard
3) The nest has been abandoned - No sign of the mother
4) The disturbance of a nest by children, dogs, cats, crows, etc.
5) Dog or cat brought baby rabbit home and location of the nest is unknown
6) The nest has flooded and live young are found nearby:
7) How Old Are the Babies?
8) Will The Mother Return?
1) The rabbit is injured:
Bring it in for immediate medical attention!
 2) The discovery of a nest in the yard:
The nest is usually a shallow depression in the yard, lined with the mother’s fur and covered with grass. It may be inappropriately placed (even in a dog pen or under an outside faucet) or may be inconveniently placed.
It is not possible to relocate the entire nest successfully so please mow around the nest for a few weeks... baby rabbits are in the nest such a short time
3) The nest has been abandoned -- No sign of the mother
Mother rabbit is probably close by, but she visits the nest only at night. To nurse her young, it is necessary for her to straddle the nest. Because she cannot hide herself in so shallow a nest, she exposes herself and the young to predation and therefore feeds her babies only under cover of darkness. Because her milk is so rich and fatty, her young are nursed only once or twice each night.
 4) The disturbance of a nest by children, dogs, cats, crows, etc.
If children have discovered a nest, determine immediately if the young have been handled or touched. If so, rub vanilla extract on your hands, and place a drop of vanilla on each rabbits head and tail. Return young to the nest, reassemble nesting material, and sprinkle a few drops on top.
If a nest has been disturbed by crows, cover the nest with a laundry basket during daylight hours and remove the basket at dusk.
If a dog has found a nest, cover the nest with wheelbarrow or lawnmower during daytime and uncovered it at dusk if the dog is one that can be brought in at night. If a dog is kept in yard 24 hours a day, protect the young and call the clinic.
5) Dog or cat brought baby rabbit home and location of the nest is unknown,
Occasionally, if a dog or cat is leashed, it may be expected to lead you back to the nest and if the rabbit is uninjured, it may be replaced using vanilla treatment. Please walk your dog or cat on leash for a week or so, until the young have dispersed from the nest.
If the nest cannot be located, the rabbit is uninjured and old enough (use the guide to determine age), it may be released to a sheltered location at dusk (under pines or conifers or low, dense shrubbery). Until that time, keep it in a darkened box with non- raveled towels or baby blankets. (Never use cotton balls as artificial nesting materials.) The rabbit should not be handled or stressed in any way.
If the nest cannot be located and the rabbit is too young to be released, please call the clinic.
6) The nest has flooded and live young are found nearby:
Dry them off carefully and contain them in a box with non-raveled towels or baby blankets to nestle in, and keep them warm with heating pan on lowest setting placed under a portion of the box. Tiny rabbit young are unable to control their body temperature and if they are cold to the touch, some source of warmth must be provided. Replace them in the nest at dusk if the nest has drained sufficiently so that mother rabbit can resume her care. She is far better able to care for her young than any well-meaning rescuer might be!

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"B) How Old are the Babies?" - Determining Age
Age Characteristics
Newborns Pink bellies, sleek dark fur (like seals)
5-6 days Fully furred
7-8 days Ears stand up
10 days Eyes open
12-14 days Able to hop, nibbling solid food
21-28 days Ears 1" long - 2 finger width, body fist-sized, covering most of an open hand and able to live independently
"C) Will the mother return to the nest?"
If the eyes of the young are still closed: Place two pieces of string in an X on top of the nest. Check the position of string the following morning. If the string has been disturbed, it can be assumed that the mother rabbit has visited during the night. If not, Please let us know.
If the eyes of the young are open: The placement of string on top of the nest is not effective because, after the animals are ten days old, they may slip out of the nest at its edge (never disturbing string) and travel to mothers nearby location to nurse. If you really believe that the mother is no longer around (i.e. dead young are found in the nest), please call the clinic.
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Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic 
1864 Little Brennan Road, High Ridge, Missouri, 63049 USA 636-677-3670
Our organization is a non-profit, all volunteer organization
that can help with any wildlife problems.
Wildlife Rehab Clinic