wild rabbit babies

Question
a wild rabbit made nest in flowerpot on my patio. has four babies in it. babies eyes are closed but seem fine. called rehab center that will take bunnies but not sure that they wont be better off left alone. saw mother bunny yesterday morning. didnt realize she had nest.  i thought she was eating my potted plants!  surprise!! this am i was watering and found babies.   the babies are fairly large so assume they've been there several days. it gets very hot on the patio in late afternoon.  i have moved pot back into deeper shade but wonder if i should take babies to rehab after all

Answer
Its very nice of you to be concerned for the wild bunnies in your flower pot.
Wild bunnies are very robust. They have a much better chance of survival if left where you found them, rather than taking them to a rehab center.  The eyes of wild bunnies open at 8 days old, so it should be soon, and shortly thereafter - they will begin to explore their surroundings and learn to eat solid foods.  Because young rabbits are such an easy target for prey animals, the mom spends very little time near or in the nest.  She stays away from them to avoid attracting predators to the nest. She will nurse the babies once or twice a day, for no more than 10 minutes at a time and thats it - the rest of the time she will be gone.  Since you saw her yesterday morning, she is clearly nursing which is a good thing.  You did the right thing by moving the pot deeper into the shade; rabbits have a very low tolerance for direct sunlight.  Another thing that would be helpful would be to leave a small dish of water near the nest for the mother to drink from.  They can dehydrate quickly in the heat and lack of water reduces milk production.  The babies will fully leave the nest by 3 weeks of age, so they wont be with you long.  You are doing things right; just let them grow out right where they are.  
Please let me know if you have any more questions or need any further help.

Lisa L.
BunnyGal.