Diet Cottontail rabbits eat a wide variety of plant foods including grasses, sedges, sprouts, leaves, fruits, buds, and bark. During the summer months, cottontails primarily eat grasses, legumes, succulent annuals, weeds, as well as the occasional garden vegetable.
Full Answer
Can you keep a wild rabbit as a pet?
The only way to tame a wild rabbit is to let them stay in captivity with you, so they can become accustomed to it. It is not recommended to keep a wild rabbit as a pet because it will cause stress to them and can cause harm, thus it’s in your best interest you leave them in the wild.
Is a rabbit the right pet for You?
Rabbits are wonderful companions for the right people but learning to live with a bunny can take some adjusting. It’s a good idea to make sure everyone in the family wants a rabbit as a pet. Check to make sure no one in your home is allergic to rabbits or hay. Are you willing to take the time to learn how to properly care for a rabbit?
What do wild cottontails eat?
Vegetables:
- Asparagus
- Leeks
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Rhubarb
- Squash
- Tomatoes
What is the cottontail rabbit food chain?
- Sylvilagus floridanus aztecus
- Sylvilagus floridanus connectens
- Sylvilagus floridanus hondurensis
- Sylvilagus floridanus macrocorpus
- Sylvilagus floridanus orizabae
- Sylvilagus floridanus yucatanicus
What can I feed a wild cottontail rabbit?
Their favorites include goldenrod, plantain, chickweed, sheep sorrel, buttercup, smartweed, wild strawberry, cinquefoil, and violet. After autumn frosts kill green plants, rabbits switch to eating bark, twigs, and buds. Among the woody plants they feed on: blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, and willow.
What do you feed wild baby rabbits?
Dandelion greens and hay (timothy and oat hay) are extremely important for wild rabbits. You can add whole oats from a feed store, and some grated carrots. The greens must be fresh, rinsed, and replaced if not eaten in a few hours.
What should I not feed my cottontail rabbit?
Most plants are safe for wild rabbits to eat. They have a pretty hardy stomach for anything fibrous and leafy. However, plants that you might want to avoid include potatoes, tomatoes, rhubarb, and anything in the onion family (including garlic).
What is safe to feed wild rabbits?
Various types of dry and fresh grasses and plants with leaves comprise the largest portion of the wild rabbit diet. Rabbits will also eat bark on trees, tender twigs and sprouts, fruits, seeds and other nutritious foods in much small amounts.
Do wild bunnies eat carrots?
Wild rabbits can and do eat carrots. Especially if dark greens are not available to eat, it's common for rabbits to eat carrots and carrot tops that stick out of the ground. If the rabbit has access to dark greens, the rabbit will likely prefer the leaves to the carrot, though.
What does a 3 week old cottontail look like?
Three Weeks Old: At this age, their fur should be standing up a little more off their bodies and they should start to appear to have normal rabbit fur. Cottontails at this age should be eating natural foods — grasses, weeds, fruits and vegetables — and should now weigh 70-80+ grams.
What can I feed my wild rabbits in my backyard?
During warmer seasons, rabbits will eat weeds, grasses, clover, wildflowers, and flower and vegetable plants. When the weather turns cold, rabbits will munch on twigs, buds, bark, conifer needles, and any remaining green plants.
Do wild rabbits eat apples?
Wild rabbits should not eat sugary fruits, such as apples and tomatoes. Even carrots aren't considered suitable for wild rabbits. Rabbits in the wild prefer branches, twigs, dry and fresh grasses, and plants.
Is lettuce OK for rabbits?
Reality: a rabbit's diet shouldn't be based on lettuce. Rabbits shouldn't eat some lettuces (such as iceberg), as they contain lactucarium, which can be harmful in large quantities.
Will wild rabbits eat celery?
Do rabbits naturally eat celery? In the wild, rabbits do not eat celery. They also don't eat carrots, despite our most basic understanding of these animals. Rabbits eat a lot of grass which is why grass or hay should be a large part of your pet rabbit's diet.
How long do cottontail rabbits live?
Rabbits are short-lived; probably none die of old age. Research conducted on eastern cottontails suggests that only about 25 percent of individuals survive for two years, with the average lifespan about 15 months.
How do you care for an orphaned wild baby bunny?
To keep your orphaned bunnies healthy, keep the nest at 95-98 degrees for the first 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, you can lower the temperature by 3-5 degrees each day until you reach room temperature, which is around 68-72 degrees. As a wild bunny grows older, protect it from extreme cold and heat.
How do you keep a wild baby rabbit alive?
Keep baby rabbits in a box in a warm, quiet place away from children, household noise, domestic pets and bright lights. If you have a heating pad, turn it on LOW and place it under HALF of the box. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FEED ANY TYPE OF FORMULA TO A BABY RABBIT. You may kill the animal.
How do you take care of abandoned baby bunnies?
Gather the wild baby rabbit in his blanket and feed him on his back, just as you would a human baby. Put the dropper to the baby rabbit's mouth and allow him to suck the KMR at his own pace. Most baby rabbits will appreciate feedings twice a day. Once in the early morning and again late at night, just like in the wild.
How do you take care of a baby bunny without a mother?
Keep the baby rabbit in a dark, quiet place indoors, in an enclosed or covered container. For most species, a cardboard box is perfect. If your home is small, a closet or a bathroom is an excellent spot. A basement, heated garage, or spare bedroom will also work.
What to feed rabbits to get rid of pesticides?
Watercress. Thoroughly rinsed carrot tops are another good vegetable option. Thoroughly rinse all vegetables to remove pesticides. Although carrots are a very popular food for rabbits, they are high in carbohydrates and should only be fed in small quantities (only half a carrot every other day).
What do rabbits eat?
Provide the wild rabbits with grass and hay. Whether wild or domesticated, grass and hay are staples of a rabbit’s diet. The wild rabbits in your yard will have an abundance of grass to chew on, but will probably not have ready access to hay. The recommended types of hay for wild rabbits are oat, and timothy.
How to tell if a baby wild rabbit is an orphan?
Determine if the baby wild rabbit is truly an orphan. If you find a nest of baby wild rabbits and the mother is not around, or if you see tiny baby wild rabbits hopping around on their own, you may think they are orphans. More times than not, however, this is not the case—their mother is simply not at the nest and will return later. It would be better for you to be certain whether the babies are orphans before attempting to feed and care for them.
How to introduce wild rabbits to vegetables?
Because wild rabbits are not as acclimated to vegetables as domesticated rabbits, introduce them to vegetables slowly. Try feeding them just one type of vegetable at a time.Begin with only a small amount of a green, and watch for any intestinal issues in your bunny, such as diarrhea or soft stools.
How to get a baby rabbit to urinate?
To do this, stroke the anal area with a cotton ball moistened with warm water until the rabbit urinates and defecates.
What kind of fruit do rabbits eat?
[18] For raspberries and blackberries, provide the wild rabbits with the fruit as well as the plant stems and leaves.
How to warm up wild rabbits?
If the baby wild rabbits are cold prior to you feeding them, warm them up by placing them in a shoebox lined with a clean, soft cloth . Set a heating pad on low and set in a tabletop. Place the shoebox halfway on the heating pad —this will allow the babies to move away from the heat if they become too warm. ...
How many litters do cottontail bunnies have?
In their natural habitat, cottontails begin to breed early in the year, starting in February. Females usually have 3-4 litters per year, but they can have up to 7 litters. If you found a litter of bunnies in your yard, try not to interfere, as their mom is probably close by.
What to do if you find a cottontail rabbit injured?
You found an injured cottontail. If you ever find a cottontail rabbit that’s wounded, make sure you take them to a wildlife reservation close to you so they can get proper medical care. You found a live cottontail that was hit by a car.
How big is a Mexican cottontail rabbit?
Mexican Cottontail— these rabbits are the biggest of all cottontails, weighing as much as 5 pounds. They have a reddish hue to their fur.
What to do if cottontail is hit by car?
If a cottontail has been hit by a car, you will want to get them to professional rehabilitators as soon as possible. Image Credit: BFS Man, Flickr. Unless you’re incredibly experienced, all wild animals do best in their natural habitat.
What is the most common cottontail?
They dwell in different areas, and they look incredibly similar except for slight color and size differences. Eastern Cottontail — this is the most common cottontail, existing all over North America. They are grayish-brown and weigh up to three pounds.
Where do cottontail rabbits live?
Cottontail rabbits have been running around the forests, meadows, woodlands, and lawns of North America forever. You might have seen these bunnies hop into your yard to eat a few clovers or seen one dash across the road as you drive.
What happens if you stumble upon a cottontail?
If you do stumble upon a cottontail, there will be a few ways it could happen. You caught one in a live trap. You might have set up your live trap to catch the pesky raccoon that keeps sifting through your trash, but you caught a curious bunny instead—it happens. You found a litter of bunnies in your yard.
What do wild rabbits eat?
A wild rabbit’s diet varies on the temperature they are living in. When the temperature is warmer, their diet consists of: clover, flowers, grasses and other plants that grow in that temperature. When the temperature is cooler, their diet becomes more sparse including: twigs, bark and remaining greens. Sounds very different from the Timothy Hay and ...
Why do bunnies feed their babies?
A mother’s milk is packed with the necessary nutrients that feeding once is more than enough for the little bun. The feeding normally occurs at night to help protect the babies. The mother rabbit can be seen away from the nest during the day which is why it is important ...
Can a baby bunny be seen alone?
The mother rabbit can be seen away from the nest during the day which is why it is important to leave babies in nests alone unless you are confident that the mother has either abandoned the nest for good or has died. So needing to take care of a wild baby rabbit is rare, very rare.
What do wild rabbits eat?
5 Things I Recommend Feeding Wild Rabbits 1 Sunflower Seed-as long as you’re willing to make sure it doesn’t get wet or moldy, sunflower seed can help them stay warm and they like it. 2 Kale-a very hardy green that’s also very inexpensive to feed. I recommend putting out a little of the kale you eat (uncooked) before buying some of this to see if they’ll take it. 3 Baby Carrots-another one that would be good for you to put some of yours out first before you buy some. They’ll eat them for sure but it may take a few nights. Just remember that carrots have a high sugar content so they should be fed sparingly. This is true of ALL fruit! 4 Rabbit pellets-start with just a few in with some other food to see if they’ll select them. We’re moving up the expense scale here but you could be doing a lot to help them with good nutrition. 5 Apples-These are best cut up. This is another food that is relatively inexpensive to feed. If you have room, it’s best to store these in a bin in your refrigerator. The same as with baby carrots. Feed these as a treat because of the high sugar content which is not good for their digestion.
Why do you feed wild rabbits?
Feed these as a treat because of the high sugar content which is not good for their digestion. As you can see, you don’t have to turn your world or budget upside-down to be feeding wild rabbits in your back yard. Of course, if you have other wildlife in your backyard it may present a bit of a challenge.
How long should I keep rabbits' eyes open?
After the eyes are open 2-3 days (be sure they are in a deeper box as they can jump much higher than you expect and if they fall they break their backs very easily) begin putting a 1⁄4 teaspoon of dry OLD FASHIONED Quaker Oats or other brand (I like Bob’s Red Mill) in the box on the towel or in a very shallow dish or baby food jar lid. I know this goes in the face of not giving rabbits starch/sugar, but this works well for getting them started on something solid and when not providing excessive amounts it works very well. Be very careful of the amount and watch their stools.
Can a cottontail rabbit die from stress?
Rabbits can leak toxins into their system from fear, pain, and stress causing Septicemia. This has a very high mortality rate. Even babies with their eyes closed can suffer from stress.
Can bunnies get diarrhea?
Baby bunnies can get loose cecals and/or diarrhea from a sterile gut, distress, poor food, not enough food, too much starch/sugar in the diet, or too much green roughage too early. If you are offering a small bit of fresh fruit, like a tiny bit of apple, then do not give baby food applesauce.
What to feed a baby rabbit?
There are different opinions on what type of milk you should feed them, how often and how to do it. However, goat milk or kitten milk replace r is typically the milk of choice. NEVER feed them cow’s milk.
What to do if you don't care for baby bunnies?
If you don’t think you are able to care for the baby bunnies, are scared to do so or have noticed they aren’t doing well or one is injured, don’t mess around and take them to your local veterinarian or rabbit shelter immediately . Rabbits can pass away quickly.
How to know if a baby rabbit is a jack rabbit?
Please seek expert advice and let a professional take care of them if this is the case. 1. Make Sure The Rabbit Actually Needs Help And Is An Orphan.
How to make a bunny a baby?
Create a nest like situation for the baby rabbits. This can be created by using a blanket or towel in a rabbit cage or hutch. The bunny’s environment should be cozily warm, but not hot. Smaller bunnies may require an incubator for help. 3. Feed The Rabbits.
Can baby bunnies eat solid food?
While it is not a baby’s main food source, they may learn how to eat solid food by nibbling on it. 4.
Can a baby rabbit go to the bathroom?
Really, it serves a double purpose which is to help stimulate their organs to urinate and defecate. This might sound a little gross to you and if you’re not able to take this on then please take the rabbits to a shelter or vet.
Can rabbits pass away?
Rabbits can pass away quickly. You don’t have time to spare if you notice something is wrong. Let the professionals take it into their own hands. Eventually you will want to, well, maybe more like have to, let them free and out into their natural habitat again.
