How to Feed a Hare

If you’re a rabbit lover, you probably won’t be able to resist feeding them as they pass by your yard. Also you may come across orphaned or abandoned baby rabbits in need of food. Feeding wild rabbits is fun, but certain protocol regarding rabbit diet and safety should be followed to ensure that the rabbits in the yard stay healthy. and happy.

Table of Contents

Food for adult hares

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Choose seasonal foods. Hare’s eating habits will vary from season to season. Food for the fall/winter month will not be the same as spring/summer.

From early spring to early fall, hares mainly eat grass, clover, wildflowers, weeds, and garden plants. You can set up a rabbit-friendly area in your yard or garden, and plant some plants during these months. Alternatively, you can leave the box containing the grass, clover, etc. out in the yard, in the area where you have seen the hares congregate. ^{[1] X Research Source}
In late fall to spring, you need to change the rabbit’s diet. They will move on to eating buds, twigs, bark, leaves, and any fresh plants they come across. You should keep those plants out in the yard during the winter if you want to keep hares during this time. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Place grass and hay in a rabbit-friendly area. Rabbits love grass and hay. If you don’t mind letting rabbits into your yard, you can create a small area where rabbits can eat in the garden. Because rabbits like to eat in areas where there are bushes and small trees to cover, create a thick lawn in one of your yards for wild rabbits to visit.

You can grow grass at a certain height in your yard. It is also possible to spread hay or leave hay bins in this area. ^{[3] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to Source}
If you are a gardener who loves animals, you can remove the fence around a certain area of the garden. In this area, you can grow tall grass, clover, weeds, and other wildflowers that rabbits like and place a manger in that area. This will attract the hare to your garden to enjoy the food. ^{[4] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to source}
If wild rabbits feel safe in your garden, don’t be surprised if they come and graze all day.
Note that placing food like this may attract wildlife other than rabbits.

Provide plenty of fresh grass and hay. Both wild rabbits and domestic rabbits have in common that they need grass as their main food to absorb. If rabbits come to eat in your garden, they will have a lot of fresh grass to eat but no chance to have access to hay. The hay that should be given to wild rabbits is oat grass (oat hay) and cattail grass (timothy hay). Alfalfa should only be given to baby rabbits because it contains too much protein, calcium and sugar.

Buy hay at pet food stores.
Do not use pesticides in the garden that rabbits come to eat. This chemical will make rabbits very sick.

Feed the Orphan Rabbit

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You need to make sure that the rabbit is really orphaned. Often, when exploring a rabbit hole or a group of baby rabbits, we mistakenly think they are orphans. Since most rabbits taken out of the wild will not survive, it is important that you do not bring them home unless you are certain they have been abandoned by the mother rabbit. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Baby rabbits are often alone because the mother sometimes leaves the nest during the day and returns at night. If you see baby rabbits huddled together, they are probably not orphans and the mother rabbit will return in the evening. You should leave the baby rabbit alone. ^{[10] X Research Source}
In general, you should only conclude that a baby rabbit is orphaned if you know for sure that its mother is dead. Your dog or cat likely messed up the rabbit hole or killed the mother rabbit. You can also find a dead mother rabbit lying nearby. In cases like these, you can identify orphaned baby rabbits and intervene. ^{[11] X Research Source}
If you find a baby rabbit under 10 days old lost outside the nest, it is most likely separated from the mother rabbit. There is a possibility that the baby rabbit ran away from fear of something or the crow took it away and left it there. Most likely, the baby rabbit was injured and could not survive. You should take him to a veterinarian or humane society as this is the best chance the baby rabbit can survive. ^{[12] X Research Source}
If the baby rabbits look healthy and plump, rest assured that this means the mother is still taking care of them.
If you want to make sure the mother rabbit is still close to the nest, make a mark by stacking several ropes crossed over the nest. If the next morning you check again and see that the rope is messed up, this means that the mother rabbit arrived at night.
Rabbits that show signs of being cold, weak, dehydrated (wrinkled skin and not elastic if pulled lightly), or injured will often be rabbits that have lost their mother. But because baby rabbits are especially difficult to care for, you should still call the wildlife conservation center.

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Contact lifeguards. As soon as you find an orphaned baby rabbit, you need to immediately contact an animal rescue group. Baby rabbits need to be cared for by experienced lifeguards to increase their chances of survival. Only 10% of orphaned rabbits survive the first week. You should not attempt to rehabilitate baby rabbits alone, unless you have experience in rescue and rehabilitation and have first aid equipment available. ^{[13] X Research Source}

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Learn Newborn Rabbit Food. If you are unable to contact lifeguards immediately, you should begin self-care and feeding. This will increase the survival of the baby rabbit. Goat’s milk is the recommended food for newborn rabbits. If not, an alternative formula for puppies and kittens (KMR milk) is also a good choice. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Powdered milk can be purchased from pet stores.
Cow’s milk and baby formula (Pedialyte) should not be given to baby rabbits.
If the baby rabbit’s body is cold before drinking milk, you should warm them up first.

Breastfeed the baby rabbit. Because their bodies are so small, the baby rabbits will be fed with a 1- to 3-milliliter syringe, available at pharmacies, if not, a dropper is also a good option.

You should sterilize milk and hands before giving milk to your rabbit. Cold powdered milk can easily cause diarrhea in baby rabbits.
Feed your rabbit in a quiet place to avoid stressing the baby.
Feed each baby rabbit in turn. Gently lift the rabbit and place it in a soft towel. Hold the rabbit in a position so that the head is higher than the body. Place the tip of the milk tube in the corner of the baby rabbit’s mouth. Using the right posture and correct placement will help prevent your rabbit from inadvertently inhaling liquid into the lungs.
Don’t be surprised if your baby rabbits only take a few drops of milk at first. They take some time to get used to the syringe. ^{[15] X Research Source}

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Determine the amount of milk for the rabbit to suckle. The amount of milk given to baby rabbits depends on their age.

If rabbits are only 1-2 weeks old, they need 5-7 cc/ml at each feeding and should feed twice daily. ^{[16] X Research Source}
At 2 to 3 weeks of age, rabbits need 7 to 13 cc/ml at each feed and feed only once a day. ^{[17] X Research Source}
At 3 to 6 weeks old, they need to feed from 13 to 15 cc/ml twice daily. You can feed baby rabbits solid foods such as oats at this age ^{[18] X Research Source}
Absolutely do not feed the baby rabbit too much. You know you should stop when your baby rabbit’s belly is slightly rounded.

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Stimulation to go to the toilet. Once the baby rabbit has been fed, it will be important to urinate and defecate because it keeps the digestive tract and excretory tract clean. To do this, take a cotton ball soaked in damp water and gently stroke the anal area until the baby rabbits excrete.

Precautionary Notes

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Build a fence to protect flowers and vegetables. If the hare you want to feed enters the yard, you need to show them what they can and can’t eat. Set up a rabbit-friendly area in your garden that contains their favorite food, and put up a protective fence around the other area.

The fence is definitely the best choice to form a fence for the garden. Thin wire mesh is enough to prevent rabbits from jumping into the weight. The foot of the fence should be firmly buried in the ground so that the rabbit does not try to push from the bottom. ^{[19] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to source}
Threatening objects, such as straw scarecrows, bandages, or balloons can frighten rabbits and prevent them from entering a yard where they are unwelcome. Pinwheels sold primarily to deter moles may be effective against rabbits. ^{[20] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to source}
Avoid using industrial pesticides, especially if you leave your rabbit’s food near the yard. Wind can blow pesticides into the vicinity, and if swallowed, rabbits can become sick and vulnerable to predators. ^{[21] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to Source}

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Repair the rabbit hole if the dog or cat destroys it. If you are keeping hares in your yard, they can make a nest to give birth to. Cats or dogs can easily disturb and destroy their nest. If this happens, you should reorder as original.

Bring all the grass, straw, and hay that the rabbit used to build the nest back to the original position. If the hole collapses, you should dig the hole again about 1 m deep, and fill it with straw grass. ^{[22] X Research Source}
If you see the mother rabbit’s hair falling out, you should collect it and put it in the nest. This will help the mother find her pups if the nest has been moved or isn’t the real one. ^{[23] X Research Sources}

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Take your rabbit to a veterinarian or humane society if they are injured. Often, rabbits can get injured near your house. One of the pets may attack the hare or be injured by another predator. You can put your rabbit in a cage or crate. Take your rabbit to the vet or rescue station so they can be properly cared for and released back into the wild. ^{[24] X Research Source}

Advice

Leave part of the lawn or garden in natural conditions with native plants to provide shelter and food for wildlife.
If you have pets in the house, you should not let them go alone while you are feeding the hare. Most domestic cats and dogs will become predatory and aggressive when encountering a foreign creature.
You should be careful not to let wild rabbits depend on being fed by humans.

Warning

Taking care of an orphaned hare without sufficient knowledge and experience will lead to worse consequences than doing a good deed. Orphaned rabbits should be sent to the nearest wildlife care facility.
Pesticides are very toxic to rabbits.
Some vegetables (e.g. broccoli) have the potential to cause severe indigestion in hares.
Note that in some countries, it is illegal to keep wild animals without prior authorization.

Steps

Food for adult hares

Feed the Orphan Rabbit

Precautionary Notes

Advice

Warning

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