If you have disturbed a nest of baby bunnies, place all material back in the nest and snuggle the bunnies down inside it. The nest will be lined with the mother's fur. Cut several pieces of string (about a foot long) or use very small sticks and cross them on top of the nest to make a star. Check the nest the next morning to see if the string or sticks have been disturbed by the mother's coming and going. Remember, you may never see her.

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The Eastern Cottontail Rabbit has a compact body with long hind legs, long ears, large brown eyes, and a small tail with a puffy white underside, which resembles a cotton ball. The fur is reddish-brown or grayish-brown in color with the fur around their nose, belly and underside of the tail being white. Almost all have a gray patch around the neck and the kits have an additional white mark on their forehead that fades as they mature. Cottontail Rabbits are herbivores and will eat many types of vegetation. They enjoy grasses, clover, weeds, dandelion, bulbs, many herbs, flowers, leaves and twigs.

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Rabbit nests are often very shallow and about the size of a pie pan. Unfortunately, mama rabbits will choose inconvenient spots, like your yard, for a nesting spot. If you or your pet destroy a rabbit’s nest, return as much of the bedding material as possible back inside the shallow hole that is the nesting spot. If the babies are not injured, place them on the nest and cover them the best you can. Mother rabbits do not stay with the babies as a way to keep preditors from finding the babies. She will visit the nest 2 or 3 times a day to feed and care for the babies. If you are uncertain as to whether the mother is returning to her babies, you can drape a string or small sticks in an “X” or tic-tac-toe pattern on top of the nest. If the pattern has been disturbed, mom is returning. Keep all pets away from the area for several weeks and allow the babies time to grow. If the string is undisturbed, then the mother did not return. Call a rehabber for further instructions. If the bunny has been injured, including one that has been in contact with a cat, call a rehabber immediately. Be sure to place the baby in a towel lined box, add a source of heat to keep it warm and do not give any food or fluids.