Wild Baby Rabbit Care

Let's say you're out in your yard doing some yard work and you happen to see a wild baby rabbit. You stand and take notice and watch it hop away, and like most people, you will follow it to see where it might go. Let's say the rabbit seems injured in some way and you don't know what to do for it. What should you do? Seek help first!

Wild rabbits often make their nests in areas that boggle our minds... sometimes right in the middle of your front or backyard. They are hiding in plain sight as often as they can to keep from predators that they naturally fear that would be too timid to enter those areas. They don't count on the family dog or cat also being a problem though.

The way that a mother rabbit cares for the babies limits her time in the nest, which further makes it less likely a predator will find the nest. So if you find a nest of baby rabbits, think twice before doing anything that requires that you touch the baby rabbits or disturb the nest. If you see one that is injured, DO NOT TOUCH it unless you have Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit (68A-9.006 in Florida) as it is illegal to handle a wild rabbit even if it's in your own yard. Contact either the Humane Society or the Wildlife Department in your area if you have a concern about a wild rabbit that might need assistance. If you happen to find a nest that has been disturbed, do all you can to restore and protect it rather than bring the baby rabbits inside. If a dog has discovered the nest, you can put a wheelbarrow over it, so that the mother can get to it but the dog can't.

Very young wild baby bunnies with eyes closed and ears back rarely survive in captivity, even given the most expert human care; I know this because I do it for a living and so it is very important to determine whether they really need help. If help isn't available in your area, try to assess whether the infants seem warm and healthy or cold, thin, and dehydrated. One test for dehydration is to gently pinch the loose skin at the back of the neck. If it stays in a "tent," the bunny is dehydrated and needs rehabilitation. Another test is to stroke the genital area to stimulate elimination. I know that sounds strange but it's necessary if you want to help the rabbit. If the pee is brown and gritty, the mother rabbit has not been there to help the bunnies urinate. The brown, gritty urine is toxic, and the infant bunny must be cared for ASAP! If there is no help in your area, you can call the National Wildlife Federation or even the World Wildlife Federation and they can get help to your area.

Happy Trails! #WildlifeWednesday

20 Facts About Rabbits

20 facts you need to know about rabbits if you were planning on getting one or just curious about them:

- A male rabbit is a buck.
- A female rabbit is a doe.
- A baby rabbit is a kit.
- They aren't rodents by any means! The are Lagomorphs.
- The gestation period is 30 days, gave or take a day.
- Their teeth never stop growing.
- They can be litter trained.
- Pet rabbits can live as long as 10 years.
- They purr much like a cat does.
- Domesticated rabbits can't breed with wild rabbits.
- Domesticated rabbits are born without fur.
- They require hay to assist the digestive system.
- They eat their own night droppings. (yuk!)
- The droppings make for a great garden fertilizer.
- They have 28 teeth.
- They love to chew.
- They groom themselves.
- They start breeding as early as 3 months of age.
- They sweat only through the pads on their feet.
- Never leave a rabbit in full sun as they can have a heat stroke.

Happy Trails!

Handling Rabbits

If you didn't know already, rabbits are prey animals and they consider humans a predator, so when a big predator grabs them and holds them up off the ground where they are used to living, it signals danger unless they have learned to trust you and you have been gentle with them, helping them to feel more secure.

I'm mentioning this because on a daily basis I see potential new owners just pick up any rabbit and hold them up high in the air for some reason. I see this done to cats and dogs at the SPCA too. Why do people do this? Get eye level with these animals on there turf as that is the best way to see them anyways.

Just remember when handling a rabbit for the first time, don't instantly grab it and start playing with it. Lift it up gently if you have to move it. Once the rabbit knows you better and trusts you wont harm it, then it wont mind being picked up. Most rabbits dont like to be picked up anyway, no matter what anyone tells you. The best way to move a rabbit is to lift it up gently and slowly around its body, keeping one of your hands underneath it on its rear legs, then cradle it in your arms. There rear legs are very powerful and if left dangling in the air, they tend to kick. It's an uncomfortable position for them.

That's my tip of the day. Have a great day everyone.

Happy trails! 

Rabbits: World Total

"How many rabbits are there in the world," asked a friend of mine?

That's a good question and I had no idea when this was asked of me last month by one of my curious friends. All I said was millions. I got to thinking about it more and decided to do some research on it and it has not been easy finding out the true number. I really don't think anyone knows the true total except the one who created them all, being many are in the wild and we don't keep track of them all.

From what I have found out so far, rabbits range from 20 to 500 individual species per square mile. The land area of the Earth is 57,500,000 square miles. Being no one really knows the exact number of rabbits per square mile, you can do the math above and see that there are more than most would have ever known about, including me, even if there were only 20 per square mile. That's alot of rabbits! Being rabbits do not populate the polar regions of the Earth, the land area would be reduced dramically, but still, that is alot of rabbits even without the polar regions included.

Now you know, or atleast to the best of my research and knowledge you do. lol

Happy trails!