This page provides problem-solving advice and ways to make your yard less attractive to eastern cottontails in the first place.
For more information on these mammals, including what they eat and where they live in the forest preserves, visit the main cottontail page.
You shouldn’t expect to see the mother. She only feeds her young once or twice a day and usually at night. Otherwise, she stays away so she doesn’t bring attention to the nest, a defense strategy that many species use.
Because the female stays away for so long, people may think her young are orphaned, but a female can raise an entire litter without ever being seen.
If you're still concerned, you can check to see if the mother returns.
You can reunite young cottontails with their mother if they have not been separated for more than 36 hours.
If babies this young squirm out of their nest and are uninjured, simply place them back.
Never remove baby animals from their mothers’ care solely because pets are in the area. As a pet owner, your most responsible option is to keep cats indoors and to let dogs outside only under direct supervision.
Each year, free-roaming cats — domestic as well as feral — kill millions of wild animals nationwide. Even declawed and well-fed cats are instinctively proficient hunters, so always keep cats indoors.
If the nest is in an area where a dog commonly stays, such as a backyard or dog run, place a laundry basket secured with a heavy object, such as a large rock, over the nest during the day. Remove the basket at dusk so the mother can return to feed at night, and replace the basket again in the morning. Repeat this until the young are on their own.
Eastern cottontails are not a public health concern.
Don't Look for Mom
How to Return Young to the Nest
Pets & Cottontails
How to Make Your Yard Less Attractive
What You Should Never Do
Public Health Concerns
If you find a wild animal that looks injured or orphaned, leave it alone and call the Forest Preserve District's Willowbrook Wildlife Center at 630-942-6200. Recordings offer general advice when the center is closed.
Or visit the wildlife rescue advice page.
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Wheaton, IL 60189
630-933-7200
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The Forest Preserve District is committed to making its facilities accessible to all visitors. Contact 630-933-7683 or TTY 800-526-0857.