The easiest way to tell them apart is by their physical appearance. Rabbits and hares look similar, so people often mistake them for one another. A good rule of thumb is, if you have to chase a baby rabbit to catch him or her, the rabbit is fine! Rabbits more than 5 inches in length need no assistance unless they are sick or injured. If the string has not been moved in more than 24 hours, visit our Wildlife Emergencies page to find out how to best care for orphaned rabbits. If the string has been moved, you can rest assured that the babies are being cared for. If you find a nest of baby rabbits unattended and want to make sure that the animals have not been abandoned or orphaned, drape a thin string across the entryway to the nest or burrow and leave the area. Mother rabbits leave newborns in their nests, visiting them only at dusk and at dawn to avoid drawing the attention of predators. Rabbits are altricial-which means that they are born hairless, blind, and helpless. Their mortality is based on food availability, predator presence, and weather stability. Wild rabbits have relatively short life spans (typically, less than two years), but they mature quickly and have short (30-day) gestation periods. However, rabbits will naturally have fewer litters or will have litters with fewer kits when food or water is scarce. They can have several litters of four to seven kits a year. Rabbits are famous for their ability to reproduce. When the weather turns cold, rabbits will munch on twigs, buds, bark, conifer needles, and any remaining green plants. Their long, pink ears, powerful hind legs, black button noses, and cotton tails give them their distinctive, cuddly appearance and have made them the subject of childhood fables over the course of several centuries.ĭuring warmer seasons, rabbits will eat weeds, grasses, clover, wildflowers, and flower and vegetable plants. Rabbits are some of the most adored and benevolent creatures to grace our back yards and meadows.
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