How to Care for Jackrabbits

Jackrabbits are a wild species commonly found in the Western United States and northern Mexico. These rabbits can weigh up to 20 lbs. with ears 4 to 5 inches long. The tips of a jackrabbit's ears and tail are black. Jackrabbits live in arid regions such as deserts and grasslands and sometimes encounter humans in these environments. Although injured adult jackrabbits are essentially impossible to care for, when jackrabbits are killed or injured they may leave behind babies, which can be rehabilitated by humans with the correct training.

Things You'll Need

  • Eyedropper
  • Goat's milk
  • Nesting box
  • Blanket
  • Heating pad
  • Green vegetables
  • Dandelion greens
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Instructions

    • 1

      Pinch the skin on the back of the rabbit's neck to see if it is dehydrated if you find an injured rabbit or abandoned baby rabbit, also known as a kit. If the skin does not retract into place when you release it, the rabbit is dehydrated and needs immediate human assistance.

    • 2

      Stroke the underbelly of the rabbit to make it urinate. If the urine is cloudy or brown the rabbit is dehydrated and needs immediate human assistance.

    • 3

      Examine the rabbit for obvious physical injuries such as cuts, bleeding and broken bones. Take the rabbit to a vet immediately if you discover injuries.

    • 4

      Rehydrate and feed baby rabbits under 7 weeks of age goat's milk using an eyedropper to squirt the food into the side of the rabbit's mouth to prevent choking. For rabbits through 1 week old, feed 2 to 2 1/2 ml over two feedings a day. Rabbits 2 weeks old require 5 to 7 ml a day; rabbits 3 to 4 weeks old require 7 to 13 ml a day. Smaller rabbits require less food.

    • 5

      Stimulate baby rabbits' bladders after feeding by gently rubbing their lower bellies to cause urination.

    • 6

      House baby jackrabbits together if you find more than one kit; these are social rabbits. Keep jackrabbit kits in a box deep enough to prevent them from escaping. Line the box with soft cloth to create a nest.

    • 7

      Maintain the box's temperature at 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit; if a heating pad is required to keep the rabbits warm, place it under only half of the box so the kits can escape the heat if needed.

    • 8

      Feed baby jackrabbits around 7 weeks of age dark green vegetation such as carrot tops and romaine lettuce. Dandelion greens are important to a jackrabbit's health as well.

    • 9

      Release healthy adult jackrabbits back into the wild at 9 weeks of age. Select an isolated area of desert or plains with wild grasses for the rabbit to eat as far from human populations as possible.