Wildlife Questions
We get many calls and emails from kind folks who have rescued baby cottontails. Please note, many baby cottontails appear to be abandoned, but in fact their mother is nearby. The mother rabbit only visits the nest once or twice a day, and stays well away the rest of the time so as to not attract predators. Baby cottontails leave the nest at a very young age–younger than domestic rabbits. If you have any doubts, call a licensed rehabilitator. Do not try to feed the babies any formula, you can do more damage than good with the wrong foods. Check out The Wildlife Rescue League’s FAQ for some tips on deciding when to rescue and what to do until you can get the animal to a rehabber.
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Maryland
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Frisky’s Wildlife and Primate Sanctuary and Rescue
10790 Old Frederick Rd., Woodstock, MD 21163
Phone: 410-418-8899 Fax: 410- 418-5402 -
Second Chance Wildlife Sanctuary
7101 Barcelona Dr., Gaithersburg, MD 20879
Phone: 301-926-WILD -
Wildlife Rescue, Inc.
Hampstead, MD
Phone: 410-357-5179 -
Phoenix Wildlife Center, Inc.
Phoenix, MD
Phone: 410-628-9736 -
Orphaned Wildlife Rescue Center
Serves Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties
Phone: 410-326-0937
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Virginia
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N. VA Wildlife Rescue League
Falls Church, VA
Hotline: (703) 440-0800
Washington DC
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All of the above listings for Maryland and Virginia accept wildlife from Washington, DC
Delaware
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Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research
Newark, DE
302-737-9543
You can also contact the nearest wildlife rehabilitator or organization. Visit the Maryland Wildlife Rehabilitators Association’s list of rehabbers to find the one closest to you.
If you are near Harford County (north of Baltimore), you can take injured cottontails to Chadwell Animal Hospital (443-512-8338) or Fallston Veterinary Clinic (410-877-1727). They will treat them and, if they survive, turn them over to a licensed rehabilitator.