wild baby jack rabbit

Question
QUESTION:  hello,
I found a wild jack rabbit and it is  only about 2-3 weeks old . I don't want to give it to the control iwould like to keep to have as a pet. what do i need to do? Right now i gave it water, a blanket,grass,andleaves. Is that ok?
Do I need to nurs3e it ? Pleases asap Thanks, matthew

ANSWER: Dear Matthew,

Please return the baby hare to exactly where you found it.  The mother hare is still caring for him, even though you did not see her.  Mama jacks feed their babies only once or twice a day, then stay away from the baby so as not to attract predators.  But baby jackrabbits are *very* hard to raise, and they do NOT ever become tame.  (I have rehabbed and raised many of them, and can absolutely confirm this.  They are NOT pet material in any way, and as they mature they become more and more frantic and fearful.  They need to be free, or they bash themselves against doors and windows in trying to *get* free, and they are extremely easily freaked out by the slightest disturbance!)

If you can absolutely confirm that the mother is dead, then please write back and I can help with instructions for emergency feeding.  But note that baby hares taken this young from their mothers almost *always* die from E. coli intestinal infections (from human contact, no matter how clean) because they need the antibodies in their mother's milk to fight off the foreign pathogens.

PLEASE do the right thing and take the baby back to his mother right away.  I know you will, because you care about his best interest.

Take care,

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: HELLO AGAIN,

THE baby rabbit was found near my house and was getting surrounded by my  strictly outdoor cats.I do not know where the nests and if the mom is still alive. So can you please  write me back the emergency feeding and how to take good care of it. I really don't want to put it back where I found it because I know that my outdoor cats will defiantly kill it.
Thank you very much,
    Matthew


Answer
Dear Matthew,

I hope the instructions here will help:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/orphan.html

This is the formula I use for wild jackrabbits, and it has worked well.  But note that baby wild rabbits often succumb to fatal diarrhea, usually caused by human contact.  Before handling the baby or feeding, be sure to disinfect your hands with hot water and anti-bacterial scrub or soap.

If you see any sign of diarrhea, please use this protocol:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/squirts.pdf

under the supervision of a good rabbit vet, whom you can find here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

For more information on successfully raising baby jackrabbits, you can contact Desert Cry Wildlife Sanctuary (Regina), who has coached many folks through this successfully.  She is *fantastic* with baby hares.  Her web site and contact information are here:

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/8038/

Note that jackrabbits do not build nests.  They have their babies in the open, and the fully mobile babies usually scramble into thick brush or grass to hide until mama calls to feed them.  A mama jack will usually leave each baby in a separate location, so that if a predator finds one, it won't necessarily get the whole litter.  I hope your cats don't find any other babies, but good luck saving this one!

Take care,

Dana