QUICK DECISION GUIDE: Found a Rabbit?
Do NOT remove the rabbit unless one of the situations below applies.
Most rabbits found alone are healthy and are being cared for.
✅ Leave the Rabbit Where It Is If:
Baby rabbits are warm, quiet, and have round/full bellies
The nest is intact or can be gently re-covered
You do not see visible injuries
You have not witnessed a cat, dog, or vehicle strike
➡️ Action:
Re-cover the nest, keep pets and children away, apply a tic-tac-toe design with light weight twigs or plant stems (never use string), and leave the area.
❗Contact a Rehabilitator Immediately If:
The tic-tac-toe nest test is undisturbed after 12 hours
The rabbit was attacked or handled by a cat or dog
The rabbit was hit by a vehicle
The rabbit is skinny, dehydrated, bleeding, cold, lethargic, shaking, drowning (wet), or dragging back legs
A baby rabbit is smaller than a softball and wandering alone (eyes open, fully furred) and appears injured
📱 Text immediately: 704-877-3037
⚠️ While You Wait for Instructions:
Place the rabbit in a dark, quiet, warm box
Do not feed or give water
Keep children and pets away
Handle as little as possible
Eastern Cottontail Rabbits: What to Do When You Find a Bunny
Eastern cottontail rabbits—often called “bunnies”—are wild animals and do not make good pets. Many baby rabbits that appear alone are not orphaned. Understanding normal rabbit behavior helps prevent unnecessary and harmful rescues.
🚨 Before You Act: Most Baby Rabbits Are Not Orphans
Mother rabbits visit the nest only twice a day—at dawn and dusk—to feed their young. This brief schedule helps avoid attracting predators. Not seeing the mother does not mean she has abandoned her babies.
Unnecessary removal of healthy babies is known as “robbing the nest,” and it happens far too often.
🪹 How to Identify a Rabbit Nest
Rabbit nests are very simple and well hidden. They usually include:
A shallow hole or indentation in the ground
Lined with dry grass and the mother’s underbelly fur
Healthy babies typically:
Have round, full bellies
Remain quiet and still in the nest
✅ What to Do If the Nest Is Disturbed
If the babies are not injured:
Gently re-cover the nest with the original materials and apply a tic-tac-toe design with light weight twigs or plant stems (never use string), take a picture of the design to compare in the next 12 hrs to see if mom disturbed
Leave the area so the mother can safely return
Keep children and pets away
Baby rabbits are independent at about 4 weeks of age, so the nest will be empty sooner than most people expect.
🔍 How to Check If Mom Is Still Caring for Them
If you are unsure whether the mother is returning:
Make a large tic-tac-toe pattern over the nest using lightweight twigs or plant stems (see photo below).
Leave the area completely.
Results:
Pattern disturbed → Mom has returned
Pattern untouched after 12 hours → Contact us immediately: 704-877-3037
You may also text a clear photo of the babies’ bellies to 704-877-3037, and we will provide further instructions.
❗ When to Seek Immediate Help
🐾 Predation or Cat/Dog Attacks
Seek help immediately if a rabbit has been attacked or handled by a cat or dog.
Cat bites introduce bacteria (Pasteurella) that cause fatal infections without prompt antibiotics
Dog attacks often cause crushing injuries, internal damage, or spinal trauma
Spinal injuries may cause:
Head held at an angle (torticollis)
Dragging back legs
To help protect a nest:
Place a weighted laundry basket over the nest
Cut an opening so the mother can enter and exit freely (see photo below)
🚗 Rabbits Hit by Vehicles
Injured juvenile or adult rabbits may appear calm and can usually be picked up gently.
Use a towel to carefully place the rabbit in a box
Back-leg dragging often indicates spinal injury
Immediate medical care is critical
📱 Please text us right away at 704-877-3037.
⚠️ Stress Can Be Deadly for Rabbits
Eastern cottontails are extremely sensitive to stress and can die from capture myopathy.
Do immediately:
Keep children and pets away
Place the rabbit in a warm, dark, quiet space
Handle as little as possible
Transport to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator as quickly as possible
*Fear alone can kill a rabbit faster than its original injury.