Spring is full of surprises—and finding baby bunnies in your yard is one of them! One minute you’re doing yard work, and the next you’ve discovered a rabbit has built a nest for her babies right where you mow the lawn, pull weeds, or let the dog out. Cue the panic. Are they abandoned? Should you move them? Feed them? Build them a safer nest?
Before you rush to help, wildlife experts say there’s one important thing to remember: “It’s totally normal for them to be on their own,” says David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation. “Their mom is nearby, just hidden.”
As it turns out, mother rabbits have a surprisingly sneaky way of caring for their babies. They intentionally stay away from the nest for long stretches of time to avoid attracting predators, which means what looks like an emergency is often completely normal behavior. So before you scoop up those fluffy little visitors, here’s what experts say you should know first.
What to Do If You Find Baby Rabbits
“If you discover a nest of baby rabbits with no mother in sight, it’s natural to want to help, but in most cases there’s no need to intervene,” says Mizejewski.
Mother rabbits often remain out of sight when tending to their young. “Mother rabbits give birth in small depressions in the vegetation which they line with grasses and their fur,” he explains. “The mother leaves the babies hidden in the nest for most of the day to avoid attracting the attention of predators. She only returns a few times a day to nurse the babies.” That means if you don’t see an adult rabbit nearby, it doesn’t automatically mean the babies have been abandoned.
How to Tell If Baby Rabbits Need Help
In most situations, healthy baby rabbits should simply be left alone. But there are a few cases where professional help may be necessary. “Unless you see the mother killed by a predator or hit by a car, the right thing to do is to simply leave the babies alone, says Mizejewski. “If you’ve confirmed the mother rabbit has died, or if you find a rabbit that is visibly injured, you must contact a local licensed wildlife rehabilitator.”
Signs a baby bunny may need help include visible wounds, bleeding, lethargy, or a deceased mother rabbit nearby. If the nest has been disturbed by a pet or lawn equipment, experts recommend gently putting the nesting materials back into place and monitoring the area from a distance. What you shouldn’t do is attempt to care for the rabbits yourself. “Don’t try to catch the rabbit or care for it yourself,” Mizejewski says. “It’s illegal and special training and licenses are required.”
Even good intentions can unintentionally harm wild rabbits. “In almost all cases baby rabbits taken from the wild—injured or not—will die unless someone with appropriate training cares for them,” he explains. “The last thing you want to do is kidnap bunnies from the wild unnecessarily while their mom is still caring for them.”
Should You Touch a Baby Bunny?
One common myth is that mother rabbits will reject their babies if humans touch them. Thankfully, that’s not true. If you accidentally touch a baby bunny while checking the nest or moving grass back into place, the mother will still return to care for it.
Still, wildlife experts say it’s best to avoid unnecessary handling. Wild rabbits are highly sensitive to stress, and too much human interaction can do more harm than good. The safest approach is to admire the babies from afar and keep children and pets away from the area whenever possible.
What to Do If Your Pets or Lawn Mower Disturbs the Rabbit Nest
Rabbit nests can be surprisingly difficult to spot because they’re often tucked into shallow patches of grass. Many homeowners only discover them after a dog or cat starts sniffing around, or a lawn mower accidentally passes too close.
If that happens, stop yard work immediately and carefully inspect the area. If the babies appear unharmed, gently replace any grass or fur covering the nest and avoid disturbing the area for the next few weeks. Some people even place a small marker nearby as a reminder to steer clear while mowing. Keeping dogs supervised or temporarily leashed during nesting season can also help protect baby rabbits and other backyard wildlife.
How to Make Your Yard Safer for Wildlife
According to Mizejewski, the best way to help rabbits isn’t by rescuing them—it’s by creating a safe habitat where they can thrive naturally. “The best thing to do to help those baby rabbits is to make sure they have the habitat they need to survive,” he says.
To do that, you can plant native shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses to provide food, shelter, and nesting areas for wildlife. Reducing the size of traditional lawns can also make a big difference, since large stretches of grass provide very little habitat value. You should also avoid using pesticides, which can be harmful to rabbits, birds, pollinators, and other animals. “If you create a natural habitat garden, the rabbits—and all wildlife from birds to butterflies to bees—will have everything they need to survive,” he says.
So, as tempting as it may be to rescue every baby bunny you find, experts say nature usually knows best. The most important things you can do: give the nest space, keep pets away, and let the rabbits grow safely in their natural habitat. Just take it as a sweet sign that your backyard is part of something much bigger.
Macie Reynolds is the assistant editor of E-Commerce and SEO for The Pioneer Woman.
