you should not handle a wild rabbit directly<\/strong> nor hand-feed them. Baby bunnies should be left in their nest and not disturbed.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRemember to wash your hands well before preparing your wild rabbit\u2019s snack, just as you would consider proper food handling procedures for items prepared for human consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can feed wild rabbits without coming into direct contact with them by leaving their food treats in an open area. Certainly, you might want to use a bowl or pet food dish to place their food in, but you should leave these receptacles for the rabbits to find on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You should not put your fingers near the rabbit\u2019s mouth. Rabbits can carry the Francisella tularensis bacteria which causes Tularemia in humans. This is a serious disease that causes inflammation of your organs and can even be life-threatening. Wild rabbits are common carriers and direct handling should be avoided. If there is a situation where you believe directly handling a rabbit is necessary (such as getting a sick or injured rabbit to safety), call your local animal control officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What Do Rabbits Eat in the Wild?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Wild bunnies, like their domesticated relatives, are herbivores and they subsist on a high-fiber diet. A bunny\u2019s digestive system is delicate and, in the wild, they’re excellent foragers. Rabbits are often seen nibbling away at grass as this staple provides the fiber their bodies need. Left to their own instincts, rabbits will focus on grass, shrubs, plants, and even twigs and bark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s take a quick look at the full range of a wild rabbit\u2019s typical diet in its natural surroundings. Their diet changes considerably, given the season, so we\u2019ll break things down a bit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Warmer Seasons (Spring and Summer)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Grass<\/li>
- Weeds<\/li>
- Wild clover<\/li>
- Wildflowers <\/li>
- Garden flowers<\/li>
- Garden vegetable plants<\/li>
- Shrubbery<\/li>
- Tree seedlings<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Colder Seasons (Fall and Winter)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Twigs<\/li>
- Buds<\/li>
- Bark<\/li>
- Conifer (pine) needles<\/li>
- Any surviving green plants<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Proceed slowly and get to know your new friends as you enjoy the process of understanding their habitat and behaviors. Introduce new foods slowly and in small amounts. Watch for any change in the rabbit droppings, as this can indicate that the rabbits\u2019 diet has skewed towards an unhealthy imbalance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since we know that it’s best for wild animals to continue to live in their wild state, without becoming over-reliant on a human food provider who may not be able to continue sending nourishment their way. Instead, it would be wise to consider whether constructing a grass-rich feeding area in your yard might suffice, with very occasional treats left out for the bunnies you are quietly caring for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also remember that positive, daily interaction with nature is known to relieve stress and anxiety, and now more than ever, our mental health is important to maintain. Developing a close connection with the wild rabbit population in your area is a great way to relieve stress and if done right, help out those cute bunnies in the process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Have you seen wild rabbits romping through the grass in your area? I’m guessing you’ve not only seen them, but they’ve even won you over and now you’re willing to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":3113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3044"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3044"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3124,"href":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3044\/revisions\/3124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rabbitinformer.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}