Seeing hares through the window while drinking your coffee or doing your morning walk gives such a good feeling inside. Seeing these cute creatures just minding their own, eating some good grass, and just chill is an awesome feeling for not to mention being blessed to see a young hare (leverets). Of course, we wish to keep the hares in our ecosystem, and I will, through this article, give my best advice on how to help hares and share all my knowledge about this fantastic species.
You can help hares by giving them shelter from foxes and other predators and also providing them with some good nutritious food.
How to help hares
Hares are nomads and is only seen with other hares when it’s mating season or when the doe had leverets.
They usually eat during the night and go home at dawn. Since hares are herbivores, their main dish contains grass, herbs, fruits, and also what can be found on crops. Cabbage plants are one of their favorites. During winter, they tend to eat shrubs, barks and sometimes have been seen eating their own pellet feces.
You can help hares in two ways. Providing their young shelter and providing them food.
Food-wise the hares enjoy eating in open fields where they have good control over the environment if predators are nearby. So when placing food, give the hares food where you have seen them graze before. When grazing, they enjoy clover, grass, and miscellaneous flowers. They also enjoy some wild bird mix seeds.
What to feed hares with:
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Parsley
- Dill
- Coriander
- Basil
- Fennel
- Chive
- Rosemary
- Oats
- Fodder rape
You can spread it out on the field you usually see the hares visit. There’s a risk you will attract rats, squirrels, and other small animals. If you also wish to help the squirrels during winter, I wrote an article for the best ways to do it.
Providing leverets with shelter from aerial predators:
You can help the young hares by sheltering them to hide from birds of prey. You can easily build these shelters using a pellet, two thick planks, and a cut-down pine, fir, or twigs with leafy greens. This provides both shelter and food for the leverets. If you own the property, you can cut down a deciduous tree. You can also add salt lick for them.
What do hares eat?
During summer, when hares graze, they usually eat grass, cloves, leaves, and crops they find. Hares are herbivores which means they only eat plants. Providing hares with vegetables like cabbage, carrots, fennel, and various herbs like parsley and dill gives the hares a real treat. However, hares are also known to eat their own pellet feces.
During winter, hares usually eat bark, bushes and, trees. Aspen tree and birch are favorites. When the depths of the snow increase, the hare reach higher up on the trees. The hares are intelligent and can change the food source depending on supply. In some places, they even eat heather.
The usually get their water through the plants they consume.
What do baby hares (leverets) eat?
Baby hares get their feed from their mother. They usually get fed on the same place, at the same time every night, while prancing around during the day. They start eating grass about 12 days after birth and stop to suckle around 30 days. The doe usually have three litters per year, where the gestation period is 41-42 days.
How do you encourage hares?
If you wish to have more hares in your neighborhood, you can start by adding wild bird mix, pollen, or nectar over a large area in a field. Your success rate to have visitors increase if you have seen them there before. When you start seeing hares, you can add vegetables and herbs in addition to the bird mix.
Do hares eat mice?
Hares does not eat mice since they are herbivores and only consumes vegetables. However, as baby hares (leverets) they suckle.
Can hares eat carrots?
Hares can eat carrots and other vegetables. However, Bugs Bunny’s connection between rabbits and carrots is because the famous Hollywood actor Clark Gable was seen munching on carrots. The connection was brought to life through satire in the first Bugs Bunny movie, “A Wild Hare.” Rabbits should not consume carrots in great amounts.
Can you raise a baby hare?
If you see an alone baby hare, you should not do anything. The doe spreads out their leverets and has control over them. The mother is close by, despite you not seeing her. Do not touch or interact with the leverets if the leveret is hurt; contact a veterinarian first and ask for directions.
Can baby hares survive on their own?
Leverets can live on their own, only an hour after being born. The doe leaves the leverets alone while going out for food. However, baby hares suckle for 30 days and then are gathering their own food.
Why are hares not kept as pets?
The reason for not having a hare as a pet is because hares are very aggressive. Hares have powerful back legs and can not be tamed. If not properly handled, hares are very dangerous, especially around children. Hence, hares can not be domesticated.
Do hares fight?
You might have seen hares fight, or almost boxing. This usually happens in two cases.
- The male hare wish to mate but the doe doesn’t.
- Two male hares in a drove trying to establish dominance.
Can hares mate with rabbits?
Hares can not mate with rabbits since they are two different species.
How long do hares live for?
While arctic hares which are found on Greenland and in northen Canada only lives for 18 months, the scrub hare lives between 1-5 years. The European hare can live for about 12 years.
| Hare | Lifespan |
| European hare | 12 years |
| Arctic hare | 18 months |
| Scrub hare | 1-5 years |
| Mountain hare | 3-4 years |
| Black-tailed Jackrabbit | 2-5 years |
| Snowshoe hare | 6 years |
| Cape hare | 1-5 years |
| Japanese hare | 1-9 years |
| Burmese hare | 6 years |
Why are hares dying?
Hares have decreased in volume by 80% in the last decades due to the change of farming practices and more intense agriculture. This affects their food supply and habitat. Another reason for the increase in death numbers is the spreading of viruses among hares.
If you see a dead hare in a public space, you should contact your local council and report it—the same thing with both badgers, foxes, and similar. If you see a dead animal on private property, you should inform the owner of the property. However, if you believe the animal’s death is related to crime, you should instead contact the authorities. (Source).
Where do hares live in the US?
The location of hare population depends which kind of hare it is. While the jackrabbit are most frequent in the western half of US and some southern parts the Snowshore hare is more common in the northern parts.
Where do hares live and sleep?
Hares usually live in forms, in shallow depressions, like burrows. They prefer different vegetation, so they are harder to see. However, they do not see their depressions as their home, but more as a sleeping place and a place to keep hidden. Not all hares live in the forest, but some also live in groves.
Can hares be black?
The brown hare is known for the brown fur and black ears, but also the Belgian hare has a dark ombre coat.
Can hares swim?
Hares can swim, but they do tend to avoid it. They have a unique swimming style looking like they are running in water.
Do hares come out at night?
Hares are so-called nocturnal and spend a third of their time foraging. Mostly during the night. During the day, they are in their burrows hiding from predators while digesting the night before’s food. The best way to spot hares is in the early morning or evening.
What animal eats hare?
Predators that enjoy eating hare are:
- Eagles
- Foxes
- Weasels
- Coyotes
- Lynxes
- Man