If you find
injured or orphaned wildlife:
Call ETWRC for
instructions or read the information provided in this site.
If it is
determined the animal needs assistance, then: Pick up the animal
gently with gloves on;
Place animal
in a small box with soft cloth on the bottom. Secure lid and create
ventilation.
Place a
heating pad set on "low" half way UNDER the box, or a plastic bottle
filled with hot water and wrapped in a cloth IN the box;
Place the box
in a quiet, dark room. DO NOT give food or water.
Lots of baby
rabbits are rescued unnecessarily. Chances are when you find a nest
of bunnies, their mom is hiding nearby watching your every move. If
you will leave the nest alone (or cover it back up if it's been
disturbed), the mother rabbit will return that night to take care of
her babies.
Remember that the only time the mother spends at the nest is the few
minutes it takes to feed her babies. Unless you watch the nest
continually all night long, you'll never see the mother returning to
take care of them. By marking the nest with a BIG tic-tac-toe
pattern in dental floss (or other material of the like), you can
determine if the mother has returned to it. If the dental floss
remains untouched after twenty-four hours, contact ARC.
Also remember that baby rabbits mature very quickly in the wild.
Give them a week or two, and they're out of there. If you find a
nest in the middle of your yard, just keep the kids and any animals
away from it, let the grass grow for awhile, and let nature take
it's course. Baby rabbits are notoriously difficult to keep alive in
captivity, so their best chance for survival is in the wild, even if
the circumstances are not ideal.
If you find a
baby rabbit deposited on your doorstep, compliments of your dog or
cat, the baby needs to be rescued. As with all small wildlife, wrap
the baby in soft towels or and old t-shirt, put the baby in a box,
and set the box halfway on a heating pad set on low. You do not need
to feed it; just contact the ETWRC as soon as possible. They will
care for the baby until it can be released back into the wild.
As fast as they are, dogs occasionally catch adult rabbits, with
disastrous consequences for the rabbit, or they may survive being
hit by a car, but be unable to move due to a back injury. Injured
adult rabbits are usually fairly complacent, and can be easily
rescued by scooping them up in a towel, then carefully laying them
in a box. If the back is broken or the rabbit is dragging both back
legs, it needs to be taken to a veterinarian for evaluation. The vet
can then contact ETWRC for its continued care.
It is very important to cover the box containing the rabbit, and
keep it in a quiet place until you can transport it to a licensed
rehabilitator or a veterinarian. It is very stressful for rabbits to
be in captivity. These are not like domestic bunnies people raise or
receive on Easter. Transport them as quickly and quietly as possible
for a successful rescue.