Wild Cottontail

[lilcottontail]

Hey guys. I have a wild Eastern Cottontail rescue. My dog tore up the nest and injured the mom in our backyard on July 4th 2020. She was days old. Eyes weren’t opened yet. We did a lot of research and formula fed her. Against all odds, she survived and is a beautiful, thriving,  adult cottontail now. We realized we could not release her at about 8 weeks when she didn’t seem to fear our dogs constant barking in the house. We built her a two story wood house and we have fencing around it. She lives indoors. She has a pretty good life for a wild cottontail. Cottontails are solitary so I don’t worry about her being lonely. My concern is getting her medical treatment if she ever needs it. Does anyone have resources for how to get care for a wild cottontail? We do have a wild animal rescue in my area and we would use them as a last resort. But the problem is we wouldn’t be able to get her back if we took her there.  They would treat and release her.  She has only been in the wild a few days as a newborn and would not survive in the wild. Any ideas or resources?

[Azerane]

In many states they aren’t legal to keep as pets so you may have trouble finding a vet willing to treat. In which case if she does need medical care, handing over to a rescue is really in her best interest so that she can get the treatment she needs. I’m not sure if they would release her due to how long she been in human care. If they did release her she would need to be acclimatised with a soft release first I would think.

[LBJ10]

Yes, it matters where you live. Many states do not allow wildlife to be kept as pets, including cottontails. Some other states do allow it… but these are the states that pretty much allow people to keep all kinds of exotic animals as well.

[lilcottontail]

Yes. Thanks for the responses. That is the tough situation I’m dealing with. I’m not sure it is legal in my state to have a wild cottontail. I’m not worried about “breaking the law” though. I didn’t go looking to take in a wild animal. She needed us and we did the loving thing for her. If that is a crime, so be it…. As I said in my original post, if she became ill or injured, I would hand her over to a wildlife rescue as a last resort if she needed urgent care. I’ve contacted a few rescues and one actually recommended a vet that might help if needed. That was promising. She is healthy and thriving. I just want to make sure I have a plan should we ever need it. It’s been scary knowing I can’t just take her to the vet like I can my dogs.

[LBJ10]

Of course you did a good thing! Unfortunately, that is just what the laws are in some states. There may be some vets that are willing to look the other way. The trick will be finding one. It sounds like you might have a lead, so that’s good.

[Author]

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