There is a cottontail warren in my back yard now what?
Each year wildlife rehabilitators receive many calls about cottontail nests located in inconvenient locations such as back yards, vegetable gardens or planters.
Cotton tails are prolific procreators. A female cottontail has a new litter of babies every 28 days. She cares for her offspring for 21 days or so and than she moves on to prepare for new arrivals leaving the little ones to do their own thing.
A cottontail warren (or nest) looks very different than many people expect. It is no more or less than a divot in the ground lined with the mothers fur and unless you know it is there it blends in perfectly with its surroundings.
Because the warren blends so well the female spend very little time with her little ones. They are safer when she is not around because of the camouflage of the warren. If she was next to or close to it it would send a signal to predators. Instead she visits them for a little bit during the darkness hours. She lays overtop of the nest so that the little ones can nurse. She minimally disturbs the nest when she visits. if she is doing her job right you will never see her tend to her little ones.
If you do have a nest of cottontails in your yard it is best to just leave it be. Minimal interference is always best. You can however put markers around the nest so that you won’t run it over with the lawn mower etc..
These types of moments are also the best possible educational moments for children. Rather than assuming kids won’t leave a nest alone (and demanding it is removed) use the opportunity to teach them the importance of not disturbing the nest so that they may carry this knowledge with them throughout their lives.
Dogs and cats are a threat to cottontails. Both these domestic animals have an unfailing ability to sniff them out. Dogs and cats are human introduced species, so it is up to us humans to manage them. Keeping cats indoors is best for their own safety, but also for the safety of wildlife in general. If they do go outside it should be leashed and supervised.
Many dogs do get the run of a yard. To help mother cottontail (and not unnecessarily overburden your local wildlife rehabilitators) it is helpful to manage your dog in an area where there is a cottontail nest. This might mean a slight inconvenience for you, but it means the world to the cottontail family.
Some solutions are keeping you dog leashed in the yard for the short time it takes mum to raise her offspring, taking the dog for a walk (rather than letting him or her in the yard) or you can cover the nest with a basket, skid, fencing to keep the dog out (as long as the female rabbit can access it overnight).
Wildlife rehabilitators understand that accidents happen. If cottontails do get hurt by your pets please call your local wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible. Please make the time to bring the animal out and if at all possible leave a donation to be used for the care of the animal you just brought. This is the best way to take responsibility for your pets transgressions.
Relocating inconvenient cottontail nests is not a good options. It almost always results in the mother not finding the little ones and giving up (don’t forget, she is likely already pregnant again).
Cottontail babies in captivity are a lot of work to raise. They have a lot of idiosyncrasies making them a labour intensive challenge.
It is our job as wildlife rehabilitators to care for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. We ask that you respect us enough to allow us to use our (limited) time and (limited) resources for wildlife who truly need our help rather than those who are simply inconvenient to you. Please work around the wildlife who utilize your yard so that we may all peacefully coexist.
