Help! Bunny question...

[WDWBarb]

DH found this adorable little guy in our yard...

He's been there all day (I didn't even think it was the right time of the year for baby bunnies??) and no sign of Mom. There are cats ALL OVER our neighborhood and, in fact, my new neighbors came over this morning asking if we'd seen their cat (so we know it's outside).

Is there anything I can do to help protect him?

Seems I ask a bunny question on here about once a year - some of you may remember the HUGE rabbit that my German Shepherd found in my back yard last year. Ya'll helped me figure out how to feed and care for him while I looked for his owners...

Well, turned out that "he" is a "she" and apparently was homeless because she still lives, very happily, with us.

Told ya she was big!!! She actually weighs a couple of pounds more than my little dog in the picture But she's so sweet and she has been a wonderful addition to our family. So I obviously have a soft spot for bunnies!

So - any suggestions? We haven't touched the little baby bunny, only peeked out to check on him and make sure he's still ok.....

 

[nala87]

That little baby isn't actually a little baby. Pretty much once cottontails open their eyes they are on their own. I worked at a Rehab center and we set baby bunnies outside about 5 days after their eyes open.
Even if it was a baby momma cottontails only come to their young once or twice a day and usually at night because they don't want to draw attention to their young. You will almost never see mom around.
They best thing you can do with wildlife is to just let them be. If you are really nervous you can move it into a bush if you can catch it. Otherwise it will be fine outside.

 

[WDWBarb]

Good to know he's old enough to take care of himself... but I sure won't sleep well thinking of him just hunkered down like that and all those cats about....

 

[java]

This is what we had in our yard! There were 10 of them in there. And about 3 still hang around 2 months later. I was so worried about them But they all seemed to do just fine. The mom would come back to our yard twice a day- once dawn and then at dusk. She stayed far away so as not to bring attention to the nest. The kids loved it all. And funny thing is the 3 that are still here are not afraid of us in the least. I guess all the times we watched from afar was enough to start a bond.

 

[WDWBarb]

Ohhh! How cute!!!! Nothing is cuter than a baby bunny

 

[manning]

I rolled over a nest with the lawn mower this year and didn't do any damage.

I rolled back the top to check it out and four came out. We couldn't get them back. Out of nowhere a hawk swooped down. Didn't even know there was one in the area. I was able to distract it and it missed the bunny it was after. I guided the little guys into tall grass nearby for cover. It looks like they made it.

 

[Aimeedyan]

You will not see a mom - they hide out during the day and come during the night to care for them. It's best to leave it alone. It breaks my heart to leave them to fend for themselves but it's really the best thing to do for wild bunnies.

 

[Jillpie]

We have a bunny (don't know if there's more than one) living around our home, we see it daily running all over the place. I have a question though, living in the Northeast with very cold Winters, what will happen in the winter season? Do they hibernate or do they die when it freezes?

 

[WDWBarb]

We have a bunny (don't know if there's more than one) living around our home, we see it daily running all over the place. I have a question though, living in the Northeast with very cold Winters, what will happen in the winter season? Do they hibernate or do they die when it freezes?

I think they just hang out - I see bunnies all winter around here. It's very common to see bunny tracks when it snows (not like it ever snows much here anymore....).

My little guy was gone this morning - I sure hope he's ok!