Will a mother wild cottontail rabbit move her babies to another nest?
Most rabbits, in general, will not move their babies. And with wild rabbits, if the mom thinks a predator (human interferance too) has been touching the nest, she will abandon her babies. So wild nest should be left alone, even if you can’t see the mom anywhere, she only tends the babies once or twice a day so not to attract attention from predators.
It’s baloney that if a human touches a baby anything it will be abandoned. And yes, a rabbit will relocate a nest that’s had too much attention from cats, dogs, and/or humans but only if the babies are so small they can’t take off. It only takes about 3 weeks from birth for a baby bunny to start being on its own. All the bunnies will, however, tend to stay around with each other and their original nest for awhile even though mama is long gone.
People need to remember that the number one thing an animal is on earth to do is keep its species growing. Mother ANYTHING will do its very best to stick with babies until they are on their own no matter what. A mother rabbit will hang close to a nest being raided in an attempt to divert attention and at great peril to themselves, which is often true for birds too.
Don’t feel bad. You can’t save them all. You’re a decent person if you try your best to keep cats, dogs, and other predators away sometimes to no avail. Staying up all night like I’ve done before gets real old and as soon as you’re not looking, they’re gone. You get a big thumbs up for even trying as most people don’t even brake for animals anymore or could care less if their dog eats the rodents!
My experience is that I’ve had everything imaginable turning up in my yard for some 30 years now. I live on the edge of a marsh and a nature preserve. You name it, I’ve seen it–in my yard. I also have established bird feeders that draw everything. Nature is wonderful and cruel at the same instance. I’ve been thrilled with what I’ve seen, and have spent time crying and burying things as well.
