Wild rabbits

Orphaned Wild Rabbits
A mother rabbit, or doe, will never abandon her babies. Only her death or the inability to get to her babies will deter her from her offspring. It is a myth that wild mothers will leave their babies based purely on another animal's scent on them.

If you find a baby wild rabbit, leave it alone. It is most likely not abandoned unless you know for a fact that you killed their mother. Rabbits return to feed their young only once or twice a day, usually at night. Just because the babies have been alone for 5 minutes does not mean that they have been abandoned. Additionally, baby wild rabbits can survive on their own at a surprisingly young age.

To determine how old the baby cottontail is, refer to this site.

Wildlife Rehabilitator Listings
Make sure that the wildlife rehabilitators accept rabbits before dropping them off.

International

 * WildlifeRehabber.org
 * The Wildlife Rehabilitation Information Directory, How To Locate a Wildlife Rehabilitator

United States
Remember to also check your state department of fish and game for more wildlife rehabilitator contacts.


 * Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, State Agency Lists of Permitted Wildlife Rehabilitators
 * WildCare, List of Wildlife Rehabilitators