Wild Baby Bunnies And A Cat

[greenpuppyz]

Earlier today i saw my cat in the yard "playing" with a baby bunny. After making sure it was ok i ran over toward where we found the bunny,and there were 2 more.Yesterday i saw my cat chasing a rabbit that stays around here (the mother of the kits) i didnt know she had babies.I put the bunny with its siblings and left.Im just scared the mother wont come back after being frightened by my cat.I am gonna do my best to keep my cat indoors for now on,to keep the babies safe.Will the mother come back?If so,will she move her babies to some place safer?How long will the babies last if she doesnt come back?Also,the babies eyes are not yet open,meaning their under 10 days old.Please help!

 

[Graceful-Lily]

I've owned rabbits before but it's been a while. I'm assuming that the babies are still nursing. So they'll need frequent feeding? Is there absolutely no sign of the mother?

If they are wild, there should be a den (I think that's what you call it) somewhere.

 

[abyeb]

I have actually looked in to this topic before, as my neighborhood has a lot of rabbits, and I wanted to be prepared in case something happened. Thank you for keeping your cat in now, this will help your cat's and the rabbits' safety. If you found the rabbit kit's siblings, that means that's the mother's nest. To determine if the mother is coming back to check in on the kits, make an "x" with sticks by the entrance of the den. If the sticks have been shifted when you check back again, that means that the mother has returned. If she doesn't come back after 24 hours, you need to call your local wildlife rehabilitation center. For now, the kits are probably fine, unless they are cold to the touch or shaking, which, if they are, they need to be taken to a vet ASAP.

 

[greenpuppyz]

I have actually looked in to this topic before, as my neighborhood has a lot of rabbits, and I wanted to be prepared in case something happened. Thank you for keeping your cat in now, this will help your cat's and the rabbits' safety. If you found the rabbit kit's siblings, that means that's the mother's nest. To determine if the mother is coming back to check in on the kits, make an "x" with sticks by the entrance of the den. If the sticks have been shifted when you check back again, that means that the mother has returned. If she doesn't come back after 24 hours, you need to call your local wildlife rehabilitation center. For now, the kits are probably fine, unless they are cold to the touch or shaking, which, if they are, they need to be taken to a vet ASAP.

Ok,i will try the sticks thing.thanks for the help!!

 

[abyeb]

Ok,i will try the sticks thing.thanks for the help!!

Keep us updated!

 

[abyeb]

Ok,i will try the sticks thing.thanks for the help!!

Also, if the entrance to the den is large, the mother rabbit might be able to get around the "x" without disturbing it, so then you would want to try to make a grid or checkerboard pattern.

 

[Willowy]

Wild mother rabbits only tend to the nest/kits twice a day, so as not to give away the location of the nest. And they try very hard not to be seen, so it's hard to tell if they're still around. The stick idea is a good one, or you can use string. It's very rare for a wild rabbit to abandon her kits even if one or a few get killed, so usually kits are only abandoned if the mother is killed. They leave the nest around 4 weeks, but they'll still be tiny and easy to catch for a couple more weeks so it's best to keep the cats in for a little longer. If the nest is in a reall bad area you can move it up to 10 feet away (dig a small hole and transfer all contents of the nest into it) and the mother will find them. There wouldn't be so many rabbits if they were bad mothers .

When you check on the babies, if they're clean, warm, and wiggly they're OK. If they're cold and lethargic or covered in fleas, they need help. But raising orphan wild rabbits is nearly impossible so don't try it yourself, call a wildlife rehabber.