Wildlife Clinic
Found an animal?

Your answer

Rebuild the nest. It usually still works.

A mown or dug-up nest looks like a disaster and often is not one. If the young are uninjured, a reconstructed nest in the same spot is far better than any clinic, because the mother is still on her schedule and still coming back to that patch of ground.

What to do right now

  1. 01Gather all the young you can find within a few feet and check each one for wounds.
  2. 02Reshape the scrape at the original spot and put the original fur and grass back over them.
  3. 03If the fur is gone, use dried grass clippings — never fabric, cotton wool, or shredded paper.
  4. 04Mark it with crossed twigs, photograph it, and check in the morning.
  5. 05Injured young go to a rehabilitator now; uninjured siblings stay in the nest.

What not to do

  • Do not divide the litter between the nest and a box.
  • Do not water or feed them.
  • Do not cover the nest with anything solid. A laundry basket weighted at the corners is only acceptable overnight if a dog cannot be contained, and it must come off at dusk.

Change your mind if any of this is true

Any one of these changes the answer above. Call a rehabilitator instead.

  • Any bleeding, puncture, or exposed bone.
  • Fly eggs on the skin.
  • The twigs stay undisturbed for two nights running.

Get professional help

Showing rehabilitators permitted for small mammals.

Accepts Eastern Cottontail

This list is not complete. Some licensed rehabilitators choose not to publish their details, and the state list is updated quarterly. Always call ahead: a rehabilitator may be full even when listed.

All 43 rehabilitators permitted for this animal.

Choosing a county puts the nearest first. It never hides anyone — someone further away may still be the one who can take it.

Understand the animal

Knowing why this happens is what makes the next one easier to read.