How to Build a Natural Rabbit Nest

If your pet destroys an existing rabbit's nest, or you come across a disturbed nest, you can try to rebuild it. Some wild rabbits build their nests in plain sight, while others prefer hidden locations. Female rabbits build nests to offer warmth and shelter to their unborn young. Once born, the rabbits and their mother inhabit the nest for up to two weeks. However, it must have sufficient coverage to keep the newborns warm when the mother rabbit is away.

Things You'll Need

  • Gloves
  • Grass
  • Leaves
  • Scrap paper
  • Rabbit fur
  • 6 to 8 stakes -- 3-foot high
  • Bright tape
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find a spot where you can rebuild the nest -- as close as possible to its original location, no more than 10 feet away. Look for an area that has tall grass and a lot of brushy cover. Avoid walkways or areas that pets frequent.

    • 2

      Put on gardening gloves to avoid transferring your scent onto the nest, because this may keep the mother rabbit from returning.

    • 3

      Dig a shallow hole, no more than 4 inches deep, in dry ground at your selected location.

    • 4

      Line the bottom and sides of the hole with soft grass and leaves. Rip up pieces of scrap paper and mix them into the coverage. If possible, recover some of the mother rabbit's fur left behind in the original nest, and place it in the new nest.

    • 5

      Make the nest visible to outsiders or gardeners. Place 3-foot stakes in the ground, approximately 8 feet away from the nest, positioned in a circle around it. Drape bright tape over the tops of the stakes.