Rabbits

If you encounter a baby rabbit and its eyes are open, that means it’s at least 10 days old and close to leaving the nest. If you find a baby rabbit bigger than the size of your fist outside its nest, it may be about three to four weeks old. To avoid causing the mother not to return to her young, leave them alone. If you have a pet, keep them on a leash until you’ve confirmed the nest is empty.

If you don’t see the mother within 24-hours of discovering the nest and you’re concerned the baby rabbit may have been orphaned, you can try conducting a string test.

1. Place a few pieces of yarn or light cotton string in a tic-tac-toe pattern over the nest.
2. Take a photo of the strings so you can determine if the strings have been moved.
3. Leave the strings overnight and check them in the morning. If the string has been moved, it means the mother returned to the nest overnight to feed her young.

If the strings are exactly as how you left them, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for support.

Rabbits are shy, sensitive and wary of danger. Don’t feed wild rabbits of any life stage. Information about why it’s important not to feed rabbits and how doing so can hurt them is available online.