Orphans 2 | Wildlife Medical Clinic

Hoppy Spring!

We are in the midst of the most wonderful time of year for the Eastern Cottontail Rabbit
(Sylvilagus floridanus). Spring comes with plentiful food and nourishment to support the
birth of many new young rabbits. The rabbit breeding season begins around early
March and continues into September. Since rabbits have such a short gestation period,
28 days, one rabbit can have upwards of three litters per year. An average litter has
anywhere from two to seven baby rabbits, also known as kits.

The cottontail rabbit gives birth in shallow, grassy depressions in the ground. The
mother rabbit will return only twice per day to feed her young, usually around dawn and
dusk. Outside of feedings, the mother will often put some distance between herself and
her young so as not to attract predators to her babies. The timeline from newborn to
self-sufficient is truly short with rabbits.

The kits are born blind and with little hair.

Their eyes will begin to open about four days after being born.

By twelve to sixteen days old they will begin to adventure out of their nest.

As early as four or five weeks old, young rabbits will start to fend for themselves.

They may begin to sexually reproduce as early as three to four months of age.

Unfortunately, many young kits do not survive to adulthood, partially due to the high risk
of predation. The average lifespan of a wild cottontail rabbit is about one to three years.

It is quite common for rabbits to make their nest in residential yards. The best thing you
can do if you find baby rabbits in your yard is leave them alone! It is a common
misconception that the mother will not return to feed her babies if they smell that a
human has touched them. Unless it has been confirmed that the mother is injured or
deceased, young kits have their best chance of survival when left in the wild for their
mom to care for them.

Dog owners often have concerns for a dog getting to the babies, and there are a couple
easy solutions for this. You can create a protective shield for the nest by placing a
laundry basket or small pen around the nest with a hole just big enough for the mother
rabbit to fit through. Alternatively, a weighted basket can be placed over the nest during
the day and removed at night for mom to return. If all else fails, leash-walking your dog
for potty time is another feasible option. As previously mentioned, the young rabbits
should be ready to move out of the nest within four to five weeks, so it is a temporary
inconvenience that makes a world of difference to the kits’ survival.

Celebrate the Spring season with some fun facts about the Eastern Cottontail Rabbit

1. The Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) is a different species than
the common domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), and therefore, they are
unable to reproduce with each other.
○ It is important to note that the wild rabbit can transmit the fatal virus,
known as Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus Type 2, to domestic rabbits,
so they should not be allowed to mingle.

2. Eastern Cottontails are generally a solitary species but if found in a group, they
would be called a “fluffle.”

3. To escape predators, the Eastern Cottontail Rabbit can run as fast as 29km/hr.,
or 19mph.

4. Rabbits are usually non-vocal, but they can emit a grunt or scream if they are in
true danger.

5. Rabbits are crepuscular beings, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk.

6. Eastern Cottontail Rabbits will sometimes do a courtship dance in which they will
leap up into the air and race under one another.

7. An adult cottontail rabbit can weigh up to 2.5lbs. Female rabbits are typically
larger than male rabbits.

8. Eastern Cottontail rabbits do not hibernate. During the winter, rabbits usually
survive on twigs and branches or any seedlings they can find. They take a break
from mating to preserve their energy as food sources are limited

This blog post was written by second year Alli

What to Do if You Find Orphaned Critters

It’s baby season in Illinois and the Wildlife Medical Clinic would like to share some tips for what to do if you see a potentially orphaned animal.

Wildlife Misconceptions

One of our goals at the Wildlife Medical Clinic is to educate the public about the animals that live around us, and that sometimes involves correcting long-believed ideas. Here are four of my favorite misconceptions to discuss with people:

1) “Bald eagles sound fierce!”

That majestic battle-cry you have heard in movies did NOT come from a bald eagle. At some point, film and TV editors in Hollywood decided that red-tailed hawks have a much more intimidating sound and would dub over eagle vocalizations with audio from hawks to present a stronger American symbol. Bald eagles actually make a series of short, high-pitched notes that can be described as whistling or piping. We have both species as Ambassador animals – if you visit, Odin (red-tailed hawk) and River (bald eagle) may give you the chance to hear the difference!

For those that can’t visit the clinic, here is a video from the Alaska Raptor Center “Red-tailed Hawk and Bald Eagle Vocalizations”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEmYEQ78zS0

2) “Possums carry rabies!”

Rabies is a concern for human health and in our domestic pets, however, Virginia opossums very rarely carry rabies. As marsupials, they have a lower body temperature than most other wild mammals and this is thought to be the main reason opossums are not typically affected by this virus. The mammals in Illinois that are considered common carries of rabies are bats and skunks, which is why the Wildlife Medical Clinic cannot accept these species as patients. For your pets at home, the best way to protect them from rabies is by staying up to date with vaccinations from your veterinarian!

3) “The difference between snakes and lizards is that snakes don’t have legs and lizards do.”

This may sound silly, but there are a few hundred species of legless lizards that can be found around the world! While they are rarely found in Illinois, they are commonly seen in other states such as California and Florida. If you happen to travel outside of the United States, you may come across them in areas of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. So, if you cannot tell the difference between a snake and lizard based on legs, what can you look for to tell the difference? One of the easiest things to try to observe from a distance is whether they have holes just behind their eyes. These are ear holes – lizards have them, snakes do not! You can also look at whether they have eyelids – legless lizards can close their eyes whereas snakes do not have eyelids.

4) “You can’t move a baby bunny or baby bird because the mother will smell you on them and won’t take care of them.”

This is a common concern we hear from people, especially around this time of the year. Luckily, this is a misconception! If you find a young animal that does not appear to be injured or sick, our first recommendation will be to return it to the nest and its parents if you are able. Your touch will not cause the mother to abandon the baby. The best option for wildlife is to remain in the wild and be raised by their parents. Of course, we know this is not always possible and if the young animal is truly orphaned or injured, please contact the WMC or your nearest licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Written by First Year Sarah